Nothing to do with Islam': the historical origins, ideology and strategic threat of global Salafi-jihadism

This paper examines Salafi-jihadism as a strategic issue driving the threat of Sunni Islamic terrorism globally. By tracing the genealogy of Salafism from the early centuries of Islam to the rise of Salafi-jihadism in the 1980s, it debunks the rejection of Salafi-jihadists' claims to legitimacy as members of the Islamic faith, arguing that Salafism has doctrinal credibility, based on its own scholarly exegesis of the canonical sources of Islam.

The paper cautions that denial of Salafi-jihadist claims to Muslim identity is a disavowal of Muslim agency more broadly, especially where non-Salafi Muslims identify with conservative elements of Salafism. It also warns that attempts to uncouple Salafi-jihadism from Islam may encourage rather than impede the movement of young Muslims along the extremist spectrum, while discouraging Muslim communities from examining their role in mitigation strategies.

This paper was also published in the Indo-Pacific Strategic Digest series.

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