Libyan Salafis and the struggle for the state

Abstract

Academic writing has tended to divide Salafis into three main categories: jihadi, political, and quietist. These categories are commonly distinguished by ideological and methodological differences. Particularly important, it is suggested, are different attitudes to the state, political authority and the use of violence. What happens, though, when state institutions collapse, when there is no state authority or when state authority is contested? In the midst of political upheaval and armed conflict, how do Salafis relate to the state and politics more generally? Developments in Libya between 2011 and 2020 have provided an ideal opportunity to look at these questions. This paper analyses Salafi relations with state institutions and politics more generally in times of turmoil. It does so by focusing on ‘political’ Salafism, represented by leading figures in the former Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, and ‘quietist’ Salafism, represented by the so-called ‘Madkhali’ Salafis. Based on desk research and numerous interviews with Libyan actors, it unpacks the different strategies deployed by the two groups in dealing with state institutions.