Barely surpassing 100 pages, I finished this disarmingly slim book in a day. As with most contemporary books on terrorism, this one starts with 9-11. The account is crisp and hurried. There isn’t a need to dwell on an event that has been scorched so clearly and visually into our minds, courtesy of CNN.
I found the first chapter, entitled House of Islam, rather distracting. It rehashed Islam’s basic doctrines. This part is probably important to newcomers to the religion. The lack of eloquence, though, might not necessarily change the minds of those who already have a stereotypical image of Muslims.
The book’s compelling theme really begins from the second chapter onwards. It is here that Oliveti’s knowledge shines. He upsets centuries of Orientalism by setting out his case in the full light of the Quran and the Hadith. His style, though, is neither apologetic nor irreverant.
Instead of dedicating a chapter to explain the origins of Salafism, Oliveti deftly weaves the latter with a detailed list of how Salafism detracts from the traditonal Sunni schools of thought, such as their outright rejection of naql (Islamic canon), traditional usul al-fiqh (Principles of Jurisprudence), the discipline of language and interpretation, traditional exegesis of the Koran, qiyas (analogical reasoning of the law), ijma (consensus), theology, Islamic art and even the four Sunni madhab. The effect is all the more compelling.
He argues that Islam’s tolerant character is threatened by the dismantling of its thousand-year history and tradition, which had always provided a system of checks and balances. By repudiating Islam’s heritage, Salafists have opened the pandora’s box to interpretations that are colored, more often than not, by human agendas. Terrorism and its apparent justification by the Koran is a direct, if not tragic result of this.
Interestingly, Oliveti qualifies that while Salafism in general is not murderous, its inherent instability can lead it, in the wrong hands, to explode ideologically at any time. It does not condone the slaughter of innocent civilians, and vehemently bans these practices. The only people who do believe in these things are a small subset of Salafism- the Salafi-takfiris. The latter reserves the right to brand other Muslims as apostates, and summarily executes them. They bend the rules of jihad and attempt to adopt other conflicts that have Muslim protagonists to their cause. Usama bin Laden is the most recent expression of this aberrance.
For Salafism is a reduction of Islam, and one that refocuses the religion on politics and militancy rather than God.The last chapter is especially important because it explains how Saudi oil money continues to help spread the ideology of Salafism into Muslim countries that traditionally have been staunch students of Sunni madhabs. It is a chilling exposition that connects many dots in the otherwise tangled skein of the Muslim umma. Olivetti provides a rare insight into the uneasy relationship between the Saudi monarchy and the Salafi clergy. He argues that it is wrong to blame the Saudis solely for the global reach of Salafism, and consquently ‘takfirism’ because the US played a not insignificant role in its creation and subsequent growth in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan.
“To fight terror, all roads lead to Riyadh.”
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.
Recent Comments