I'm glad to see a voice of reason.
If Salafism was to disappear, it would be a win for feminists, homosexuals, atheists, liberals, etc.
It's not Salafis who get invited to the White House. It's Hamza Yusuf who hangs out with US Presidents. The West openly has favored Sufism.
Who Are Sufi Muslims and Why Do Some Extremists Hate Them?
A terrorist attack in Egypt has focused attention on the mystical school of Islam, which emphasizes the inward search for divinity.
www.nytimes.com
this is clearly a shot at Salafis and an attempt to slander Salafis as "extremists".
Let's be real. The Western media loves Sufism. The West in general loves Sufis.
the Sufis get support from NY Times and Oprah Winfrey.
Whether someone personally agreed with Salafis or not, the danger isn't Salafis. The real danger is liberalism.
The West wants to get rid of Salafism because it is a bulwark against liberalism.
It's another branch of deception similar to bashing Arabs - you're spot on.
"Hey black Muslims, look at how the Arabs enslaved you in the past! Look at these one or two scholars who were derogatory to blacks in their description of them. Islam is not for blacks!"
"Hey natives of -
insert country- (MENA, Iranians, etc.), look at your glorious history. Your people's contributed to the best, brightest, and most prosperous empires/kingdoms. Until those Arabs came and destroyed everything! You were brainwashed/forced to convert by the invaders!"
"Hey Muslims, look at those Salafis over there - not conforming to European standards. Look at their oppressive nature, forcing the burka on women, and themselves wearing those weird white robes. They aren't like the REAL exemplary modern Muslims like -
insert your local munafiq/jahil- Clearly they're extremists." (Hence conflating the local practicing Muslim to the barbarian at the battlefield).
You can even see the effects on this thread by the way they all froth at the mere mention of the word 'Salafi'. These kids are being held psychologically hostage to this extent. WE as Muslims understand the (intricate) theological issues with Salafism - it's a long (and heated) debate in the Muslim world with varying opinions. The focus is their harshness toward
bidah (or what they deem as so), and their amalgamation of all the schools of thought (jurisprudence) in an attempt to streamline it.
Although a lot of Muslims may disagree, these are valid theological points that don't take you out of the religion. The trouble is, your local gaal will not be able to grasp this. To him those headchoppers are Salafi by default - and us Muslims have aided in this dangerous mis-characterisation. The Muslims from the Indian sub-continent in particular (deobandi/berelvis and their crusade against Sh. Ibn Taymiyyah (rA), as well as Persian Muslims for obvious reasons.
Similarly, the term 'Shariah' is quickly becoming a forbidden word too.
It's a catch all term, excessively used to describe the Sunni religious, with the characteristics of Schroedinger's Cat. The ideology that both breeds deep state collaborators, and originators of every resistance group on this globe. The range of characters using this brand should indicate to you its complexity as an ideology.