of the
Black Standard as used by
Caucasian jihadists in 2002 displays the phrase
al-jihād fī sabīlillāh above the
takbīr and two crossed
swords According to
Rudolph F. Peters, contemporary traditionalist Muslims "copy phrases of the classical works on
fiqh" in their writings on jihad;
Islamic modernists "emphasize the defensive aspect of jihad, regarding it as tantamount to
bellum justum in modern international law; and the contemporary fundamentalists (
Abul A'la Maududi,
Sayyid Qutb,
Abdullah Azzam, etc.) view it as a struggle for the expansion of Islam and the realization of Islamic ideals." Some of the earlier
Muslim scholars and
theologians who had profound influence on
Islamic fundamentalism and the ideology of contemporary jihadism include the medieval Muslim thinkers
Ibn Taymiyyah,
Ibn Kathir, and
Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab, alongside the modern Islamist ideologues
Muhammad Rashid Rida, Sayyid Qutb, and Abul A'la Maududi. Jihad has been propagated in modern fundamentalism beginning in the late 19th century, an ideology that arose in the context of struggles against
colonial powers in North Africa at that time, as in the
Mahdist War in Sudan, and notably in the mid-20th century by
Islamic revivalist authors such as Sayyid Qutb and Abul Ala Maududi. through his prison-writings constituted the ideological basis of the
Salafi-jihadist movement. The term "jihadism" has arisen in the 2000s to refer to the contemporary jihadist movements, the development of which was in retrospect traced to
developments of Salafism paired with the origins of
al-Qaeda in the
Soviet–Afghan War during the 1980s. Forerunners of
Salafi jihadism principally include Egyptian militant scholar and theoretician
Sayyid Qutb, who developed "the intellectual underpinnings" in the 1950s, for what would later become the doctrine of most Salafi-jihadist terrorist organizations around the world, including
al-Qaeda and
Islamic State. Going radically further than his predecessors, Qutb called upon Muslims to form an ideologically committed vanguard that would wage armed
jihad against the
secular,
democratic states and Western-allied governments in the
Arab world, until the restoration of
Islamic rule. The
Soviet–Afghan War (1979–1989) is said to have "amplified the jihadist tendency from a fringe phenomenon to a major force in the
Muslim world." It served to produce foot soldiers, leadership, and organization.
Abdullah Yusuf Azzam provided propaganda for the Afghan cause. After the war, veteran jihadists returned to their home countries, and from there would disperse to other sites of conflict involving Muslim populations, such as
Algeria,
Bosnia, and
Chechnya, creating a "transnational jihadist stream." An explanation for jihadist willingness to kill civilians and self-professed Muslims on the grounds that they were actually
apostates (
takfīr) is the vastly reduced influence of the traditional diverse class of
ulama, often highly educated
Islamic jurists. In "the vast majority" of Muslim countries during the post-colonial world of the 1950s and 1960s, the private religious endowments (
awqāf) that had supported the independence of Islamic scholars and jurists for centuries were taken over by the state. The jurists were made salaried employees and the nationalist rulers naturally encouraged their employees (and their employees' interpretations of Islam) to serve the rulers' interests. Inevitably, the jurists came to be seen by the Muslim public as doing this. Into this vacuum of religious authority came
aggressive proselytizing, funded by tens of billions of dollars of
petroleum-export money from
Saudi Arabia. The version of Islam being propagated (Saudi doctrine of
Wahhabism) billed itself as a return to pristine, simple, straightforward Islam, not one
school among many, and not interpreting
Islamic law historically or contextually, but as the one, orthodox "straight path" of Islam. The theological doctrines of the Syrian-Egyptian Islamic scholar
Rashid Rida (1865–1935) greatly influenced these movements. Amongst his notable ideas included reviving the traditions of the
early Muslim generations (
Salaf), as well ridding the
Muslim world of Western influences and
jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance) by specifically looking up to the model of
Khulafa Rashidun. Rida's ideas would set the foundations of future Salafi-Jihadist movements and greatly influence Islamists like
Hassan al-Banna,
Sayyid Qutb, and other
Muslim fundamentalist figures. Rida's treatises laid the theological framework of future militants who would eventually establish the
Salafi-jihadist movement. In 2003,
CIA officer
Marc Sageman described
Salafi jihadism as a "Muslim revivalist social movement" with "roots in Egypt". According to Sageman, Salafi jihadists are influenced by the strategy of prominent Egyptian Islamist ideologues such as
Sayyid Qutb and
Muhammad 'Abd al-Salam Faraj, who advocated the revolutionary overthrow of secular regimes and the
establishment of Islamic states through armed
jihad. According to French political scientist and professor
Gilles Kepel, the
Salafist version of jihadism combined "respect for the sacred texts in their most literal form, ... with an absolute commitment to jihad, whose number-one target had to be America, perceived as the greatest enemy of the faith." Kepel wrote that the
Salafis whom he encountered in Europe in the 1980s, were "totally apolitical". However, by the mid-1990s, he met some who felt jihad in the form of "violence and terrorism" was "justified to realize their political objectives". The mingling of many Salafists who were alienated from mainstream European society with violent jihadists created "a volatile mixture".
De-Ba'athification policy initiated by the
new government led to rise in support of jihadists and remnants of
Iraqi Ba'athists started allying with al-Qaeda in their common fight against the United States. Iraq War journalist
George Packer writes in ''
The Assassins' Gate'':"The Iraq War proved some of the
Bush administration's assertions false, and it made others self-fulfilling. One of these was the insistence on an operational link between Iraq and al-Qaeda... after the fall of the regime, the most potent ideological force behind the insurgency was Islam and its hostility to non-Islamic intruders. Some former Baathist officials even stopped drinking and took to prayer. The insurgency was called
mukawama, or resistance, with overtones of religious legitimacy; its fighters became
mujahideen (holy warriors) and proclaimed their mission to be
jihad.", former leader of
al-Qaeda in Iraq, is widely regarded as one of the influential
Salafi jihadists. The
2021 re-establishment of the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the 2024 establishment of the
post-Assad Syrian Arab Republic grew out of the Salafi-jihadist groups
Taliban and
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, respectively.
Ideologists of Salafi jihadism "Theoreticians" of Salafi jihadism include Afghan jihadist veterans such as the Palestinian
Abu Qatada, the Syrian
Mustafa Setmariam Nasar, the Egyptian Mustapha Kamel, known as
Abu Hamza al-Masri.
Al-Qaeda's second leader and co-founder
Ayman al-Zawahiri would praise
Sayyid Qutb and his writings, stating that Qutb's call formed the ideological inspiration for the contemporary Salafi-jihadist movement. Other leading figures in the movement include
Anwar al-Awlaki, former leader of
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP);
Abu Bakar Bashir, leader of the banned Indonesian militant Islamist group
Jema'ah Islamiyah;
Nasir al-Fahd, Saudi Arabian Salafi-jihadist scholar who opposes the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and reportedly pledged allegiance to
Islamic State;
Mohammed Yusuf, founder of the Islamic terrorist organization
Boko Haram;
Omar Bakri Muhammad,
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, first leader of the Islamic terrorist organization
Islamic State; etc.
Salafi-jihadist groups Salafist jihadist groups include
al-Qaeda, the now defunct Algerian
Armed Islamic Group (GIA),
Salafia Jihadia is said to function as a network of several loosely affiliated
Salafi-jhadist groups and
cells, including groups such as al Hijra Wattakfir, Attakfir Bidum Hijra, Assirat al Mustaqim, Ansar al Islam and Moroccan Afghans. The spiritual leader and founder of the group is , former imam of the
al-Quds Mosque (which was shut down by German authorities in 2010).
Salafia Jihadia has since spawned a wider ideological movement out of
Saudi Arabia and the
Gulf states. fought an insurgency against the Egyptian government from 1992 to 1998 during which at least 800 Egyptian policemen and soldiers, jihadists, and civilians were killed. Outside of Egypt it is best known for a
November 1997 attack at the Temple of Hatshepsut in
Luxor where fifty-eight foreign tourists trapped inside the temple were hunted down and hacked and shot to death. The group declared a ceasefire in March 1999, although as of 2012 it is still active in jihad against the
Ba'athist Syrian regime. Al-Qaeda evolved from the
Maktab al-Khidamat (MAK), or the "Services Office", a Muslim organization founded in 1984 to raise and channel funds and recruit foreign
mujahideen for the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. It was established in
Peshawar, Pakistan, by
Osama bin Laden and
Abdullah Yusuf Azzam. it was created in order to fight
Egyptian Security Forces and
Israel Defense Forces in the
Sinai Peninsula and
Gaza Strip. The group, and many other groups in the Sinai Peninsula, has ties with
al-Qaeda, and was one of the many groups who committed terrorist attacks on civilians and Egyptian Armed Forces during many periods of terrorist attacks in the Sinai in 2012 through 2013.
Islamic State (IS) In Syria and Iraq, both
Jabhat al-Nusra and
Islamic State have been described as
Salafi-jihadist terrorist organizations. Originating in the
Jaish al-Ta'ifa al-Mansurah founded by
Abu Omar al-Baghdadi in 2004, the organization (primarily under the
Islamic State of Iraq name) affiliated itself with
al-Qaeda in Iraq and fought alongside them during the
2003–2006 phase of the Iraqi insurgency. The group later changed their name to Islamic State of Iraq and Levant for about a year, before declaring itself to be a
worldwide caliphate, called simply the "
Islamic State". They are a transnational
Salafi jihadist group and an
unrecognised quasi-state. IS gained global prominence in 2014, when their militants conquered large territories in northwestern Iraq and eastern Syria, taking advantage of the ongoing
civil war in Syria and the disintegrating local military forces of Iraq. By the end of 2015, their self-declared
caliphate ruled an area with a population of about 12 million, where they enforced their extremist interpretation of
Islamic law, managed an annual budget exceeding billion, and commanded more than 30,000 fighters. After a grinding conflict with American, Iraqi, and Kurdish forces, IS lost control of all their Middle Eastern territories by 2019, subsequently reverting to insurgency from remote hideouts while continuing their
propaganda efforts. These efforts have garnered a significant following in northern and
Sahelian Africa, where IS still controls a significant territory, and the
war against the Islamic State continues.
Jabhat al-Nusra Jabhat al-Nusra has been described as possessing "a hard-line Salafi-Jihadist ideology" and being one of "the most effective" groups fighting the regime. Writing after ISIS victories in Iraq, Hassan Hassan believes ISIS is a reflection of "ideological shakeup of Sunni Islam's traditional Salafism" since the Arab Spring, where salafism, "traditionally inward-looking and loyal to the political establishment", has "steadily, if slowly", been eroded by Salafism-jihadism. that has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 2.3 million from their homes.
Jund Ansar-Allah Jund Ansar Allah is, or was, an armed Salafi-jihadist organization based in the
Gaza Strip. On August 14, 2009, the group's spiritual leader, Sheikh
Abdel Latif Moussa, announced during Friday sermon the establishment of an Islamic emirate in the Palestinian territories attacking the ruling authority, the
Islamist group
Hamas, for failing to enforce
Sharia law. Hamas forces responded to his sermon by surrounding his
Ibn Taymiyyah mosque complex and attacking it. In the fighting that ensued, 24 people (including Sheikh Abdel Latif Moussa himself) were killed and over 130 were wounded.
Other Salafi jihadist groups According to Mohammed M. Hafez, "as of 2006 the two major groups within the jihadi Salafi camp" in Iraq were the
Mujahidin Shura Council and the
Ansar al Sunna. There are also a number of small jihadist Salafist groups in
Azerbaijan. The group leading the
Islamist insurgency in Southern Thailand in 2006 by carrying out most of the attacks and cross-border operations,
BRN-Koordinasi, favours Salafi ideology. It works in a loosely organized strictly
clandestine cell system dependent on hard-line religious leaders for direction. In 2011, Salafist jihadists were actively involved with protests against
King Abdullah II of Jordan, and the kidnapping and killing of Italian
peace activist Vittorio Arrigoni in
Hamas-controlled
Gaza Strip.
Salafi jihadism in Europe Sweden In 2017,
Swedish Security Police reported that the number of jihadists in Sweden had risen to thousands from about 200 in 2010. Based on social media analysis, an increase was noted in 2013. According to police in Sweden, Salafist-Jihadists affect the communities where they are active. According to Swedish researcher
Magnus Ranstorp, Salafi-Jihadism is antidemocratic, homophobic and aims to subjugate women and is therefore opposed to a societal order founded on democracy.
Germany According to
Deutsche Welle, Salafism is a growing movement in
Germany whose aim of a
Caliphate is incompatible with a
Western democracy. According to the German
Federal Agency for Civic Education, nearly all jihadist terrorists are Salafists, but not all Salafists are terrorists. The dualistic view on "true believers" and "false believers" in practice means people being treated unequally on religious grounds. The call for a religious state in the form of a caliphate means that Salafists reject the
rule of law and the
sovereignty of the people's rule. The Salafist view on gender and society leads to discrimination and the subjugation of women. Estimates by German
interior intelligence service show that it grew from 3,800 members in 2011 to 7,500 members in 2015. In Germany, most of the recruitment to the movement is done on the Internet and also on the streets, In August 2018, after the
European Court of Human Rights approved the decision, French authorities deported the
Salafi-Jihadist preacher Elhadi Doudi to his home country
Algeria because of his radical messages he spread in Marseille.
Deobandi jihadism scholar and ideologist of the
Taliban Deobandi jihadism is a militant interpretation of Islam that draws upon the teachings of the
Sunni Deobandi movement, which originated in the
Indian subcontinent in the 19th century. The
Deobandism underwent 3 waves of armed jihad. The first wave involved the establishment of an Islamic territory centered on Thana Bhawan by the movement's elders during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, before the founding of
Darul Uloom Deoband.
Imdadullah Muhajir Makki was the Amir al-Mu'minin of this Islamic territory; however, after the British defeated the Deobandi forces in the Battle of Shamli, the territory fell. Following the establishment of Darul Uloom Deoband,
Mahmud Hasan Deobandi led the initiation of the second wave. He mobilized an armed resistance against the British through various initiatives, including the formation of the Samratut Tarbiat. When the British uncovered his
Silk Letter Movement, they arrested
Hasan Deobandi and held him captive in
Malta. After his release, he and his disciples entered into mainstream politics and actively participated in the democratic process. In the late 1979, the
Pakistan–Afghan border became the center of the Deobandi jihadist movement's third wave, which was fueled by the
Soviet–Afghan War. Under the patronage of President
Zia-ul-Haq, its expansion took place through various madrasas such as
Darul Uloom Haqqania and
Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S) provided political support for it. Trained militants from the Pakistan–Afghan border participated in the
Afghan jihad, and later went on to form various organizations, including the
Taliban. The most successful example of Deobandi jihadism is the Taliban, who established
Islamic rule in Afghanistan. The head of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S),
Sami-ul-Haq, is referred to as the "father of the Taliban". The
Deobandi jihadist group
Taliban was formed in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s, the founder of the Taliban was
Mullah Omar, a former mujahideen fighter who had lost an eye during the war against the Soviet Union. In 1994, he gathered a group of students and religious scholars, many of whom had received their education in
Deobandi madrasahs located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, and established the
Taliban as a political and military movement. == Shia Islamism ==