Salafism: a ‘Religion of the Gaps’

The emergence of Salafism as a “religion of the gaps” thus refutes “the ‘hard’ interpretation of secularization” and demonstrates that religious decline is neither a simple nor straightforward process, and does not include “the demise of all forms of religiosity” (Hunt 2003:11; Wilson and Cresswell 2001:18). Rather, it points to the “transformation of religious faith into many private and individual practices in contemporary society outside organized, traditional religious institutions” (Hunt 2003:11). In other words, “religion does not decline, or is of no less importance in the contemporary world; it only changes expression” (Hunt 2003:11), as has also been apparent with Pentecostalism and Christian renewal movements (Hunt 2003:75-87).

Salafism strongly exemplifies the outcome of what Luckmann (1967) might call the “individuation” of a religion, “whereby people work out their own salvation and follow their own road to ‘ultimate meanings’” (Hunt 2003:11; Wilson and Cresswell 2001:18). Moreover, Salafism appears to have been successful in fulfilling the erstwhile functions of those religions which have failed to provide “for all human emotional and intellectual needs and, above all, the search for meaning in the world” (Hunt 2003:11). This appeared to be the case for MH (Muslim-heritage) Inayah, whose existential crisis was resolved once she returned to the original message of Islam, Tawheed:

The most significant thing I gained from becoming Salafi is knowing my purpose and how to fulfil it. Seeking knowledge is the most important part of that.

The freedom to choose Salafism as a suitable alternative can also be viewed as an outcome of “new voluntarism”, where religious activity, in particular, has been “challenged by contemporary developments, and where both social and geographical mobility have undermined the religious culture and the community where it was historically entrenched” (Warner 1993, cited in Hunt 2003:11). This notion was epitomised by Fatima:

No one pushed me, I learnt from observing things on my own journey, being in different environments and coming across different people. That’s the reason I am who I am today.