Research Paper

The Regression of the Salafis of Lebanon in Post-2011 Period

Following the Arab Revolutions in 2011, the Salafi movement witnessed dramatic developments, having wide influence on the politics of several Arab countries. The rise of Islamic groups in the Arab world has been one of the major ramifications of the 2011 protests. The most prominent was the eruption of the Syrian conflict in 2011 which had implications on the Salafis in Lebanon and the wider region. The rapid developments of the conflict were concomitant with the rise of the Islamic groups fighting the regime in Damascus. Although the political and ideological orientations of these groups have diversified, their eventual goal is establishing an Islamic state replacing the current ‘secular’ Baath political regime.

The eruption of the Syrian conflict represented an opportunity for these groups to widen their popular support, run the elections, participate in the government and to replace the traditional Sunni leadership in the country. ‘It was a mistake not to take an advantage of the rise of the popularity of the Salafi movement following the eruption of the Arab Revolutions’1.  These words of Salem al-Rafie, one of the prominent Salafi figures in Lebanon and the Middle East, summarize the impact of the Arab Revolutions on the Salafi movement in Lebanon. Al-Rafie bemoans the absence of a coherent Salafi political movement or party in Lebanon and substantial funding from regional states to form a potent political party that is able to advance its interests and ideological visions.

This research attempts to explore why they were not hitherto able to politically emerge, run the elections and participate in government, although the Syrian conflict temporarily impacted upon their popularity leading to a spiral of political and violent events. It is structured as follows. The first section will explore the Salafi movement in Lebanon and its ideological and political perspectives. The second section will probe the factors that hitherto prohibited the Salafi movement from playing an instrumental political role in Lebanon in post-2011 period. 

About the author

Abbas Assi holds a PhD in international relations from the University of Leeds, UK. The domain of his study is Middle East politics, incorporating the study of the democratization process, Islamic movements, ethnic politics and state formation. He is the author of “Democracy in Lebanon: Political Parties and the Struggle for Power since Syrian Withdrawal” (I.B. Tauris, 2019, 2016 (paperback edition)). Assi also published several academic and newspaper articles and several research reports