Islamist radicalisation the challenge for euro-mediterranean relations

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definition excludes a wide range of political Islamic forces that might have 
embraced Salafist doctrine when they began, but which have moved far 
from it through years spent in politics. 
Although Salafist movements say their ultimate mission is to emulate 
al-salaf al-salih, this should not suggest that they live in a frozen moment in 
the history of Islam, for these movements are the products of modern 
times. In other words, these are modern movements and they interpret the 
holy text and select from the life of the Prophet and his companions 
whatever suits their message of the day. Although the recent 
manifestations of the activist branch of Salafism should be understood 
within the context of the rise of Islamist politics in the Arab and Muslim 
world during the past three decades, it originally dates from the 1920s and 
1930s. This branch found expression in the form of emerging social 
movements, religious institutions and charity associations. These included 
the Muslim Brothers of Egypt (during its early years), Ansar al-Sunna al-
Muhammadiya [Supporters of the Prophet’s Sunna], al-Jam’yia al-Shar’yia 
[Association of Islamic Youth in Syria], the Scholars Association in Algeria 
and the Movement for the Return of the Caliphate in India and Indonesia. 
The most important manifestation of Salafism, however, emerged at 
the turn of the last century under the rubric of reformist Salafism, al-Salafyia 
al-Islahyia. This brand of Salafism calls for a new interpretation of the text 
that engages with society’s problems and concerns and offers an alternative 
to the Western model from within an Islamic frame of reference.  
During the past three decades, the emergence of Islamist forces that 
have made breakthroughs in electoral politics across many parts of the 
Arab and Muslim world have forced a debate among Salafists regarding 
the place of politics and political activism, which was once considered 
taboo.  
Unlike other Islamist activists, the Salafists do not possess a specific 
vision of politics. They have failed to articulate a political platform or 
project, and their opponents charge that they are preoccupied with what is 
halal [permitted] and what is haram [forbidden] and are still not qualified to 
be part of the political process. Yet, two political factors are cited as shaping 
Salafism’s evolution and discourse: relations with the ‘imperial’ West and 
the emerging nation-state. Both have provoked the Salafist movement to 
staunchly defend Islamic identity at all levels – religious, political and 
social. 

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While the Salafists are the only Islamist group that does not have a 
structural hierarchy as such, they still share some commonalities with other 
contemporary Islamist movements. Early Islamists were concerned with 
developing a new paradigm for a renaissance that is grounded in an 
Islamic frame of reference, whereas the main concerns of the neo-Islamist 
movements are identity and ways to defend it.  
2.
 
Salafists’ approach to politics and ruling regimes 
Traditionally, the Salafist approach towards political activity has often been 
driven by suspicion and hostility. Some of the key dividing lines between 
the traditional Salafist and activist Salafist groups have to do with their 
stances vis-à-vis three main issues: the political process, ruling regimes and 
the use of violence.  
2.1
 
Political activity 
Salafists are far from united about where to place politics and political 
action among their priorities. There are two dominating points of view 
among Salafists. The first condemns any act of political participation to the 
point of imposing a ban on their followers. Political participation for 
Islamists, they argue, always comes with a heavy price. One of the 
founding fathers of the Salafist movement, Sheikh Nasser Eddin Al-Albani, 
is of the view that politics should be shunned altogether. This position 
reflects the traditional Salafist view that the real solution to the problems of 
the umma involves focusing on two main principles – filtering religion from 
all the bidah [innovations] and educating Muslims about the faith. 
Traditional Salafists criticise those Islamists who seek change through 
either embracing political action or resorting to violence. For them both 
methods lead to nowhere because the original ill is in correcting the faith. 
Abdel-Aziz Kamel, editor of Al-Bayan  (a Salafist magazine published in 
London), believes that from a Salafist perspective political activism means 
“changing the status quo in favour of Islam”. He considers “resistance to 
occupation” as the highest degree of political activism. Kamel argues that 
political activism should not be confined to the ballot box. One of the 
weaknesses of the Salafist movement, he once wrote, is that the place of 

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history and intellectualism is central to its discourse and vision, leaving no 
space for political activism.
1
 
Other more radical Salafist movements impose a ban on politics 
entirely, which extends to include any form of participation in the political 
process, as expressed by their famous slogan of ‘no politics in religion and 
no religion in politics’. 
Salafist groups based in Europe hold that same view. They refuse to 
engage in any form of political action. For example, Salafist groups in 
France were conspicuously absent from the debate of December 2003 to 
January 2004 about the veil. Among the thousands of protesters and the 
several Islamist associations that joined forces against the ban, none 
belonged to the Salafist movement. An interpretation of what one observer 
described as the ‘insularity’ imposed on Salafists was that they were 
abiding by the fatwas of Saudi scholars. 
But if experience is anything to go by, it has proven that many of 
these movements have changed their rigid positions with respect to politics 
and have accepted the status quo. The Yemeni Al-Hikmah Association is a 
case in point, as later discussed.  
A different approach to politics is taken by a second group of 
Salafists. In his 1985 book, Muslims and political action,
2
 Abdel-Rahman 
Abdel-Khaleq argued that politics was at the heart of religion and political 
activities cover more than just governance. He defended “the democratic 
system” and urged followers to “invest in it” because the alternative was “a 
tyrannical system”. He held that “[t]he political system which allows 
Muslims to form political parties should be supported”. Abdel-Khaleq also 
supported participation in parliaments, because it helps to guarantee that 
legislation will not be passed that is contradictory to Islamic law. 
Opponents from the more radical Salafist groups accuse traditional 
Salafists of being complacent. 
                                                      
1
 “Interview with Abdel-Aziz Kamel”, Islamonline.net, 22 June 2008 (retrieved from 
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=ArticleA_C&cid=1212925442892
&pagename=Zone-Arabic-Daawa%2FDWALayout
). 
2
 A.-R. Abdel-Khaleq, Muslims and political action, Riyadh: Adar al-Salafyia, 1985. 

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