Currents in Islam and modern extremism

Within Islam there are two large branches, Sunnism and Shi‘ism; their origin is connected with the question of leadership after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (632). In Sunnism four legal schools (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi‘i, Hanbali) are widespread; in Central Asia the Hanafi school and the Maturidi creed (Abu Mansur al-Maturidi, c. 870–944, Samarkand) have historically been leading. Salafism is a broad current claiming to return to the example of the first three generations (the “salaf”); researchers distinguish within it apolitical, activist and violent currents, so it is wrong to use the term for extremism in relation to all Salafis. The “Quranists” (Ahl al-Qur’an) are groups that do not accept hadith as an independent source of religion; they took shape in India in the 19th–20th centuries, whereas most Sunni and Shia scholars regard hadith as a source after the Qur’an. “Takfir” is declaring a Muslim to be outside the faith; most scholars require great caution about it. The word “jihad” literally means “effort, striving”, and in classical jurisprudence the term also covered rules of regulated defensive war; many scholars have rejected the use of the term by extremist groups to justify violence against civilians. For example, ISIL arose from Iraqi groups in 2006, became active in Syria from 2013 and declared a “caliphate” in June 2014; the UN Security Council condemned it in Resolution 2170 in August 2014, over 100 Muslim scholars rejected its claims in an open letter in September 2014, and its territorial control had largely ended by 2019. Ideas of violence also occur within other religions and ideologies; in Uzbekistan, taking part in banned extremist organisations leads to liability under the law, while belief itself is not a crime. It is not advisable to seek out, spread or engage with such materials; if you come across them, tell an adult or the competent authority.