The jihadist attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French magazine known for lampooning Islam, has cast a glaring light on the growing problem of Muslim radicalization in Europe.
While there are millions of European Muslims who worship in peace and pose no threat whatsoever to others, increasing numbers of Muslims on the continent are embracing a radical form of Islam and its call to wage violent jihad against all nonbelievers for the sake of Allah.
The trend can be seen in the increasing appeal of Salafism, the fastest-growing Islamic movement in Europe.
Salafism takes its name from the Arabic term salaf, which means predecessors or ancestors. Salafists trace their roots to Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Muhammad, and glorify an idealized vision of what they claim is the true, original Islam practiced by the earliest generations of Muslims, including Muhammad and his companions and followers, in the 7th and 8th centuries.
The aim of Salafism is to re-create a pure form of Islam in the modern era. » | Soren Kern | New York Daily News | Friday, January 09, 2015
