American researcher examines origins of radical Salafi trend in his country
Tuesday 30/October/2018 - 03:18 PM
Ahmed Lamlom
The movements of the Salafi trend in the United States draw the attention of
academics in political science, history and terrorism; most see this trend as
amorphous and complex.
George Hitchens, a researcher at George Washington University's Anti-Extremism
Program, published a new report entitled "Salafism in America: History,
Assessment and Extremism," in which he spoke about the origins of this
radical Islamist movement in the United States.
Hitchens divides this trend into three groups. The first is not interested in
politics and is conservative in behavior. She is interested in showing her
religiosity in her behavior, appearance and personal life, and the members of
this group tend not to encounter modern life.
The second group, the Salafi activists, who share the Brotherhood's lack of
patience to see Muslim states rule by regimes inspired by other beliefs, are
not organized like the Brotherhood, but are influenced by the group's beliefs.
The third group is the terrorist Salafis, who believe that the only appropriate
response to the existence of non-religious regimes in the Muslim world is
violence, and the three groups are questioning the democratic institutions that
give power to people.
In his report, Hitchens says that the three groups of Salafism have flourished
in the United States in recent decades, with changes in favor of each group
separately, and that important individuals have moved among these groups.
The report also addresses some of the Salafi Americans, including Ali
al-Tamimi, who was born in Washington, spent several years in the Middle East
and returned to the United States. He received his doctorate in biology and was
jailed in 2005 for terrorism, including the recruitment of militants to wage
war against America and help the Taliban. In the point of view of Hitchens,
Tamimi represents an important example of how to turn a normal person gradually
to become a preacher of terrorism.
