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John Zavage on Salafi-Jihadism: the History of an Idea Shiraz Maher. Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. 256 pp. $29.95, cloth, ISBN 978-0-19-065112-1. Reviewed by John Zavage Published on H-War (September, 2017) Commissioned by Margaret Sankey (Air University) Post-9/11 observers struggle not only to un‐ for Western scholars and policymakers striving to derstand the radical ideology that drives fghters understand one of the strongest adversaries of to sacrifice their lives to kill innocents but also to our generation. identify its scope and to even name it. Scholars Maher’s most straightforward contribution to and policymakers refer to Islamist-motivated ter‐ understanding the ideology of these extremist rorists by almost as many different names as fighters is to simply identify and define the main there are attempts to understand them: extrem‐ components of Salafi-Jihadist thinking. This Ma‐ ists, jihadis, salafis ... the list goes on. It is safe to her does with precision, in identifying and de‐ say that Western understanding of the religious scribing fve main components of the Salafi-Ji‐ narrative that motivates such adversaries is elu‐ hadist belief that distinguish it from more main‐ sive. For these reasons, Shiraz Maher’s book, stream Islam. According to the author, these fve Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea, is a criti‐ components are jihad, takfir (excommunication), cally important work. Maher clarifies and pack‐ al-wala’ wa-l-bara ’ (loyalty and disavowal), ages these adversaries’ historical and religious tawhid (oneness of God), and hakimiyah (rule of narrative with unique skill, while giving these God, referred to often as political Islam). Maher fighters a well-researched and well-justified clarifies these ideas not only by distinguishing name, an anchor of sorts to understand their the‐ them from more mainstream beliefs but also by oretical and historical motivations. In the process, defining in plain terms what Salafi-Jihadists mean he does more than simply provide Western read‐ by them. Maher’s emphasis is helpful to the West‐ ers with an outline to help understand how and ern reader because he unpacks some of the terms why the Salafi-Jihadist narrative is so compelling —like political Islam, jihad, and takfir—that are for its adherents. He also introduces Salafi routinely used in Western parlance to refer to thinkers who believe the narrative but reject the radical extremists but rarely well explained. Ma‐ violence. Most important, for policymakers, Ma‐ her explains them. her makes a strong case for how military inter‐ An equally valuable benefit of Maher’s book vention into Muslim lands, both before and after is that it provides historical linkages for scholars 9/11, serves as motivation that fuels transforma‐ and observers of Islam, Islamism, and Islamist vi‐ tional growth of Salafi-Jihadism. Maher’s work is olence. Maher brings the history of the idea to life, a compelling and worthwhile book—a must read linking it to early Islamic thinkers and charting its H-Net Reviews progression and development to the modern day. and perhaps even engage with the Salafi-Jihadist He elucidates the historical contours of the narra‐ dialogue. These moderate voices include such tive. He anchors Salafi-Jihadist thinking to ancient men as Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, Sayyid scholars many Westerners may recognize, includ‐ Imam al-Sharif, and Abd al-Muhsin al-Ubaykan. ing Mamluk-era scholar Ibn Taymiyya; ninth-cen‐ The most practical takeaway from Maher’s tury founder of the Hanbali School of Islamic ju‐ book is his skillful characterization of the pro‐ risprudence, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal; and eigh‐ found influence (read: negative influence, from a teenth-century founder of Saudi Arabia’s state- Western view) of Western-led military conflict on sponsored Wahhabi doctrine, Muhammad ibn Salafi-Jihadist ideology. According to Maher, West‐ Abd al-Wahhab. Maher links to these ancient ern military policy not only fueled Salafi-Jihadist names many of the twentieth- and twenty-first- thinking but also transformed it. Many writers ar‐ century Islamic writers whose works have be‐ gue that Western policy decisions have strength‐ come synonymous with both terrorism and politi‐ ened terrorists more than weakened them. If this cal Islam in the modern-day social and scholarly is true, Maher gives a theological and historical discourse. These names include Muslim Brother‐ account of why and how this happened. He shows hood spokesman Sayyid Qutb, Indian founder of how the Western-led wars in Iraq and modern political Islam Abul ‘Ala Maududi, 1980s Afghanistan (including the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan mujahedeen leader Abdullah Azzam, Afghanistan) motivated Salafi theorists to energet‐ and Al-Qaeda mastermind Ayman al-Zawahiri. ically apply their thinking, and provided critical Maher’s stellar research comes to life because he proving grounds for concepts like tawhid and al- connects the ancient names to the modern names wala’ wa-l-bara’. Most poignantly, Maher de‐ through important ideas of lesser-known but criti‐ scribes the 2003 invasion of Iraq as the “crucible cal modern scholars who drive the Salafi-Jihadist of Salafi-Jihadi thought.” He explains that, where‐ debate. These include such names as Saudi Al- as before 2003 many groups were “influenced to Qaeda leader Yusuf al-Uyayri, Al-Qaeda theorist varying extents by Salafism,” Iraq “brought to‐ Abu Yahya al-Libi, and Afghan mujahedeen theo‐ gether all of the various aspects ... into a consoli‐ rist Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi. Maher’s research dated and coherent belief structure” (pp. 17-18). intertwines the ancient theological components With Salafi-Jihadism, Maher’s portrayal of with more recent developments, and brings out Salafi-Jihadist ideology provides depth and clarifi‐ and clarifies nuances heretofore elusive to West‐ cation for Western, non-Muslim readers. He ern non-Muslims. presents Salafi-Jihadism as a complex, deeply Interestingly, Maher’s research brings out the rooted living philosophy that engenders lively de‐ fact that some modern-day Salafi-Jihadist scholars bate among its most strident adherents, even now. drive the narrative but at the same time reject Maher distinguishes facets that make the belief much of the violence. These somewhat moderate different from more mainstream Islam, while also Salafi-Jihadists shape the contours of the debate, showing how some Salafi-Jihadi scholars feed the but their moderation proves that even Salafi-Ji‐ ideology but reject some of the violence. While his hadism is a living corpus of discourse, with nu‐ prose can be at times repetitive, it does not take ances that elicit disagreement among its most stri‐ away from the book’s importance. Most critically, dent adherents. This is an important concept, be‐ Maher shows how the ideology gained depth and cause it alerts non-Muslims to the varied texture momentum from the counter-extremist wars of of the Salafi-Jihadist discourse. If some Salafi-Ji‐ the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. hadists reject violence, that fact may help guide a With this knowledge, Western scholars and deci‐ more productive Western narrative to counter 2 H-Net Reviews sion makers can temper future military action and counter-terror policy with an accurate under‐ standing of what drives Salafi-Jihadist adver‐ saries. The views expressed in this review are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the of‐ ficial policy or position of the Department of De‐ fense or the US government. If there is additional discussion of this review, you may access it through the network, at https://networks.h-net.org/h-war Citation: John Zavage. Review of Maher, Shiraz. Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea. H-War, H-Net Reviews. September, 2017. URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=48214 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 3.
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