One can barely turn on the news without hearing about salafists, a group of Muslims who follow fundamentalist Sunni Islamic thought. Recently, they have been associated with extremist views and violence towards elements in society that do not adhere to Islamic doctrines.
One can barely turn on the news without hearing about salafists, a group of Muslims who follow fundamentalist Sunni Islamic thought. Recently, they have been associated with extremist views and violence towards elements in society that do not adhere to Islamic doctrines.
They were suppressed under Ben Ali’s reign but have emerged in visibility since the revolution. Salah Eddin Al-Jourachi, a political analyst and expert in Islamic groups, explains the different kids of salafism, its association to other Islamic groups and political currents and its possible role in the future of Tunisia.
Mr. Al-Jourachi, is fear of Salafism a justifiable fear since it poses a real threat to the civil state?
Salafism is a new phenomenon in Tunisia. Looking back at Tunisian history, the Wahabi—a conservative branch of Sunni Islam—movement, which called for Salafism two and a half centuries ago, tried to penetrate into the religious and cultural sphere but was blocked by the Zaytona School (after Zaytona Mosque) and its figures.
Salafism had no foothold in the religious Tunisian scene, but it tried to revisit Tunisia during the 1990s through Salafist satellite channels. It started to prosper again due to a huge religious vacuum, a greatly politicized religious discourse in mosques, and the campaign launched by the dissolved regime to eradicate all political Islamic currents; at the forefront being the Ennahda Movement.
After September 11, 2001, Salafism was considered a threat to most of the region’s regimes. In Tunisia, the first seeds of Jihadi Salafism perpetrated Suleiman events (confrontations with the police and the army in 2006 in Suleiman area, east of Tunis).
Salafism made a strong comeback since the revolution and had an opportunity to affect the situation and consequently exert pressures on society and the government, especially after releasing the groups involved in Suleiman events, raising the ceiling of freedoms, and the decline of the police establishment role.
How did Salafism emerge?
Salafism has always been linked to Wahabism, which was born in the Arab Gulf countries, and from there, Salafism spread elsewhere.
Salafism and the Muslim Brotherhood meet on a number of ideological concepts and ideas, but when Jihadi Salafism appeared, they differed considerably over the political vision. While the Muslim Brotherhood has decided to avoid violence, Jihadi Salafism has insisted that Jihad is a duty that could be used against foreign forces and also to resist governments that don’t abide by sharia— moral and religious law of Islam.
Needless to say, Salafism is a radical current given its literal interpretation of texts and its conservative and militant understanding of religious matters, let alone its tendency to violence in many cases. I don’t, however, believe that Salafism is a card in the hand of the Ennahda Party or of any other political Islamic currents. It is just one of those currents with a program and supporters.
What are the types of Salafism?
There is more than one Salafism; the scientific Salafism is based on religious teaching and instruction and spreading Salafist ideas. It doesn’t believe in violence nor does it get involved in confrontations with rulers.
On the other hand, Jihadi Salafism charges governments with infidelity and considers that Jihadi violence is legitimate when rulers’ injustices and incompliance with the Sharia are proven. These two main currents of Salafism conflict with each other. Each one accuses the other of unbelief, but they agree on spreading the ideas and concepts on the radical vision of Islam.
What role does Salafism play in geopolitical conflicts?
Salafism is antagonistic to Iran and the Shiites. Part of the scientific Salafism is loyal to its reference groups in the Arab Gulf, particularly Saudi Arabia, but may not be necessarily linked to the Saudi authorities.
Turkey has no connection to Salafism because its religious philosophy is a mixture of Sufism and the moderate Hanafi sect. It is well known that Salafism is antagonistic to Sufism, allowing regional politics to influence these two parties.
Is it true that Salafism is a hotbed of western and international intelligence?
There are several indicators that Arab and international intelligence has really succeeded in penetrating Salafism to figure out what is going on inside and influence its direction and leadership. It is sure however that this relationship is of conflict. And even though some intelligence agencies try to use some of these groups, this doesn’t mean that every Salafist organization is affiliated with an intelligence agency.
Can Salafism coexist with the Tunisian society and how should they be handled?
Salafism has managed to spread in poor neighborhoods and amongst economically and socially marginalized categories; which, requires applying real development policies to meet the urgent needs of the poor and the underprivileged.
There are tensions between Salafists and the society given society’s attempts to discipline Salfist behavior, while the great majority of people are accustomed to freedom and flexibility when it comes to religious matters. Thus, it is highly improbable that Salafism will become a dominant current in the Tunisian society. Salafi groups will remain marginalized with a limited number, but they are organized and able to cause fears here and there.
Every society should talk with its citizens, regardless of their positions and stands, but at the same time, it can be cohesive only when law is enforced for all. Therefore, I am for dialogue and not allowing anyone to break the law or impose its religious or political beliefs by force.
How do you see the future of Salafism in Tunisia?
Their future depends on three factors: first, their ability to establish a democratic political regime that respects liberties and human rights, transition of power and people’s will; second, their ability to achieve social development to minimize differences and eliminate marginalization; and third, their openness to develop Islamic culture, firm tolerance values and build transparent Islamic institutions because religious reforms are necessary to protect the political ones.
How do Salafist groups affect the democratic transition process?
Salafist groups are not disciplined and some of them tend to use violence. Thus, they can obstruct the whole process, exploiting weak state apparatuses and declined role of institutions. We should think collectively on how to contain them and distinguish between violent currents and the peaceful ones armed with thought and discourse.
Anyway, I believe we will be able to sort out the different actors when we formulate a democratic constitution and build strong, independent and active institutions.
Does the security threat these groups pose go beyond the Tunisian border? And why has the terrorism file been dropped recently?
These groups don’t move in isolation from each other. They have international activities and they benefit from each other. One challenge related to fighting these currents is the possibility of their links to larger international ones such as Al-Qaeda, which is trying to return to North Africa.
The declined concern with terrorism is relative and on the media level, due only to the recent security achievements, especially after afflicting Al-Qaeda with many hits, including the death of its leader, Osama Bin Laden.
Al-Qaeda is still adhering to its enmity towards USA and the West and adopts armed violence to fight the international and regional parties. It has, however, failed in many areas and has nothing to do with the peaceful Arab revolutions.
Observers believe that Salafism plays a major role in Libya and Syria unlike in Tunisia and Egypt.
In Libya, Al-Qaeda’s role was limited, even when they resorted to violence. As for Syria, the image is not yet clear, regarding the extent of the Jihadi Salafism interventions in the revolution.
