ABSTRACT
SALAFIST ISLAM The modern Salafist movement gets its
name from the Arabic word salaf, which
means ancestors or forefathers. In reli-
gious usage, it refers to the earliestMuslim
generations, the righteous ancestors, in
Arabic al-salaf al-salih. Salafists contend
that Muslims have strayed from the ways
of the righteous ancestors and call on
them to restore religious practices and
beliefs to their pristine form. In its sum-
mons for a return to original principles, it
may be considered a Muslim form of fun-
damentalism. The Salafist project is not a
monolithic movement but has exhibited
different emphases, corresponding to
successive eras of modern history.
