Salafism and Political Order in Africa

Abstract

I n recent decades, Africa has emerged as one of the epicentres of jihadi terrorist groups. Scholars, analysts and policymakers have sought to unravel the factors underlying the presence, growth and spread of these groups. They have raised concerns about the spread of Salafi-jihadism, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In Salafism and Political Order in Africa, Sebastian Elischer alludes that most works on the subject focus on countries struggling with the threat of Salafi-jihadism without much attention on understanding why some countries in the same region have been successful in curbing or preventing such groups. Elischer examines why some countries in Africa have become home bases for Salafi-jihadi activities while others have managed to curb the same. Exploring the relationship between the State and the Islamic landscape in sub-Saharan Africa since the 1950s, the author argues that the State plays a pivotal role in radicalising or deradicalising their domestic Salafi communities. Resorting to a State-centric approach, the book provides an empirical assessment of the evolution of StateSalafi relations, and probes the varying degrees in which political and organisational playing fields allow or prevent Salafi-jihadism from penetrating societies. Noting that there is no conclusive definition of Salafism, the book refers to it as ‘representative of Muslims who try to emulate the three generations following the [P]rophet. Salafists preach and practice a literalist approach and literal interpretation of the foundational texts of Islam’ (p.49). Elischer builds on Quintan Wiktorowicz’s classification of quietist Salafism, political Salafism and jihadi Salafism, and states that he regards the latter two as ‘activist Salafism’ as they specifically challenge State authority. The book sheds light on the origins, growth and spread of Salafijihadi organizations and makes references to prominent ones such as Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region, Al-Qaeda (known as Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb or AQIS) in the Maghreb and Sahel, and Al-Shabaab in East Africa. The book presents a historical narrative of the ‘process (or lack thereof)’ that led to the formation of organisational regulatory institutions in the Islamic sphere (described in the book as ‘[S]tate-led national Islamic associations’ (p.26), and its effect on State-Islamic relations. In doing so, the book provides a process-driven empirical analysis of the role of the State in religious radicalisation as well as in the origins and subsequent evolution of Salafi-jihadi organisations in different countries in Africa. It also draws out the ‘permissive, constraining and coercive strategies’ Strategic Analysis, 2022 Vol. 46, No. 3, 347–349, https://doi.org/10.1080/09700161.2022.2081434