From shadows to networking sites: Salafism sweeps social media with takfiri fatwas

Asmaa al-Batakoshi

Over the past two years, Egypt’s Ministry of Awqaf has taken a series of resolutions that have prevented Salafi currents from climbing onto the pulpits to prevent religion from being exploited politically or the polarization of the youth with their extremist speeches.

With the closure of unauthorized religious channels following the ouster of Mohamed Morsi after the June 30, 2013 revolution, Salafis returned to search for alternatives, perhaps the most prominent of which is currently social media.

Salafi advocates sought a new and unconventional way to present their religious discourse, far from the control of the Awqaf Ministry. Social networking sites and phone applications were an easy option to reach people faster and easier.

Salafis began to exploit Facebook, Telegram, YouTube and WhatsApp to spread their controversial fatwas. Salafi “sheikhs” issue fatwas on their websites, turning social media into an arena for their religious speeches and sermons.

The Salafi movement benefited from WhatsApp to spread its ideas and attract more young people, as well as to provide training courses for some of the Salafi sheikhs through it.

It is noteworthy that the Salafi movement was known for working in the shadows. Its proponents used cassette tapes in the late 1980s and early 1990s to spread their ideas, which led to propaganda and distribution companies for Salafi preachers, along with developing produced television programs and satellite channels.

Reasons for its spread

With regard to the presence and spread of the Salafi trend on social media, experts in Islamist movement affairs point to the existence of three reasons. First, they have been prevented from mosques; secondly, some are located outside Egypt, social media eases communication; and finally, social media garners more views than the physical lessons do attendees.

The Salafi movement also resorted to the use of social media to disseminate controversial fatwas.

Salafi preacher Sheikh Sameh Abdel Hamid Hamouda said that the Salafi movement is financially weak and does not have any internal or external funding and therefore cannot bear the cost of opening satellite channels. He explained that they also do not have the ability to publish a daily newspaper, justifying that the Salafi trend resorted to social media to address others since they do not need to spend on it.

Hamouda said that the movement has succeeded in mobilizing the masses and supporters through social media, is able to direct public opinion towards their issues, and is no longer marginalized or absent from the Egyptian reality.

Hamouda added in this regard that the danger of technology is that it is uncensored, which facilitates the transmission of takfiri lessons, in addition to allowing anyone to participate in such courses on social networking sites without restrictions or conditions, including non-experts, under the pretext of expanding the base of the Salafis in an attempt to reach the largest number of people, especially as they plan to present themselves as an alternative to the Brotherhood.

He said that some takfiri groups have recently begun to rely on WhatsApp to provide encrypted information, as well as to incite terrorist operations against the state.

The press reports pointed out that the Salafi trend has succeeded in spreading abnormal fatwas, which necessitates the need to face this matter in accordance with legislation to stop the exploitation of the current social networking sites to publish fatwas.