Some of Maher’s central intentions in this book include the examination of the Salafi-Jihadis’ soteriological position as well as their practices that try “to emulate Islam’s supposedly golden era,” (7) while producing an absolutist and rigid doctrine with an authoritarian position embedded with “the need to confront existing Muslim regimes,” (205). By presenting history from an intellectual standpoint, Maher tries to adopt the debates with dispassionate observation, which is often noted in contemporary post-9/11 literary material. Although much has been written about Jihadi-Salafism since the events of 9/11, no author has really attempted to write a comprehensive overview of Jihadi-Salafi ideology in a single book. Instead, he introduces key thinkers from a wide spectrum of opinions within Islamic history that aims to clarify core concepts of the mainstream tradition of Salafi-Jihadi thought that has mobilized masses around the world. Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea, by Shiraz Maher. Categories: Religious groups and communities Religious and theocratic ideologies Terrorism. Maher does not directly provide answers to the questions he postures in his book. In addition, he is an assiduous writer for the New Statesman, frequently writing on the Islamic State and the broader Middle East his knowledge of the subject can be observed as he guides specialists in his field, as well as informed readers, to trace the evolution of the key ideas of Salafi-Jihadism. Radicalisation (ICSR) at Kings College London, and teaches at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Salafi-Jihadism by Shiraz Maher