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ProQuest Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with with permission permission of the of copyright the copyright owner. owner.Further reproductionFurther reproduction prohibited without prohibited permission. without permission. BEYOND AL-QA’IDA: THE THEOLOGY, TRANSFORMATION AND GLOBAL GROWTH OF SALAFI RADICALISM SINCE 1979 By Jeffrey D. Leary Submitted to the Faculty of the School o f International Service O f American University In Partial Fulfillment o f The Requirements for the Degree of Master o f Arts In Comparative Regional Studies o f the Middle East CO' (jhp Louis W. Goodman (Dean) Date 2002 The American University AMERICAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1413213 Copyright 2002 by Leary, Jeffrey David Ail rights reserved. __(g > UMI UMI Microform 1413213 Copyright 2003 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. © COPYRIGHT By Jeffrey D. Leary 2002 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Dedication To my wife Kelly, Who has put up with: Repeatedly hearing me explain what a Salafi is, Research, Repeated editing of many drafts, My random musings about Islamic extremism at dinner, Me being distracted, Me spending too much time at the computer, Thank you for all of your love and support. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. BEYOND AL-QA’IDA: THE THEOLOGY, TRANSFORMATION AND GLOBAL GROWTH OF SALAFI RADICALISM SINCE 1979 BY Jeffrey D. Leary ABSTRACT Contemporary Salafi Radicalism finds its religious roots primarily in the theology of Muhammad Abdul-Wahhab and Sayyid Qutb, while its social roots stem from the cultural, social, political and economic crisis faced by Muslims in the latter half of the 20th Century. These circumstances, along with the Afghan Jihad, led to a transformation o f Salafi Radicalism in the 1980’s, in which the Saudi and Egyptian expressions of Salafi Radicalism merged. This resulted in an emergence of a radicalized Salafi assemblage that drew in many existing Salafi radical groups in the Muslim world. The end result was a network of semi-independent extremist groups, each capable and willing to commit violent acts against civilians. In order to counter this threat the United States, along with it’s allies, must work to defeat the Salafi Radical movement through a combination of military pressure, cultural undermining of radicalism and economic development. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents 1) Introduction and Statement of the Problem.....................................................................1 2) Essentials Concepts to Understanding the Salafi Radicals............................................. 4 3) Methodology and Literature Review...............................................................................9 4) Prominent Individuals in Radical Salafi History............................................................ 21 a. The Rise of the Saudi-Wahhabi State b. The Theology of Abdul-Wahhab c. Sayyid Qutb d. Abdul-Wahhab’s and Qutb’s Understanding of Jihad 5) Transformation of Theology Into Action.......................................................................48 a. Social Forces b. Cultural Accessibility and Able Leadership c. The Government Response 6) The Spread of Radical Salafi Theology.......................................................................... 63 a. 1979 b. The Afghan Jihad and the Creation of the Neo-Salafi Theology c. Taliban d. Pakistan e. Russia £ Turkey g. Central Asia h. China i. Saudi Arabia j. Yemen k. Iraq and Kurdistan 1. Iran m. Algeria n. South-East Asia o. Europe and America p. How do Usama bin Laden and al-Qa’ida fit into the Neo-Salafi Network? 7) Conclusions....................................................................................................................146 a. Limitations and Recommendations for Future Research b. Findings Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. I Chapter 1: Introduction and Statement of Problem In early August o f 1999 several thousand Muslim militants crossed into the Russian Republic of Dagestan from the de-facto independent Republic of Chechnya. The attack occurred under the leadership of Khattab,1 a Jordanian-born Muslim soldier with a great deal o f combat experience inAfghanistan as well as the Tajik Civil W ar.' This was of immediate concern to the Kremlin because this military operation coincided with a declaration of Muslim independence from the local Salafi ulema (religious scholars) announcing this intention to liberate the entire Caucasus from Russian control, establishing an Islamic state under the sharia (Islamic law) in the region. Knowing that if this offensive was not crushed quickly it would soon spread across the entire region, Moscow immediatelydispatched troops. By September, though, following two terrorist attacks in Moscow, Russia was and still is heavily involved in military action in the Chechnya region.3 Meanwhile, in Afghanistan the Taliban (student) militia, which at one time controlled 90 percent of the country, continued their efforts to establish Islamic law in that country. The Taliban imposed extremely strict rules of conduct, especially on women, within the areas they controlled. Women were denied the right to go outside without being accompanied by a male relative, as well as equal access to education and health 1 Khattab is a nom de guerre. He was killed by the Russians in late spring of2002. The Chechens are presently led as of September of2002 by Abdul-Walid. 2 Waal, Tom de. “Profile: Khattab, Islamic Revolutionary.” BBC News on the Web 29 September 1999, http://www.bbc.co.uk. 3 “Dagestan Battle Could See Russia Lose Entire Caucasus.” Aeence FrancePress 9 September 1999; http://www.russiatoday.com. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 care.4 The Taliban have also been associated with numerous other human rights abuses in their effort to establish an Islamic State in Afghanistan. While at first glance these two events would seem related only by the feet that they involve Muslim fundamentalism, the connection runs far deeper. Afghanistan was a Saudi Arabian backed base for the spread o f their particular religio-political theology known as Salafi Radicalism. Nations throughout the Muslim and non-Muslim world all fece varying degrees o f internal and/or external security threats due to the Radical Salafi expansion.5 While there is a wide body of literature on Islamist movements there has been little effort to demonstrate the social connections between the various extremist groups. However, in order to comprehend why a person engages in political or religious acts o f violence it is important to realize that these actions do not occur in a vacuum. There is a culturally and political context in with these people act. Furthermore, wherever Muslims are found in significant numbers one will probably find at least some Salafi and a portion of these will likely be radicalized. The size o f the radical population depends greatly on the access to Salafi Radical teaching and the social, political and economic conditions o f the community, but nonetheless these groups exist throughout the world and many have demonstrated the intent to kill civilians, and direct violence against US interests. This makes an understanding o f Salafi history and ideology important to anyone wishing to have a fuller understanding o f the geo-political ramifications o f this historically- rooted movement which is a newcomer to much o f theMuslim world. By briefly examining the ideological and sociological basis o f revivalist activities and the historical 4 Mann, Judy. “Focusing on the Tragedy nf the Afghan Women ” Washington Plnst 30 October 1998: E3. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further