Madkhalism

Madkhalism is a strain of Islamist thought within the larger Salafist movement based on the writings of Rabee Al-Madkhali.^[1][2][3][4] Though originating in Saudi Arabia, the movement lost its support base in the country and has mostly been relegated to the Muslim community in Europe.^[5] Political scientist Omar Ashour has described the movement as resembling a cult.^[6]

History

Madkhali, for which the movement takes its name, was a member of the Saudi Arabian Muslim Brotherhood for most of his life, breaking off in the late 1980s.^{[citation needed]} The movement has, in essence, been a reaction against the Brotherhood as well as the rival Qutbi movement.^[7] At the Madkhalist movement's inception in the early 1990s, the governments of Saudi Arabia and Egypt promoted the group as a counterbalance to more extreme elements of the wider Islamist movement.^{[3][8][9][10][11]} During this time, a number of radical Jihadists converted to Madkhalism, especially in the Salafist stronghold of Buraidah.^[12]

After high-ranking members of Saudi Arabia's religious establishment denounced the movement in general, and Saudi Grand Mufti and Permanent Committee head Abdul-Azeez ibn Abdullaah Aal ash-Shaikh's criticism of Madkhali specifically, the movement lost its support base within the wider Arab world.^[5] Despite losing its audience in its country of origin, the movement had branched outward by the early 2010s, with Madkhalists gaining followers in western Kazakhstan, where the Government of Kazakhstan views them and other Islamists with suspicion.^[13][14] Regardless of these gains, Western analysts have still described the movement as now being relegated to a primarily European phenomenon.^[5][15] Analysts have estimated that Madkhalists and their allies comprise just over half of the Salafist movement in the Netherlands.^[16]

On Friday, 24 August 2012, Islamists loyal to Muhammad al-Madkhali, the brother of Rabee al-Madkhali and one of the movement's figureheads, demolished Sufi shrines in Zliten in Libya with construction equipment and bulldozers.^[17] The act was condemnded by twenty-two NGOs, in addition to the post-war Libyan government's top religious official and UNESCO General Director Irina Bokova.^[18][19][20] The post-war Libyan government filed a complaint with the Saudi government regarding Madkhali, who is a professor at the Islamic University of Medina.^[21]

Tenets

Madkhalism is often compared to Wahhabism, sharing a number of tenents with the wider movement.^[3][11] Media analysts have warned against generalizing such Islamists movements despite their differences, however.^[13]

Unlike other Islamist groups which often oppose dictatorial government in the Middle East, the Madkhalist movement is openly supportive of such regimes.^{[6][22][23][24]} Though often lumped together with all other Salafists and Islamists, the Madkhalists have been noted for their opposition to and mutual rivalry with Salafist jihadism.^[13] The Madkhalist movement has been described as politically quietist, eschewing the organized political efforts of the mainstream of Salafism and even going as far as to declare those who participate in modern political system to be heretics or even apostates.^[25][26] Such politically active Salafists are often described by followers of Madkhalism as part of an international conspiracy against "true Salafism."^[27] On the other hand, Western intelligence agencies have identified Madkhalists as a group which can be supported and funded discretely by the US, in comparison to the rest of the groups seen under the wider Salafi movement.^[28]

Interaction with non-Muslim societies, where most Madkhalists reside, also distinguishes the movement. While most Salafists in the Western world are noted for lack of participation in the wider society, Madkhalists in particular are noted for minimalizing contact with non-Muslims.^[29] Also unlike the wider Islamist movement, Madkhalists seem uninterested in converting Western societies to Islam, preferring to simply accept and defend their rights as a minority community.^[30]

The polemics of the Madkhalists are markedly different from other Salafist groups as well. A noted feature of Madkhalism during Muslim dogmatic exchanges is attacking the opponent instead of discourse regarding the actual topic of discussion.^[23] The person of the movement's leader, Rabee al-Madkhali, also carries a heavy focus uncharacteristic of rival movements such as Qutbism. Madkhalists have been described as obsessed with defense of the movement's leader, often dramatising or exaggerating praise given by Salafist scholars and attempting to stifle or intimidate Salafists with opposing views to those of Madkhali and Madkhalists.^[31] A common mantra promoted by Madkhali is that questioning the movement's clerics is forbidden as a general rule, and only allowed in cases of necessity.^[32]

Citations