Salafism in Jordan Political Islam in a Quietist Community

Since the events of 9/11, Salafism in the Middle East has often been perceived as fixed, rigid and even violent, but this assumption overlooks the quietist ideology that characterises many Salafi movements. Through an exploration of Salafism in Jordan, Joas Wagemakers presents the diversity among quietist Salafis on a range of ideological and political issues, particularly their relationship with the state. He expounds a detailed analysis of Salafism as a whole, whilst also showing how and why quietist Salafism in Jordan - through ideological tendencies, foreign developments, internal conflicts, regime involvement, theological challenges and regional turmoil - transformed from an independent movement into a politically domesticated one. Essential for graduate students and academic researchers interested in Middle Eastern politics and Salafism, this major contribution to the study of Salafism debunks stereotypes and offers insight into the development of a trend that still remains a mystery to many.

Preface; Acknowledgements; Glossary; Notes on transliteration, names and dates; Part I. Ideology: 1. Global Salafi ideology; 2. Quietist Salafi ideology in Jordan; Part II. History: 3. The transnational history of Salafism in Jordan; 4. Fitna: quietist Salafi infighting in Jordan; 5. Quietist Salafism in Jordan after 9/11; Part III. Contestation: 6. Jihadi-Salafis join the fray; 7. The challenge of political Salafism.

Joas Wagemakers is an Assistant Professor of Islamic and Arabic Studies at Universiteit Utrecht, The Netherlands. His research focuses mainly on Salafism and particularly Salafi ideology; the Muslim Brotherhood; citizenship, women's rights and rights of the Shi'a in Saudi Arabia; and Hamas. He has published many chapters and articles in these fields as well as several books, including: A Quietist Jihadi: The Ideology and Influence of Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi (Cambridge, 2012), Salafisme (2014, co-authored with Martijn de Koning and Carmen Becker) and Islam in verandering: Vroomheid en vertier onder moslims binnen en buiten Nederland (2015, co-edited with Martijn de Koning).