Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya as Changing Salafi Icons 467
that reject violent means. They are dispersed all over Germany in cities,
such as Münster, Karlsruhe, Berlin, and Leipzig. Each group finds its
geographical niche from where it pursues its activities relatively freely,
because competition from other Salafi groups is quite small and not
comparable to the situation in many other parts of the Islamic world.
However, the political and social environment imposes two constraints
on their activities: one is the fact that many of these Salafi groups are
under surveillance by the respective province’s Office for the Protec-
tion of the Constitution (Landesverfassungsschutz) and other foreign
secret services. Another constraint for Salafis in Germany is inherent
to the topography of the Islamic landscape. The strong presence of
Sufi Islam in Germany hamper Salafi expansionist strategies, because
they usually entertain a strained relationship with Sufis. The Sufi influ-
ence poses a major obstacle to the expansion of Salafism in Germany,
unlike in neighboring France, which is dominated by an Arab Sunni
Islam from Maghreb countries that is receptive to Salafi Islam. As a
result, the number of Salafi groups and circles in Germany is small.^22
There is also a probability that the strong Naqshbandī influence on
German Sufi Islam might influence this relationship favorably, because
Salafis tend to coexist more easily with Naqshbandīs than with repre-
sentatives of other Sufi traditions, because of the Naqshbandīs’ sober
approach to certain Sufi practices. This and the low number of Salafis
in Germany mean there seems to be no room for an extensive reap-
praisal of Ibn Taymiyya’s famous harsh criticism of Sufism. Also in
regard to other aspects, Ibn Taymiyya’s impact is relatively modest
among Salafi authorities in Germany.
1.1. The Salafis in LeipzigThe Salafi community of Leipzig is presented here as a case study.
Leipzig has more than half a million inhabitants and is the largest city
in the federal state of Saxony in eastern Germany. One can speculate
22 The “Hamburg cell” of the 9/11 bombers was an exception that gained wide
publicity. For more details, see National Commission on Terrorist Attacks
Upon the United States: The 9/11 Commission Report. Final Report of the
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Washington
D. C. 2004, pp. 160–169. However, in this report no explicit reference is made
to Salafism. See also Sageman, Marc: Understanding Terror Networks, Philadel-
phia 2004, pp. 103–107.
Brought to you by | Nanyang Technological University
Authenticated