I am a salafi : a study of the actual and imagined identities of salafis

265 Pages·2014·2.49 MB·English

by  Mohammad Abu Rumman

The Hashemite Kingdom
Jordan
The Deposit Number at The National Library
(2014/5/2464)
251.541
Mohammad Abu Rumman
I Am A Salafi A Study of The Actual And Imagined
Identities of Salafis / by Mohammad Abu Rumman
Amman:Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, 2014
Deposit No.:2014/5/2464
Descriptors://Islamic Groups//Islamic Movement
Published in 2014 by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Jordan & Iraq
FES Jordan & Iraq
P.O. Box 941876
Amman 11194
Jordan
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.fes-jordan.org
Not for sale
© FES Jordan & Iraq
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, reproduced or utilized in any
form or by any means without prior written permission from the publishers.
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are solely those of the original author. They
do not necessarily represent those of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung or the editor.
Translation: Dr. Hassan Barari
Editing: Amy Henderson
Cover: YADONIA Group
Printing: Economic Printing Press
ISBN: 978-9957-484-41-5
I AM A SALAFI
A Study of the Actual and Imagined Identities of Salafis
by
Mohammad Abu Rumman

Foreword
Anja Wehler-Schoeck, Resident Director, FES Jordan & Iraq
While Salafism is by no means a novelty, Salafi movements
have witnessed a strong surge over the past decades.
Traditionally averse to involvement in political affairs, since
the so-called Arab Spring, several Salafi movements have
developed political agendas and have become active in the
political arena. Salafism has been receiving increased media
attention with Salafi Jihadi groups recruiting from around
the globe and fighting in Syria. Oftentimes, little attention
is being paid to the fact that Salafi movements are neither
static nor homogenous. Jihadi factions, for instance, are
not representative of the whole movement, whose different
components have undergone considerable transformation in
recent years.
Few studies so far have analyzed the social and economic
background, from which the members of Salafi groups have
come, or the motives behind their involvement. This book
hence presents a pioneering study of Salafism. The author
Dr. Mohammad Abu Rumman resorts to a narrative-based
approach, building his analysis on numerous interviews with
Salafis in Jordan to understand their motivation, their social,
economic and cultural context as well as their values, con-
victions and aspirations. Instead of studying the movement
from the outside, Abu Rumman offers first-hand accounts
of its members and presents his conclusions based on these
personal encounters. The author selected the majority of his
interviewees from those committed to Salafism who are not
in leadership positions but who constitute the base of the
movement. Consequently, the book represents an important
contribution to understanding the complexities of Salafism
and its different trends.
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To shed light on the various streams and trends and to promote
an educated discourse on Islamist movements, the Amman
office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) has created a line
of work dedicated to Political Islam. With the aim of providing
information, which both satisfies academic standards while at
the same time being accessible and understandable to a non-expert
readership, we launched a publication series on Political Islam
in 2007. Since then, FES Amman has published eight widely
received books in this series. Furthermore, FES Amman regularly
brings together experts from throughout the region to discuss
the developments, which the Arab world is currently
witnessing with regard to Islamist parties and movements.
The German Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) is active in
promoting democracy and social justice worldwide. With
more than 90 offices around the globe, FES organizes
activities on a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from the
promotion of trade unions and labor rights, to capacity
development for civil society, to the furthering of human
rights and many other issues.
The team of FES Amman wishes to express their heartfelt
gratitude to the author of this book, Dr. Mohammad Abu
Rumman, whose expertise and continuous work on Political
Islam present an invaluable contribution to the discussion of
this important topic.
We thank you, our readers, for your interest in the events and
publications of FES Amman and hope that our book “Ana
Salafi” will prove an insightful resource to you.
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Dedication
To my parents
Hoping that this modest endeavor will be a reward for your
efforts and dedication