Salafis are also vehemently opposed to shiism, as
well as Sufism.
These two branches of Salafism, the modernist
and the Wahhabist, have evolved in different and
complex ways during the 20th and early 21st cen-
turies. The modernists have emphasized reforms
that were intended to reconcile religion with
science and modernity. They have called for mod-
ernizing the educational system (but still keep-
ing Islamic subjects in the curriculum), creating
democratic governments, and liberating Women
from shackles of tradition. In promoting these
ideals, Salafists portrayed the Islam’s civilizational
heritage as superior to that of the West, redefin-
ing traditional concepts in conformity with their
progressive outlook. In their publications consul-
tation between a ruler and his advisors (shura)
became parliamentary democracy, the consensus
of jurists in matters of law (ijmaa) became pub-
lic opinion, and swearing allegiance to a ruler
(bayaa) became the right to vote.
Although modernist Salafism was opposed by
traditionalist Sunni ulama, it spread rapidly from
Egypt to other Arab countries, and eventually to
non-Arab ones. In algeria it was promoted by
Abd al-Hamid ibn Badis (d. 1940), a religious
scholar and a leader of the resistance against the
French colonialists. A Tunisian Salafist, Abd al-
Aziz al-Thaalibi (d. 1944), founded the Destour
Party, which sought to create a constitutional
democracy in that country. Salafism also devel-
oped roots in morocco. As part of their political
activism, Salafists in these countries campaigned
against Sufi orders, which they thought were det-
rimental to their reformist agenda. In indonesia
the Muhammadiyah reformist movement was
founded in 1912 by Ahmad Dahlan (d. 1923),
a Javanese scholar who had been influenced by
Abduh. Egyptian Salafism has also been credited
with influencing the religious outlook of the mUs-
lim brotherhood and the Jamaat-i islami in Indo-
Pakistan, although the influence of the deoband
school was greater in the case of the latter.
Wahhabi Salafists are closely allied to Saudi
rulers and, unlike the modernist Salafis, they
have become embedded in the authoritarian gov-
ernment of Saudi state that was created by abd
al-aziz ibn saUd (d. 1953) in the first decades of
the 20th century. They control the judiciary and
education, and are in charge of strictly enforcing
public morality in accordance with their conser-
vative understanding of the sharia. This official
Wahhabi Salafism, because it is so closely tied to
a regime that holds great wealth from its oil reve-
nues and because millions of pilgrims visit mecca
and Medina each year, has had widespread influ-
ence on Muslims around the world. Its rigid ide-
ology of rule by religious law has inspired violent
Sunni Jihad movements like Hamas in Palestine,
Egyptian Islamists, the Taliban in Afghanistan, and
similar groups elsewhere. The close connection of
Wahhabi Salafism with the Saudi state, however,
has also undermined its legitimacy in the eyes of
many, including Saudi dissidents. These critics and
opponents view the royal family as authoritarian,
corrupt, and materialistic, and resent its close ties
with the United States and its allies. Some of these
opponents have been pushing for gradual democ-
ratization and greater respect for hUman rights,
like modernist Salafis have done elsewhere. Others,
however, have embraced what some have called
neo-Wahhabism, and call for the violent overthrow
of the Saudi state and the establishment of one that
they maintain truly conforms to the sharia. The
seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 1979 was
an early manifestation of this militant trend. It also
contributed to the shaping of Usama bin Ladin’s
worldview and the creation of al-Qaida’s global ter-
rorist network in the 1980s and 90s.
See also companions oF the prophet; ibn abd
al-Wahhab, mUhammad; islamism; al-qaida; rashid
rida, mUhammad; saUdi arabia; Usama bin ladin.Further reading: Asad Abukhalil, The Battle for Saudi
Arabia: Royalty, Fundamentalism, and Global Power
(New York: Seven Stories Press, 2004); Malcolm H.
Kerr, Islamic Reform: The Political and Legal Theories
of Muhammad Abduh and Rashid Rida (Berkeley: Uni-
versity of California Press, 1966); Charles Kurzman,
Modernist Islam, 1840–1940: A Sourcebook (Oxford:K 602 Salafism