The document discusses three main forms of Islamic fundamentalism: Wahhabism, Salafism, and Qutbism. It provides details on the origins and key beliefs of each: Wahhabism originated in Saudi Arabia in the 18th century and seeks to purify Islam of innovations. It is the official faith of Saudi Arabia. Salafism is a broader reform movement that appeals to those seeking religious renewal, though it is not a unified movement. Qutbism advocates for violent jihad and the establishment of states governed by strict sharia law based on the writings of Sayyid Qutb and others. The document examines the influence of each form and their relationships.

1. Anthony Myers 11/19/09
Professor Juliana Pilon Types of Islamic Fundamentalism
Islamic Fundamentalism is a term used broadly by the public and the media to describe
the religious influences of the terrorists on their impact. However, both sections of society use
the term too broadly. What they do not realize are the differences and the history of the different
forms and the current impact, the different forms have on Middle Eastern religion and society. I
am going to explain below Wahhabism, Salafiyya or Salafism, depending on the spelling, and
finally, Qutbism.
One of the forms of Islamic fundamentalism is Wahhabism. It broadly refers to a Sunni
Islamic movement that seeks to purify Islamof any innovations or practices that deviate from
the seventh-century teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions. The movement
originated in Saudi Arabia and is still having a large impact there today.i In fact, it is the official
faith and the only one sanctioned by the state. To this day no Christian, Jewish or other
religious establishment is allowed in the kingdom.ii
Muhammad bin Abd Wahhab, whose name is the source of the word “Wahhabi” the
religious movement in the Arabian peninsula during the eighteenth century (1703-1791) that
sought to reverse what he perceived as the moral decline of society. Ibn Abd al-wahhab wanted
to restore pristine Islamof the Qur’an and the prophet by cleansing it of all innovations that
challenged strict monotheism.iii In particular, Abd al Wahhab denounced many popular Islamic
beliefs and practices as idolatrous. Muhammad bin Saud, the ancestral founder of the
modern-day Al Saud dynasty, partnered with Abd al Wahhab to begin the process of unifying

2. disparate tribes in the Arabian Peninsula. Their partnership formed the basis for a close political
relationship between their descendants that continues today. iv
The activities that conflicted with al-Wahhab’s view of Islaminclude the cult of saints,
which was developed over the centuries among both Sunnis and Shi’ites. Such popular practices
as pilgrimages to the tombs of saints, beseeching the dead for intercession with God, asking
blessings upon saints following the ritual prayer, and the construction of domed mausoleums
for pious personalities were strongly condemned as shirk or associating divinity to beings other
than God.v This has bought Wahhabis based in the Arabian Peninsula and elsewhere into
confrontation with non-Wahhabi Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims, and non-Muslims in
neighboring areas. The first Saudi Kingdom was destroyed by Ottoman forces in the early 19th
century after Wahabbi-inspired forces seized Mecca and Medina and threatened Ottoman
dominance. In the 1920s, Wahhabi-trained Bedouin warriors allied with the founder of the
modern Saudi kingdom, Abd al Aziz ibn Saud, attacked fellow Sunnis in western Arabia and
Shiites in southern Iraq, leading to political confrontations and military engagements with the
British Empire.vi
Since the beginning of the Saudi Kingdom, there has been a close relationship between
the Saudi ruling family and the religious establishment. Wahhabi-trained Bedouin warriors
known as the Ikhwan were integral to the Al Saud family’s military campaign to reconquer and
unify the Arabian Peninsula from 1912 until an Ikhwan rebellion was put down by force in 1930.
Thereafter, Wahhabi clerics were integrated into the new Kingdom’s religious and political
movement, and Wahhabi ideas formed the basis of the rules and laws adopted to govern social
affairs in Saudi Arabia. Wahhabism also shaped the kingdom’s judicial and educational policies.

3. Saudi schoolbooks historically have denounced teachings that do not conform to Wahhabist
beliefs, an issue that remains controversial within Saudi Arabia and among outside observers.vii
The State Department named Saudi Arabia in September 2007, a “Country of Particular
Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act because religious freedom remains
restricted. According to the State Department’s 2007 International Religious Freedom Report
on Saudi Arabia, “the Saudi Government has attempted to the dissemination of intolerant
literature and extremist ideology within Saudi Arabia and around the world, to protect the right
to private worship and the right to possess and use personal religious materials, to curb
harassment by the religious police, to empower its Human Rights Commission, to eliminate
discrimination against non-Muslim religious minorities, and to respect the rights of Muslims
who do not follow the Government's interpretation of Islam.” But the report also notes that
members of the Shiite Muslim minority continue to face political, educational, legal, social, and
religious discrimination and that there is “no legal recognition or protection of religious
freedom.viii
In most predominantly Muslim nations, however, believers who adhere to Wahhabism
or hold similar perspectives prefer to call themselves “Unitarians” (muwahiddun) or
“Salafiyyun” (sing. Salafi, noun Salafiyya). The latter term derives from the word salaf meaning
to “follow” or “precede,” a reference to the followers and companions of the Prophet
Mohammed.ix
There have been two allegations against Wahhabismand its main sponsor, Saudi Arabia.
It has been said Wahhabism spreads terrorism and intolerance. The Saudi government as well
as wealthy individuals has supported the spread of Wahhabist ideas around the world. Funding

4. of mosques, madrasas and some Al Qaeda-linked charities have raised concerns that Wahhabi
Islamhas been used by militants who tailor this ideology to suit their political goals and who
rely on Saudi donations to support their aspirations.
Possible Wahhabi-taught intolerance and its’ criticismhas focused on education and
religion. A 2002 study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) indicates that
“some Saudi textbooks taught Islamic tolerance while others viciously condemned Jews and
Christians... [and] use rhetoric that was little more than hate literature.x Others also have
argued that the global spread of Wahhabist teachings threatens the existence of more
moderate Islamic beliefs and practices in other parts of the world, including the United States.xi
The Saudi Arabian government has strenuously denied the above allegations. Saudi
officials continue to assert that Islamis tolerant and peaceful, and they have denied allegations
that their government exports religious or cultural extremism or supports extremist religious
education.xii In response to allegations of teaching intolerance, the Saudi government has
embarked on a campaign of educational reforms designed to remove divisive material from
curricula and improve teacher performance, although the outcome of these reforms remains to
be seen. Confrontation with religious figures over problematic remarks and activities poses
political challenges for the Saudi government, because some key Wahhabi clerics support Saudi
government efforts to de-legitimize terrorism inside the kingdom and have sponsored or
participated in efforts to religiously re-educate former Saudi combatants.xiii
The preference is Salafiyya over Wahhabism. Wahhabism is considered by some
Muslims as the Saudi form of Salafiyya. Modern Salafi beliefs grew from a reform-oriented
movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, which developed in various parts

5. of the Islamic world and progressively grew more conservative. In line with other puritanical
Islamic teachings, Salafis generally believe that the Quran and the Prophet’s practice are the
ultimate religious authority in Islam, rather than the subsequent commentaries produced by
Islamic scholars to interpret these sources. Salafiyya is not a unified movement, and there exists
no single Salafi “sect.” However, Salafi interpretations of Islamappeal to a large number of
Muslims worldwide who seek religious renewal in the face of modern challenges. xiv
The topic of waging violent jihad or struggle has become important with the conflict of
Islamwith the West. Jihad is not associated with puritanical beliefs and is relatively recent
phenomenon and remains highly disputed within salafi believers. Although Wahhabi clerics and
converts have advocated religiously motivated violence and played military roles at key
moments in Saudi history, most scholars date the ascendancy of militancy within the wider
Salafi community to the war of resistance against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan during
the 1980s. The war against the Soviets gained wide support throughout the Muslim world and
mobilized thousands of volunteer fighters. xv
Radical beliefs spread rapidly through select groups of mosques and madrasas (Islamic
religious schools), located on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, which were created to support
the Afghan resistance and funded primarily by Saudi Arabia. Similar U.S. and European funding
provided to Pakistan to aid the Afghan mujahideen also may have been diverted to fund the
construction and maintenance of madrasas. Following the war, militant Salafis with ties to the
Afghan resistance denounced leaders of countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt as
“apostates” and as vehicles for facilitating Western imperialism. The Taliban movement also
emerged from this network of institutions.xvi

6. Violent Salafist-inspired groups such as Al Qaeda continue to advocate the overthrow of
the Saudi government and other regimes and the establishment of states that will sustain
puritanical Islamic doctrine enforced under a strict application of shari’a or Islamic law.
Although the majority of Salafi adherents do not advocate the violence enshrined in Bin Laden’s
message, violent Salafist ideology has attracted a number of followers throughout the Muslim
world. Analysts note that some receptive groups are drawn to the anti-U.S. political messages
preached by Bin Laden and his supporters, despite the fact that these groups may hold different
religious beliefs.xvii
Qutbism is another version of Muslim fundamentalism. Qutbism refers to the writings of
Sayyid Qutb and other Islamic theoreticians that provide the intellectual rationale underpinning
Islamic fascism. Qutbismis not a structured body of thought from any single person (despite its
name), source, time, or sect; rather it is a fusion of puritanical and intolerant Islamic
orientations that include elements from both the Sunni and Shia sects of Islamthat have been
combined with broader Islamist goals and methodologies. xviii
Qutbism integrates the Islamist teachings of Maududi and al Banna with the arguments
of Sayyid Qutb to justify armed jihad in the advance of Islam, and other violent methods utilized
by twentieth century militants. Qutbism advocates violence and justifies terrorism against non-
Muslims and apostates in an effort to bring about the reign of God. Others, i.e., Ayman Al-
Zawahiri, Abdullah Azzam, and Osama bin Laden built terrorist organizations based on the
principles of Qutbism and turned the ideology of Islamic-Fascisminto a global action plan xix
Qutbism is structured on a common foundation of puritan Islamist orientations such as
Wahabbi, Salafi, and Deobandi. These orientations share several traits and beliefs. This includes

7. a belief that Muslims have deviated from true Islamand must return to “pure Islam” as
originally practiced during the time of the Prophet.xx Another common foundation the groups
believe is that the path to “pure Islam” is only through a literal and strict interpretation
of the Quran and Hadith, along with implementation of the Prophet’s commands.xxi
Another common belief is that the groups think Muslims should individually interpret
the original sources without being slavishly bound to the interpretations of Islamic scholars.
Qutbists and others believe any interpretation of the Quran from a historical, contextual
perspective is a corruption, and that the majority of Islamic history and the classical
jurisprudential tradition is mere sophistry.xxii
One of the people that influenced modern Islamic thought and Qutibism was Ala
Maududi (1903-1979). Maududi believed the Muslim community’s decline resulted from
practicing a corrupted form of Islamcontaminated by non-Islamic ideas and culture. Maududi
reminded Muslims that Islamis more than a religion; it is a complete social systemthat guides
and controls every aspect of life including government.xxiii He believed tolerance of non-Muslim
rule and non-Islamic concepts and systems was an insult to God. Therefore, the only way
Muslims might practice pure Islamand assume their rightful place in the world is through the
establishment of Islamic states, where Islamrules independent of non-Islamic influences. These
Islamic states would eventually spread Islamacross the globe and establish God’s reign.
Maududi argued the only practical way to accomplish Islamic rule is through jihad.
Maududi explains what he means in Jihad in Islam. He says, “In reality Islamis a militant
ideology and program which seeks to alter the social order of the whole world and rebuild it in
conformity with its own tenets and ideals… Islamwishes to destroy all States and Governments

8. anywhere on the face of the earth, which are opposed to the ideology and program of Islam
regardless of the country or the Nation which rules it. It must be evident to you from this
discussion that the objective of Islamic “Jihad” is to eliminate the rule of an un-Islamic system
and establish in its stead an Islamic systemof State rule. Islamdoes not intend to confine this
revolution to a single State or a few countries; the aim of Islamis to bring about a universal
revolution.”xxiv
Maududi articulated the goals of an ideology that centers upon global Islamic
objectives and ways of achieving them.
Hassan al Banna (1905-1949), founder of the al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun (Muslim
Brotherhood), believed, like Maududi, that a revival of “pure Islam” was the antidote to
Western domination and a cure for the malady infecting the Muslim world.xxv Al Banna
attempted to put Maududi’s ideas into practice. He created the Brotherhood with the goal of
creating an Islamic values-based government. He hoped by providing basic services to the
community like schools and mosques, he thought he would drum up popular support for
Islamic goals thru persuasion. Unfortunately for Banna, his hope for the future collapsed after
he died in 1949. Hassan al Banna’s lasting legacy was reminding Muslims that the Quran says jihad
against un-believers is an obligation of all Muslims. He also argued that jihad was not just the
defense of Muslim lands but a means “to safeguard the mission of spreading Islam.”xxvi
This idea
was expanded upon by a man named Sayyid Qutb.
Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966) advocated the use of violence to establish Islamic rule. Unlike
Banna who tried to build an Islamic society from the bottom up, Qutb changed the strategy by
developing a top-down approach that focused on removing non-Islamic rulers and
governments.

9. Qutb argued that the entire world, including the Muslim, was in a state of jahiliyah, or
ignorance where man’s way had replaced God’s way.xxvii According to Qutb, since jahiliyah and
Islamcannot co-exist, offensive jihad was necessary to destroy jahiliyah society and bring the
entire world to Islam.xxviii Until jahiliyah is defeated, all true Muslims have a personal obligation
to wage offensive jihad.
In addition to offensive jihad Sayyid Qutb used the Islamic concept of “takfir” or
excommunication of apostates.xxix Declaring someone takfir provided a legal loophole around
the prohibition of killing another Muslim and in fact made it a religious obligation to execute
the apostate. The obvious use of this concept was to declare secular rulers, officials or
organizations, or any Muslims that opposed the Islamist agenda a takfir thereby justifying
assassinations and attacks against them.
Qutb’s theory of unrestricted jihad “. . . against every obstacle that comes into the way of
worshiping God and the implementation of the divine authority on earth . . .” is the intellectual basis
behind the exhortations of Abdullah Azzam and Ayman al-Zawahiri and ultimately the establishment
of Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda.xxx
al Qaeda’s manifesto Knights Under the Prophet’s Banner which
clearly links the Islamist’s goal with Qutb’s strategy of unrestricted jihadxxxi
Al Qaeda is using
Qutb’s ideology to attempt to bring the world’s Muslim population against the West. Its goals
include trying to get the West out of the Middle East and creating a Middle East centered around
pure Islamic values. Whether they achieve their goals remain to be seen.
The concepts of Wahhabism, Salafism and Qutbism are complicated, related and for a
student of today and tomorrow, something that must be learned. Islam and the Middle East are topics
that will continue to impact world events far into the future. As such, it is necessary to realize the
reasoning behind events and actions of people involved. Religion has a huge impact on people and

10. has, can and will influence events in the future. The learning of the history and philosophy will
hopefully help students and professors of all ages realize the inspirations of the leaders of state and
non-state organization and realize what gets through to them. I hope that this document helps in that
regard.
i Blanchard, Christopher M. “The Islamic Traditions of Wahhabismand Salafiyya”. Congressional Research Service
Report for Congress. Updated January 24th, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
ii Patrick Lang. Wahhabismand Jihad: A Challenge to Religious Tolerance. America. March 10, 2003. Retrieved
September 26, 2009.
iii Editor in Chief: Richard C. Martin. The Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim. Volume Two. Thomson/ Gale
2004 p. 727.
iv Blanchard, Christopher M. “The Islamic Traditions of Wahhabismand Salafiyya”. Congressional Research
Service Report for Congress. Updated January 24th, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
v Editor in Chief: Richard C. Martin. The Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim. Volume Two. Publisher:
Thomson/Gale 2004 p. 727-728
vi Blanchard, Christopher M. “The Islamic Traditions of Wahhabismand Salafiyya”. Congressional Research
Service Report for Congress.Updated January 24th, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
vii Blanchard, Christopher M. “The Islamic Traditions of Wahhabismand Salafiyya”. Congressional Research
Service Report for Congress. Updated January 24th, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
viii International Religious Freedom Report 2007 on Saudi Arabia. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
US State Department. September 2007. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
ix Blanchard, Christopher M. “The Islamic Traditions of Wahhabismand Salafiyya”. Congressional Research
Service Report for Congress. Updated January 24th, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
x Saudi Arabia: Opposition,Islamic Extremism, and Terrorism, Report by the Center for
Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Nov. 27, 2002, p. 18. Found in The Islamic Traditions of Wahhabismand
Salafiyya.
xi U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Hearing: “Is Saudi Arabia a Strategic
Threat?” Nov. 18, 2003, [http://www.uscirf.gov/events/hearings/2003/november/11182003_saudi
Threat.html].
xii “Saudi Arabia’s Highest Religious Authority Warns Against the Dangers of Extremism,” Aug.
21, 2003. Available at [http://saudiembassy.net/ReportLink/Report_Extremism_Oct03.pdf].
xiii Blanchard, Christopher M. “The Islamic Traditions of Wahhabismand Salafiyya”. Congressional Research
Service Report for Congress. Updated January 24th, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
xiv Blanchard, Christopher M. “The Islamic Traditions of Wahhabismand Salafiyya”. Congressional Research
Service Report for Congress. Updated January 24th, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
xv Blanchard, Christopher M. “The Islamic Traditions of Wahhabism and Salafiyya”. Congressional Research
Service Report for Congress.Updated January 24th, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
xvi Blanchard, Christopher M. “The Islamic Traditions of Wahhabismand Salafiyya”. Congressional Research
Service Report for Congress. Updated January 24th, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
xvii Blanchard, Christopher M. “The Islamic Traditions of Wahhabismand Salafiyya”. Congressional Research
Service Report for Congress. Updated January 24th, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2009.
xviii Colonel Dale C. Eikmeimer. Qutbism: An Ideology of Islamic-Fascism. Parameters. Spring 2007. Retrieved
September 26, 2009.
xix Colonel Dale C. Eikmeimer. Qutbism: An Ideology of Islamic-Fascism. Parameters. Spring 2007. Retrieved
September 26, 2009.
xx Original source: Khaled Abou El Fadl, Islam and the Theology of Power,
http://www.islamfortoday.com/elfadl01.htm. Found in An Ideology of Islamic Fascism. Pg 3.
xxixxi KhaledAbou El Fadl, Islamand the Theology of Power, http://www.islamfortoday.com/elfadl01.htm.

11. Found in An Ideology of Islamic-Fascism. Pg. 3
xxii KhaledAbou El Fadl, Islam and the Theology of Power, http://www.islamfortoday.com/elfadl01.htm.
Found in An Ideology of Islamic-Fascism pg. 3
xxiii Abu al-Ala Mawdudi, Human Rights,the West and Islam, http://www.jamaat.org/islam/Human-
RightsPolitical.html#Human; Abdul-Majid Jaffry; G. F. Haddad, A Word About Mawdudi’s Ideas, http://
www.sunnah.org/history/Innovators/mawdudi2.htm; Abdul-Majid Jaffry. Found in An ideology of Islamic-Fascism.
xxiv Sayyeed Abdul-Ala Maududi, Jihad in Islam (Lahore, Pakistan: Islamic Publications), pp. 8, 9, and
24, http://www.islamistwatch.org/texts/maududi/maududi.html
Found in An Ideology in Islamic-Fascism. Pg 3-4
xxv Trevor Stanley, “Hassan al-Banna: Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Ikhwan al-Muslimum,” Perspectives
on World History and Current Events, 2005, http://www.pwhce.org/banna.html.
Found in An Ideology of Islamic-Fascism pg 4.
xxvi Hassan al-Banna, “Why Do theMuslims Fight,” contained in Jihad inModern Islamic Thought A Collection,
ed., Sheikh Abdullah Bin Muhammad Bin Humaid, http://www.majalla.org/
Found in An Ideology of Islamic-Fascism pg. 4.
xxvii Jahiliyah, literally “ignorance,” is a concise expression for the pagan practice of the days before the
advent of the ProphetMuhammad (S. A.W.). Jahiliyah denotes all those world-views and ways of life which
are based on rejection or disregard of heavenly guidance communicated to mankind through the Prophets and
Messengers ofGod; the attitude of treating human life—either wholly or partly—as independent of the
directives of God. http://www.islam101.com/selections/glossaryJ.html . See also, Sayyid Qutb, “The Right
to Judge.” Found in An ideology of Islamic Fascism pg 5.
xxviii Qutb, “The Right to Judge.” Found in An Ideology of Islamic Fascism pg 5.
xxix Takfir or takfeer. The term refers to the practice of excommunication or declaring that aMuslim individual
or aMuslim group is apostate ornon-believers. Some consider the punishment for being a Takfir death,
http://atheism.about.com/library/glossary/islam/bldef_takfir.htm , http://www.pwhce.org/takfiri.html
xxx Colonel Dale C. Eikmeimer. Qutbism: An Ideology of Islamic-Fascism. Parameters. Spring 2007. Retrieved
September 26, 2009.
xxxi
YoussefH. Aboul-Enein, “Ayman Al-Zawahiri’s Knights under the Prophet’s Banner: The al-Qaeda
Manifesto,” Military Review 85 (January-February 2005), http://usacac.army.mil/CAC/milreview/English/
JanFeb05/JanFeb05/Bbobjan.pdf;MichaelG. Knapp, “Distortion of Islam byMuslim Extremists,”Military
Intelligence Professional Bulletin (July-September 2002), 37-42; Nimrod Raphaeli, Ayman Muhammad
Rabi’ Al-Zawahiri: The Making ofan Arch Terrorist, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/
Zawahiri.html; Henzel