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Salafist

Salafist

3 9.6
About a traditional Sunni Muslim movement that returns to early Muslim practices
  • adjective
  • /sæˈlɑːfɪst/
translation icon : salafista
  • In June, the Brotherhood formed the National Democratic Alliance for Egypt with over a dozen other political parties, including the Salafist Nour Party, the Nasserist Karama Party, and the liberal Wafd Party.
  • Salafist movement

Examples

  • Several posts suggested deeper Salafist penetration of Palestinian society.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The old line Sunni hegemony is in direct conflict with a rising Salafist element.

    Blog text (28)
  • There is a small but distinct Salafist influence in the Palestinian online environment.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Of course, the picking up by the Salafist television station on September 9 is the trigger.

    Blog text (12)
  • There are certainly Salafists among them, but most Libyans are neither Salafist nor Muslim Brotherhood.

    Blog text (6)
  • "To treat the problem at its root, one should challenge jihadist thought with an enlightened philosophy, not just with other Salafist ideas that are only slightly less extreme," he said.

    Academic text (2013)
  • America's siding with the Sunnis; therefore, the Salafist jihadists attacked the Americans.

    Blog text (28)
  • The Salafist movement emphasizes a strict interpretation of Islamic texts.

  • Many Salafist scholars advocate for a return to early Islamic practices.

  • The Salafist ideology has gained traction in various Sunni communities.

Synonyms

Salafi
vsSalafist
2 9.5

Relating to a Muslim movement that follows the beliefs and practices of the earliest Muslims

focuses on a modern conservative movement within Sunni Islam

Compounds

9.9

A former Algerian Islamist militant group that carried out terrorist attacks to try to overthrow the government

An Algerian extremist Islamist group that split from another militant group and tried to overthrow the government while supporting al-Qaeda

Surface Forms

Salafist positive

Morphology

Salafist = Salaf (semi-transparent) = Salaf + ist

Formally transparent as Salaf + -ist ('follower of Salaf'), but 'Salaf' is a specialized borrowed religious term, so the meaning is not obvious to average learners.

Etymology

Salafist comes from the Arabic salaf, which means 'forefathers' or 'ancestors'. So calling an idea or group Salafist means it aims to copy the beliefs and ways of the earliest Muslims.