Salafism in America: History, Evolution, Radicalization

Summary

On October 15, 2018, the Program on Extremism hosted the launch event for its latest report, Salafism in America: History, Evolution, Radicalization, by PoE's Europe Fellow and Research Director, Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens.

Salafism, a conservative global Islamic movement, has become a topic of increased interest among scholars and policymakers over the last decade. Although worthy of study in its own right, the Salafi movement often attracts attention because certain components of it provide some of the ideological inspiration for Salafi-jihadist groups, including al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. This study is among the first to focus solely on Salafism in the United States. Drawing on multiple primary sources, including interviews with some of the foundational figures of Salafism in the country, it provides an overview of the history, evolution, and contours of the movement.  In doing so, it also offers new insights into the genesis of jihadism in the United States.

The Program on Extremism's Director Lorenzo Vidino moderated the panel with report author Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens who was joined by:

• Hassan Hassan, Senior Research Fellow for the Program on Extremism and author of the bestselling book ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror
• Mohamed-Ali Adraoui, the Marie Sklodowska Curie Fellow at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and a Visiting Scholar at the Harvard Weatherhead Center for International Affairs

  ---