Salafism Goes Global

Book Description

This groundbreaking study offers an intimate exploration of one of Islam's most influential contemporary movements through the lens of lived experience. Drawing from years of immersive fieldwork within French Salafist communities, the author unveils how this puritanical religious approach has quietly transformed the spiritual landscape across multiple continents.

Rather than focusing on political extremism or violence, this work examines the quieter revolution happening within Muslim communities worldwide. It reveals how thousands of practitioners have embraced a fundamentalist vision that seeks to restore what they believe represents Islam's original, unchanged form. These communities deliberately separate themselves from mainstream society, creating alternative narratives that position them as guardians of authentic Islamic identity.

The book illuminates how modern Salafism operates as a transnational phenomenon, connecting local communities in France with influential religious centers in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations. This creates a unique form of spiritual globalization that bypasses traditional political structures, instead building networks through shared religious conviction and economic entrepreneurship.

Through detailed portraits of individual practitioners and their spiritual journeys, readers gain unprecedented insight into the motivations, daily practices, and worldviews that drive this movement. The author examines how these communities navigate the tension between maintaining religious purity and engaging with contemporary society, offering a nuanced understanding of how ancient spiritual principles adapt to modern global realities.

This essential work provides valuable perspective on contemporary religious transformation and the complex dynamics of faith in an interconnected world.