Salafi Jihad Research Articles

Abu Abdullah al-Muhajir: ‘the jurisprudence of blood’ and the ideology of ISIS

ABSTRACT In this article, I argue that Abu Abdullah al-Muhajir and his book, ‘Issues in the jurisprudence of jihad’ (Masāʾil fī fiqh al-jihād), has likely been a major source of influence on the formation of the jurisprudential aspect of a new form of the Jihadi Salafi ideology which was epitomized by the practices of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the first place and of ISIS afterwards. I point out the similarities between al-Muhajir’s ideas and fatwas issued in his book and ISIS’s views and actions espoused and enacted later on in order to demonstrate how the book contributed to the making of the jurisprudential aspect of ISIS’s ideology. I pick three main themes, which I deemed to be representative of ISIS’s traits, to that purpose. The suicide attacks and civilian casualties that showed a dramatic rise after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 make up the first. The second one is the anti-Shia sentiment and attacks as they follow from it. The last one, maybe an ISIS signature among various intellectual lines and currents of Jihadi Salafism, consists of ‘savage’ or ‘brutal’ acts. Based on these three main themes, I aim to display the influence of al-Muhajir’s standpoints on ISIS’s ideology.

Jihadism Influence In The Movement Of Radical Religious Extremism: Threat To The Sound Aqidah of Cyber Users

This research examines the radical religious extremism (RRE) movement's Salafi Jihadism and how it is contaminating Muslims' aqidah, particularly among internet users. This essay examines the idea of Salafi Jihadism, which goes against the notion of Ahl Sunnah wal Jamaah, which is considered to be the core religious conviction of Muslims worldwide, particularly in Malaysia. Given that cyber users are particularly vulnerable to exposure to and influence from Salafi Jihadism, this study aims to comprehend the implications of this ideology in light of the contemporary RRE movement, which takes advantage of the development of the internet. This qualitative study acquired resources especially regarding the narrative of RRE movement which relates to the idea of Salafi Jihadism from printed and online materials, both from primary and secondary sources. This study found that the cyber net users are vulnerable to the RRE ideologies hence it is required to have self-resilience towards any RRE ideologies since this borderless world of the internet is uncontrollable hence posits threat to its users, especially in the weltanschauung of Muslims that adhere to Ahl Sunnah wal Jamaah.

지하디즘의 활동 영역과 글로벌 테러리즘의 전이

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, each country's vigilance and response to the Salafi jihadist terrorist group were strengthened, but the results showed that it was a locational battle of terrorism. The transfer of terrorism from the Middle East and South Asia to Africa is not simply a transfer of terrorist organizations, but a transplant of IS's jihadist ideology. In particular, northern Africa, including the African Maghreb, the Sahel, and the Horn of Africa, is in a serious situation enough to be expressed as a 'forest fire of terrorism'. This paper examines the creation of terrorist organizations in the region to which TSCTP member states belong, conflicts and convergence between them, and considers the strategies and outcomes of related countries responding to them. Since the 2010s, the rapid globalization of jihadist terrorist groups has progressed. They are not in one country's territory, but are working to carry out terrorism across borders or to provide military and financial support to neighboring terrorist groups. In order to respond to the dynamic changes in terrorism, it is judged that feedback on the implementation of previous counterterrorism policies and mid- to long-term perspectives and strategies are needed.

NEGOTIATING MODERN ISLAMIC IDENTITY: The Political and Sociological Dynamics of Niqabis in Indonesia and Egypt

<p>Type the Arab Springs and the rise of Daesh in Syria and Iraq gave the niqabi women a special stand and visibility they never had before. Some niqabis women became visible sharing during the demonstrations calling for justice and social changes, others who believe in the Salafi jihadi trend were intensely mediatised due to their implication, next to Daesh, in tortures and bomb attacks. The civil societies in Egypt and Indonesia started to shape new calls to ban niqâb and presented it as a danger for the country. In both countries’ controversy has raised among Islamic mass organizations and universities. The Salafi doctrine which control women to cover the body including the face have increased in Egypt by the 70’ and in Indonesia during the 90’. It has entailed deep socio-religious norms’ transformations in both countries, with different impacts. This research focuses on how niqabis negotiate their modern identities in Indonesia and Egypt. It employs mixed method and uses surveys, in-depth interview (life stories), and focus group discussion. This paper would like to expose some results of those investigations happened in Indonesia and Egypt from June to November 2018. <strong></strong></p>

Al-Qaeda, Salafi Jihadism and American Policy in the Greater Middle East

Abstract: While al-Qaeda is a product of specific circumstances in the Middle East, the bitter irony of its September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States is that American policy in the region before those attacks unwittingly contributed significantly to its birth and development and that American policy subsequent to the attacks created new opportunities for similar organizations to flourish, even as al-Qaeda itself lost ground to those organizations. Organizationally and ideologically, al-Qaeda was the product of the jihad against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan and the successful war against Iraq in 1990-91, the two most prominent success stories in the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States. This essay will treat Washington's unintentional participation in the development of al-Qaeda and the group's ideological development in an analytical narrative of the founding, growth, success and eventual decline of what for Americans is the prototypical terrorist organization of the 21st century.

The Resilience of Literacy Culture in Salafi Jihadis Pesantren; Study on Traditional Islamic Boarding School in Indonesia

The existence of Salaf pesantren which is suspected to be affiliated with jihadists lately has strengthened the presence of a new traditional pesantren typology namely Salafi-jihadis. Typology pesantren are considered vulnerable to radicalism and terrorism. This article reveals the resilience of the Salafi jihadi pesantren literacy culture which is allegedly affiliated with radical jihadist groups. This was done to determine the extent of the existence of salaf-jihadis pesantren literacy. The majority of people questioned the relevance of pesantren to the spread of radicalism and terrorism issues. The data of this study were collected through observation and in-depth interviews with former convicted terrorists (suspected theorists) as well as managing Salafi-jihadis pesantren as well as several religious teachers at the pesantren. The findings of this study indicate that the salafi-jihadis pesantren teach jihad fiqh up to the ahkamudiammah chapter. However, according to the boarding school manager, the jihad literacy taught in the pesantren is recognized as having no connection with radicalism and terrorism. The findings of this study can have implications for the terminology of jihad to be pejorative. Although the majority of traditional Islamic boarding schools have diverse resistance to the issue of radicalism.

Sociology of Religious Extremism in The Malay World: An Early Analysis

The Malay World is known as an area inhabited by gentle and peace-loving people. This happens because this area has a history of interacting with foreign nations and major world religions. However, this image of peace changed when extremist movements appeared in the name of salafi jihad. The main objective of this study is to analyze the Islam-based sociology of extremism based on literature sources. It consists of primary and secondary sources produced by extremists and religious authorities. The data from these two sources are analyzed critically and use a historical perspective to identify the details of this religious extremism's teachings. This study found that the religious extremism detected in the Malay world stems from the understanding of the concepts of takfir and jihad that deviate from the teachings of Islam. These two concepts have been brought to life by the neo-Khawarij (Salafi Jihad) movement that uses ICT, especially modern social media. This causes this religious extremism movement to be welcomed by some community members.

Tasawwuf moderation in higher education: Empirical study of Al-Ghazālī’s Tasawwuf contribution to intellectual society

In Indonesia, Tasawwuf is not a new phenomenon. Religious practices that purifying the heart have been deeply rooted in religious traditions, from academics, Islamic boarding schools, and universities. However, lately, demands to disband the authority of Tasawwuf from Islamic teachings have come from reformist groups fronted by Salafi Jihadi, where the basis of their argument is based on the prevalence of Sufi practices that are too far-fetched, irrational, and even tend to injure the theological aspects. Amid the vortex of debate dialogue between reformists and traditionalists in the area of tasawwuf, a community emerged which they called “wasatiyyah” or moderate, where the main focus of their mission was to bring together different points of view in a wiser portion in responding to them. This article closely examines the contribution of Muslim intellectual “Tasawwuf Moderation” through Abū Hāmid Al-Ghazālī (who died in the 5th century) and its implications for Indonesian society’s culture in general to the discourse of socio-religious movements of intellectuals in higher education.

Transitivity and critical discourse analysis on a testament: A woman’s involvement in jihad

While a plethora of scholars have explored a growing body of research on women’s involvement in Jihad, there is still a paucity of studies addressing it using the hybridity of transitivity analysis and critical discourse analysis. The present study examined a testament left by an Indonesian woman involved in what she fallaciously called ‘Jihad’. To collect the data, the document analysis was adopted, meanwhile, Halliday and Matthiessen’s transitivity analysis (2004) and Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis (2003) were employed to analyze the data. The findings demonstrated that the experience of the woman’s involvement in jihad was described by the dominant use of material process verbs (59.4%), followed by relational process (19%), mental process (13.5%), and verbal process (8.1%). The transitivity analysis showcases that the testament is not an average text with a religious message or instructions to deal with the left property; instead, it contains a message of the Salafi Jihadist ideology of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which might put people’s lives in peril. The five core teachings of ISIS encapsulate the message of ideological teachings, including jihad (struggle in the context of religious war), takfiri (ex-communication), al-wala’ and al-barra’ (loyalty and disavowal for the sake of God), tauhid (unitary oneness of God), and tahkimiyah (the rule of God – both religiously and politically). The study findings implicate that we must raise awareness of all kinds of testaments left by the jihadi woman because these testaments may contain a global jihadist doctrine. With this in mind, we will not be easily persuaded to join a Salafi jihadist organization.

The relevance of studying the problems of religious radicalism in Kazakhstan

This article deals with the threat of religious radicalism today. Particularly, focuses on the spread of radicalism of false religious movements in the territory of Kazakhstan in the early years of independence, after our country proclaimed itself a secular state, on the influence on people’s minds, its negative impact on the country’s integrity, and the origin of radical groups. It analyzes the reasons of the propaganda and spread of the ideology of Islamic radical groups. Also, it provides an analysis of a terrible event known as Bloody January that happened in Kazakhstan last year; and discusses the reasons why radicalization based on Salafi Jihadist ideology often spreads among marginalized young people, and the causes they follow extremist movements.

Variety of Political Expressions: Study of Khilafatism Discourse on Islamic Salafi Websites in Indonesia

This study aims to analyze the ideology of khilafat discourse on Salafi websites in Indonesia. The presence of the Salafi group is not singular. Salafi groups develop according to the situation. In Indonesia, there are three Salafi groups: Salafi purists, Salafi haraki, and Salafi jihadi. All three also have websites devoted to the da'wah wing and produce discourses according to their respective ideologies. This research is qualitative, and data collection is done using observation and netnography. The objects of this research include three websites, namely muslim.or.id, majelismujahidin.com, and ansyarusyariah.com. The results of this study indicate that the website muslim.or.id represents the salafy purist group because it is a-political. The proof is that the article on this website emphasizes obedience to the legitimate leader even though it does not apply Islamic law as a whole. Meanwhile, the website Majelismujahidin.com represents haraki (political) groups who want to establish an Islamic state in Indonesia. Finally, the website ansyarusyariah.com represents the salafy jihadi group that wants to select an Islamic state and make jihad the primary way to fight for an Islamic state.

Are religious actors relevant in the prevention of violent extremism?

It is common in public discourse in Europe to draw a direct line between a strict observance of Islam and the jihadi Salafi ideology. Thus, the correlations that may exist between “quietist” Salafism and jihadism are used to justify the surveillance of communities labelled as Salafi. However, the main findings of the research we present in this Nota Internacional on the Muslim communities in the Catalan municipalities of Reus (in the province of Tarragona) and Salt (Girona province) question the use of the Salafi label among scholars and the police. They also reveal the part religious and social actors play in the Muslim community. From this standpoint, we can see how religious actors could perform a major role in prevention of violent extremism (PVE) strategies, not just as potential informants as has been the case in the past, but also as real agents for the implementation of these strategies.

MISINTERPRETATION OF SALAFI JIHADIST ON JIHĀD VERSES: AN ANALYSIS

Nowadays, the term "Jiha̅d" has taken on the connotation of a frightening term (logophobia). This is due to the fact that religious extremists use it in a very narrow context. Unfortunately, the concept of pure and vast Jihad has been tainted by insights and actions that have transcended its borders, resulting in the term Jihad being viewed negatively by some segments of the world's society. The study examines how these scholars (of Salafi Jihadism) interpret these specific verses of the Holy Quran, as well as how their concepts and explanations regarding Jihad verses differ from other scholars. A thorough qualitative method is used in this article to examine the misinterpretation of the Jiha̅d verses used by Salafi Jihadism. The study shows, first, the Salafi-Jihadi movement interprets jihad verses only based on literal meanings, ignoring the context of the asbab nuzul verses, pay less attention to the period and socio-historical verses revealed. Second, considering jihad as a physical struggle only and war in the way of Allah as a natural obligation for Muslims.

Understanding the Jihadi Salafi threat in Jordan in 2011-2017

ABSTRACT The number of Jordanian foreign fighters that joined extremist groups in Syria and Iraq since 2011 has drawn attention to the Jihadi Salafi scene in Jordan. This article examines the profiles of 780 Jihadi Salafis who were prosecuted in 2011–2017 on terrorism-related charges by the State Security Court in Jordan. The study attributes the rise of Jihadi Salafism in Jordan to socio-economic relative deprivation. The dissatisfaction of the employed and/or educated with their status explains relative deprivation, which is also an urban central phenomenon in Jordan. However, relative deprivation does not turn into radicalization unless experienced within a closely knit social network. The article concludes that Jihadi Salafism is a middle-class urban and central phenomenon in Jordan, which is likely to continue due to unaddressed frustrations, unmet identity needs, and the social network of radicals.

Linguistic Radicalisation of Right-Wing and Salafi Jihadist Groups in Social Media: a Corpus-Driven Lexicometric Analysis

Social media groups, for example on Facebook, WhatsApp or Telegram, allow for direct exchange, communication and interaction, as well as networking of different individuals worldwide. Such groups are also used to spread propaganda and thus allow for self-radicalisation or mutual radicalisation of their members. The article reports selected results from a research project analysing online communication processes of extremist groups. Based on data from group discussions in social media, corpus linguistic analyses were carried out, examining quantitative relationships between individual lexical elements and occurring regularities. To this end, four different corpora were built. These consist of data collected in right-wing and Salafi jihadist groups of a low or medium radicalisation level on Facebook and VKontakte via fake profiles, and of group communication in forums, messenger apps and social networks of highly radicalised persons, which were extracted from files of (e.g. terrorism) cases prosecuted in Germany. Quantitative linguistic analyses of social media data continue to be challenging due to the heterogeneity of the data as well as orthographic and grammatical errors. Nevertheless, it was possible to identify phenomenon specific sociolects that point to different levels of linguistic radicalisation. Based on the results of the analyses, the article discusses the prospects, problems and pitfalls of lexicometric analyses of online communication, especially as a tool for understanding radicalisation processes.

Purifying the Religion: An Analysis of Haram Targeting among Salafi Jihadi Groups

Islamic law denotes as haram any forbidden behavior, object, beverage, or food. Despite subscribing to a similar Salafi ideology, very few jihadi groups use violence against haram targets (e.g., brothels, casinos, statues, liquor stores, mixed sex schools, and gay clubs). This study argues that haram-centered violence unites ethnically-mixed jihadi groups by fostering a superordinate Islamic identity that enables them to overcome their collective action problems. As a result, ethnically-mixed Salafi jihadi groups deploy haram targeting much more than homogenous ones. Using new disaggregated group-level data, our analyses demonstrate that the ethnic structure of Salafi jihadi groups shapes haram targeting, both in Dagestan and on a global scale. The article discusses these findings and directions for future research on religious violence.

Muhadżirowie w Polsce – zagrożenie terroryzmem islamistycznym ze strony obcokrajowców

The aim of this article was to analyse the terrorist threat in Poland posed by foreigners participating in the global salafi jihadist project. As a rule, these are people associated with such organizations as the Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State ISIS, and their derivatives. The research was to verify the actual scale of the phenomenon, the motivations, the modus operandi, and to show trends in this practice. It was also an attempt to identify system problems that hinder the fight against terrorism and may result in a threat to Polish security. The analysis also shows that, contrary to popular opinions, the threat comes not only from the Middle East, but also from Central Asia and the Caucasus. All these directions, however, have their specifics.

Islamist Extremism Ideology Rehabilitation Programs: A Critical Analysis

The September 11 attacks gave an immense impact on Muslims worldwide. Governments, both Islamic and Western took matters regarding terrorism even more seriously. The incident too, however, became a stepping stone for Muslim terrorists to be louder. Nevertheless, terrorism among Muslims have always existed in the doctrine of certain sects, Salafi Jihadi in particular. Such extreme and radical misconceptions of Islam is inherited by their predecessor, the Khawarij. The study discusses the rehabilitation programs for those affected by extremism in Malaysia, and the regional guidelines for counter terrorism. The root cause for Islamist extremism is also analysed, along with the influence of Khawarij ideology on Salafi Jihadi, the similarities shared by both, particularly with regards of jihad.

Debate on the Correlation Between TERRORISM and Religion: Focusing on Salafi Jihadist

Purpose: The purpose of this study is, first, to organize the debate on the reductionism of the concept of limit-ing terrorism to non-state organizations. Second, we analyze the characteristics of culturally motivated terrorism. Third, we study the discourse on the ideological fiction and violence of Islam s Salafism. Method: In the concept of terrorism by institutions or scholars studying terrorism, they point out errors limit-ing the actors to non-state organizations, explain religious terrorism and political and social contexts, and try literature research on logic and strategies that justify terrorism by interpreting Salafism as aggressive content. Results: The reason why the actors who commit terrorism are limited to non-state organizations is because they are limited to the interests of specific countries or organizations. Historical examples of attempts at terror-ism by the state are sufficiently accumulated in other studies. The reason for the occurrence of religious terrorism is not simply to realize a society where religious ideology is realized, but social discrimination and contradictions combine with religious ideology, resulting in terrorism. From this point of view, Salafist terrorism can also be interpreted. Conclusion: Since the late 20th century, numerous terrorism has occurred mainly in Islamic society. Domestic and international disputes and system instability can provide an excuse for attacks on dissatisfied forces at any time, and incidents in which an unspecified number of people are attacked by groups armed with the name of religion will not be cut off. As so far, political oppression and military response alone are difficult to solve, so high-level complex strategies such as social reform and growth of anti-terrorism groups must be sought.

The Roots of Indonesia's Resilience Against Violent Extremism

This article explores Indonesia’s institutional foundations to understand the country’s resilience against violent extremism. First, Pancasila has been the foundation of an inclusive state that can bind Indonesian diversity. Second, multiparty elections allow Islamist groups to participate in politics and express their aspirations constitutionally, thus moderating their violent strategies. Third, the support of the largest Islamic organizations, especially NU and Muhammadiyah, for counterterrorism and law enforcement against extremist orchestrated by the government. Both organizations exhibit a stronghold essential to countering the Salafi jihadist ideology. However, although infrequent and small in scale, the continued acts of violent extremism in Indonesia have shown that there is still room for the terrorist ideology to grow. Some Islamic educational institutions deliberately educate students to support Islamism, and some students are introduced to Salafi jihadist ideology. Such a development should serve as a warning for the government to pay more attention to the curriculum and teachers, especially in Islamic educational institutions.