In Pursuit of Authenticity: Becoming a Salafi

Research output

Complete citation

Poljarević, Emin. “In Pursuit of Authenticity: Becoming a Salafi.” Comparative Islamic Studies 8, nos. 1–2 (2014): 139–164. https://doi.org/10.1558/cis.v8i1-2.139.

Status

Published (2014)

Publication type

Peer-reviewed journal article

Overview

This article investigates the appeal of Salafi claims to religious authenticity among young Egyptians immediately before and after the 2011 uprising. It asks what is distinctive about the Salafi understanding of authenticity and why this form of religious commitment resonates with some young Muslims. Drawing on the narratives of Salafi participants, the analysis moves beyond explanations centred only on identity or political reaction. It identifies a search for certainty, purpose, disciplined practice, and collective individualism within a religious community oriented toward prophetic origins. Salafism is interpreted as a distinctly modern form of socialised spirituality whose authority rests on the promise of recovering an unmediated and normatively secure Islam. The article contributes an empirically grounded account of religious subject formation and explains how authenticity becomes both a personal aspiration and a mechanism of mobilisation.

Research question or central concern

What constitutes the Salafi claim to authenticity, and why does it appeal to some young Egyptians in periods of social and political uncertainty?

Main argument, approach, and contribution

Based on participant narratives, the article analyses authenticity as a lived and socially organised aspiration. It argues that Salafism offers certainty, purpose, disciplined spirituality, and a form of collective individualism that exceeds a simple search for identity. The contribution is an account of how religious authenticity forms subjects and mobilises commitment.

Keywords

Salafism; authenticity; Egypt; youth; religious subjectivity; mobilisation; lived religion