Kafir (Arabic: kfir; plural kuffr; feminine kfirah) is an Arabic term (from the root K-F-

R "to cover") meaning "unbeliever", or "disbeliever". The term[1] alludes to a person who rejects or
disbelieves in God and the teachings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad,[2] and denies the dominion
and authority of God;[3] or otherwise does not heed the beliefs and prescriptions held by the religion
of Islam

Heresy (/hsi/) is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs
or customs. A heretic is a proponent of such claims or beliefs.[1] Heresy is distinct from both
apostasy, which is the explicit renunciation of one's religion, principles or cause,[2] and
blasphemy, which is an impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.[3]

The term is usually used to refer to violations of important religious teachings, but is used
also of views strongly opposed to any generally accepted ideas.[4] It is used in particular in
reference to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.[5]

Salafi jihadism or jihadist-Salafism is a transnational religious-political ideology based on a

belief in "physical" jihadism and the Salafi movement of returning to what adherents believe
to be true Sunni Islam.[1][2]

The terms "Salafist jihadist" and "jihadist-Salafism" were coined by scholar Gilles Kepel in
2002[3][4][5][6] to describe "a hybrid Islamist ideology" developed by international Islamist
volunteers in the Afghan anti-Soviet jihad who had become isolated from their national and
social class origins.[3]

Al-Qaeda's Caliphate goals

Main article: al-Qaeda

Al-Qaeda has as one of its clearly stated goals the re-establishment of a caliphate.[95] Its
former leader, Osama bin Laden, called for Muslims to "establish the righteous caliphate of
our umma".[96] Al-Qaeda chiefs released a statement in 2005, under which, in what they call
"phase five" there will be "an Islamic state, or caliphate".[97] Al-Qaeda has named its Internet
newscast from Iraq "The Voice of the Caliphate".[98] According to author and Egyptian native
Lawrence Wright, Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden's mentor and al-Qaeda's second-in-
command until 2011, once "sought to restore the caliphate... which had formally ended in
1924 following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire but which had not exercised real
power since the thirteenth century." Zawahiri believes that once the caliphate is re-
established, Egypt would become a rallying point for the rest of the Islamic world, leading
the jihad against the West. "Then history would make a new turn, God willing", Zawahiri
later wrote, "in the opposite direction against the empire of the United States and the world's
Jewish government".[99
Sunni belief

Following the death of Muhammad, a meeting took place at Saqifah. At that meeting, Abu
Bakr was elected caliph by the Muslim community. Sunni Muslims developed the belief that
the caliph is a temporal political ruler, appointed to rule within the bounds of Islamic law
(Sharia). The job of adjudicating orthodoxy and Islamic law was left to mujtahids, legal
specialists collectively called the Ulama. Many Muslims call the first four caliphs the
Rashidun, meaning the Rightly-Guided, because they are believed to have followed the
Qur'an and the sunnah (example) of Muhammad.[citation needed]

Shi'a belief

Main articles: Succession to Muhammad, Shia Islam, and Imamah (Shia doctrine)

The Shia believe in the Imamate, a principle by which rulers are Imams who are divinely
chosen, infallible, and sinless and must come from the Ahl al-Bayt regardless of majority
opinion, shura or election. They claim that before his death, Muhammad had given many
indications, in the hadith of the pond of Khumm in particular, that he considered Ali, his
cousin and son-in-law, as his successor. For the Twelvers, Ali and his eleven descendants, the
twelve Imams, are believed to have been considered, even before their birth, as the only valid
Islamic rulers appointed and decreed by God.

Sharia, Sharia law, or Islamic law (Arabic: ( IPA: [aria])) is the religious law
forming part of the Islamic tradition.[1] It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam,
particularly the Quran and the Hadith. In Arabic, the term sharah refers to God's immutable
divine law and is contrasted with fiqh, which refers to its human scholarly
interpretations.[2][3][4] The manner of its application in modern times has been a subject of
dispute between Muslim traditionalists and reformists.[1]

Traditional theory of Islamic jurisprudence recognizes four sources of sharia: the Quran,
sunnah (authentic hadith), qiyas (analogical reasoning), and ijma (juridical consensus).[

Use of sharia by country:

Sharia plays no role in the judicial system.
Sharia applies to Muslim's personal law.
Sharia applies in full, including criminal law.
Regional variations in the application of sharia.

Qutbism (also called Kotebism, Qutbiyya, or Qutbiyyah) is an Islamist ideology developed

by Sayyid Qutb, the figurehead of the Muslim Brotherhood.[1] It has been described as
advancing the extremist jihadist ideology of propagating "offensive jihad" waging jihad in
conquest[2] or "armed jihad in the advance of Islam" [3]
Qutbism has gained widespread attention because it is widely believed to have influenced
Islamic extremists and terrorists such as Osama bin-Laden. Muslim extremists cite Sayyid
Qutb repeatedly and consider themselves his intellectual descendants.[3

Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who went on to become a member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, was
one of Muhammad Qutb's students [10] and later a mentor of Osama bin Laden and a leading
member of al-Qaeda.[11] and had been first introduced to Sayyad Qutb by his uncle, Mafouz
Azzam, who had been very close to Sayyad Qutb throughout his life and impressed on al-
Zawahiri "the purity of Qutb's character and the torment he had endured in prison."[12]
Zawahiri paid homage to Qutb in his work Knights under the Prophet's Banner.[13]

Osama bin Laden is reported to have regularly attended weekly public lectures by
Muhammad Qutb, at King Abdulaziz University, and to have read and been deeply
influenced by Sayyid Qutb.[14]

Late Yemeni Al Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki has also spoken of Qutb's great influence and
of being "so immersed with the author I would feel Sayyid was with me... speaking to me
directly.[15]

The Salafi movement or Salafist movement or Salafism is an ultra-conservative[1] reform[2]

branch[3][4] or movement within Sunni Islam[5] that developed in Arabia in the first half of the
18th century.[citation needed] It advocated a return to the traditions of the "forefathers'" (the salaf).

The Salafist doctrine can be summed up as taking "a fundamentalist approach to Islam,
emulating Muhammad and his earliest followers al-salaf al-salih, the 'pious
forefathers'...They reject religious innovation or bid'ah, and support the implementation of
sharia (Islamic law)."[6] The movement is often divided into three categories: the largest
group are the purists (or quietists), who avoid politics; the second largest group are the
activists, who get involved in politics; the smallest group are jihadists, who form a tiny
minority.[6] In legal matters, Salafis are divided between those who, in the name of
independent legal judgement (ijtihad), reject strict adherence (taqlid) to the four Sunni
schools of law (madhahib), and others who remain faithful to these.[7]

The majority of the world's Salafis are from Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.[8]
46.87% of Qataris[8] and 44.8% of Emiratis are Salafis.[8] 5.7% of Bahrainis are Salafis and
2.17% of Kuwaitis are Salafis.[8] Salafis are the "dominant minority" in Saudi Arabia.[9] There
are 4 million Saudi Salafis since 22.9% of Saudis are Salafis (concentrated in Najd).[8]

The Salafi movement is often described as synonymous with Wahhabism, but Salafists
consider the term "Wahhabi" derogatory.[10] At other times, Salafism has been deemed a
hybrid of Wahhabism and other post-1960s movements.[11] Salafism has become associated
with literalist, strict and puritanical approaches to Islam and, particularly in the West, with
the Salafi Jihadis who espouse violent jihad against those they deem to be enemies of Islam
as a legitimate expression of Islam.[12]

Salafism takes its name from the Arabic term salaf ("predecessors", "ancestors"), used to identify
the earliest Muslims, who, its adherents believe, provide the epitome of Islamic practice.[citation needed]
They consider a hadith that quotes Muhammad saying, "The best of my community are my
generation, the ones who follow them and the ones who follow them."[17] as a call to Muslims to
follow the example of those first three generations, known collectively as the salaf.[18] or "pious
Predecessors" ( as-Salaf as-li). The salaf are believed to include Muhammad
himself,[19] the "Companions" (Sahabah), the "Followers" (Tabiun), and the "Followers of the
Followers" (Tabi al-Tabiin).

Views on extremism

In recent years, the Salafi methodology has come to be associated with the jihad of extremist
groups that advocate the killing of innocent civilians. The European Parliament, in a report
commissioned in 2013 claimed that Wahhabi and Salafi groups are involved, mainly via
Saudi charities, in the support and supply of arms to rebel groups around the world.[63] Some
Salafi scholars appear to support extremism and acts of violence. The Egyptian Salafi cleric
Mahmoud Shaaban "appeared on a religious television channel calling for the deaths of main
opposition figures Mohammed ElBaradei a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former
presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi."[64][65] The popular salafi preacher Zakir Naik
speaking of Osama bin Laden, said that he would not criticise bin Laden because he had not
met him and did not know him personally. He added that, "If bin Laden is fighting enemies of
Islam, I am for him," and that "If he is terrorizing America the terrorist, biggest terrorist I
am with him. Every Muslim should be a terrorist. The thing is that if he is terrorizing the
terrorist, he is following Islam. Whether he is or not, I dont know, but you as Muslims know
that, without checking up, laying allegations is also wrong."[66]

Other salafis have rejected the use of violence. The Saudi scholar, Muhammad ibn al
Uthaymeen considered suicide bombing to be unlawful[67][68] and the scholar Abdul Muhsin
al-Abbad wrote a treatise entitled: According to which intellect and Religion is Suicide
bombings and destruction considered Jihad?.[67] Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani stated that
"History repeats itself. Everybody claims that the Prophet is their role model. Our Prophet
spent the first half of his message making dawah, and he did not start it with jihad".[69]

Salafism is sponsored globally by Saudi Arabia and this ideology is used to justify the violent
acts of Jihadi Salafi groups that include Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Boko Haram, and the Al-
Shabaab.[70][71] In addition, Saudi Arabia prints textbooks for schools and universities to teach
Salafism as well as recruit international students from Egypt, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Africa
and the Balkans to help spread Salafism in their local communities.[70][71]

Some other Islamic groups, particularly some Sufis, have also complained about extremism
among some Salafi. It has been noted that the Western association of Salafi ideology with
violence stems from writings "through the prism of security studies" that were published in
the late 20th century and that continue to persist.[72]

Saudi Arabia (Wahhabism)

Main article: Wahhabism

Wahhabism is a more strict, Saudi form of Salafism,[73][74] according to Mark Durie, who
states that Saudi leaders "are active and diligent" using their considerable financial resources
"in funding and promoting Salafism all around the world."[75] Ahmad Moussalli tends to
agree with the view that Wahhabism is a subset of Salafism, saying "As a rule, all Wahhabis
are salafists, but not all salafists are Wahhabis".[76]

Statistics

Worldwide there are roughly 50 million Salafists,[147] including roughly 20 to 30 million

Salafis in India,[148] 5 to 6 million Salafis in Egypt,[98] 27.5 million Salafis in
Bangladesh[citation needed] and 1.6 million Salafis in Sudan.[149] Salafi communities are smaller
elsewhere, including roughly 10,000 in Tunisia, 17,000 in Morocco, 7,000 in Jordan, 17,000
in France and 5,000 in Germany.[150]

It is often reported from various sources, including the German domestic intelligence service
(Bundesnachrichtendienst), that Salafism is the fastest-growing Islamic movement in the
world.[151][152][153][154]

Wahhabism (Arabic: , al-Wahhbiya(h)) is an Islamic doctrine and religious movement

founded by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.[1] It has been variously described as
"ultraconservative",[2] "austere",[3] "fundamentalist",[4] or "puritan(ical)";[5][6] as an Islamic "reform
movement" to restore "pure monotheistic worship" (tawhid) by devotees;[7] and as a "deviant
sectarian movement",[7] "vile sect"[8] and a distortion of Islam by its opponents.[3][9] The term
Wahhabi(ism) is often used polemically and adherents commonly reject its use, preferring to be
called Salafi or muwahhid. Wahhabism is named after an eighteenth-century preacher and activist,
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.

"pure Islam" (David Commins, paraphrasing supporters' definition),[9] that does not deviate
from Sharia law in any way and should be called Islam and not Wahhabism.

Wahhabis and Salafis

Many scholars and critics distinguish between Wahhabi and Salafi. According to American
scholar Christopher M. Blanchard,[70] Wahhabism refers to "a conservative Islamic creed
centered in and emanating from Saudi Arabia," while Salafiyya is "a more general puritanical
Islamic movement that has developed independently at various times and in various places in
the Islamic world."[38]

However, many call Wahhabism a more strict, Saudi form of Salafi.[71][72] Wahhabism is the
Saudi version of Salafism, according to Mark Durie, who states Saudi leaders "are active and
diligent" in using their considerable financial resources "in funding and promoting Salafism
all around the world."[73] Ahmad Moussalli tends to agree Wahhabism is a subset of Salafism,
saying "As a rule, all Wahhabis are salafists, but not all salafists are Wahhabis".[49]
Afghanistan jihad

The "apex of cooperation" between Wahhabis and Muslim revivalist groups was the Afghan
jihad.[161]

In December 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. Shortly thereafter, Abdullah
Yusuf Azzam, a Muslim Brother cleric with ties to Saudi religious institutions,[162] issued a
fatwa[163] declaring defensive jihad in Afghanistan against the atheist Soviet Union, "fard
ayn", a personal (or individual) obligation for all Muslims. The edict was supported by Saudi
Arabia's Grand Mufti (highest religious scholar), Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz, among others.[164][165]

Between 1982 and 1992 an estimated 35,000 individual Muslim volunteers went to
Afghanistan to fight the Soviets and their Afghan regime. Thousands more attended frontier
schools teeming with former and future fighters. Somewhere between 12,000 and 25,000 of
these volunteers came from Saudi Arabia.[166] Saudi Arabia and the other conservative Gulf
monarchies also provided considerable financial support to the jihad -- $600 million a year by
1982.[167]

By 1989, Soviet troops had withdrawn and within a few years the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul
had collapsed.[citation needed]

This Saudi/Wahhabi religious triumph further stood out in the Muslim world because many
Muslim-majority states (and the PLO) were allied with the Soviet Union and did not support
the Afghan jihad.[168] But many jihad volunteers (most famously Osama bin Laden) returning
home to Saudi and elsewhere were often radicalized by Islamic militants who were "much
more extreme than their Saudi sponsors."[168]

After 9/11

The 2001 9/11 attacks on Saudi's putative ally, the US, that killed almost 3,000 people and
caused at least $10 billion in property and infrastructure damage,[190] were assumed by many,
at least outside the kingdom, to be "an expression of Wahhabism" since the Al-Qaeda leader
Osama bin Laden and most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi nationals.[191] A backlash in the
formerly hospitable US against the kingdom focused on its official religion that came to be
considered by some "a doctrine of terrorism and hate."[81]

Osama bin Laden's full name, Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden, means "Osama, son of
Mohammed, son of Awad, son of Laden". "Mohammed" refers to bin Laden's father Mohammed bin
Laden; "Awad" refers to his grandfather, Awad bin Aboud bin Laden, a Kindite Hadhrami tribesman;
"Laden" refers not to bin Laden's great-grandfather, who was named Aboud, but to Aboud's father,
Laden Ali al-Qahtani.[ Osama bin Laden had also assumed the kunyah "Ab 'Abdllh" ("father of
Abdallah"). His admirers have referred to him by several nicknames, including the "Prince" or "Emir"
(, al-Amr), the "Sheik" (, a-aykh), the "Jihadist Sheik" or "Sheik al-Mujahid" ( ,
aykh al-Mujhid), "Hajj" (, ajj), and the "Director".[24] The word usmah ( )means "lion",[25]
earning him the nicknames "Lion" and "Lion Sheik".[26]