Youssef Dennaoui: The project analyses the phenomenon of "religious outbidding" (muzayada) in Islam by using Salafism as an example. Understood as a competitive strategy, it is not the norm in religious-theological disputes in Islam, but rather occurs in times of crisis and is unregulated. By employing strategies of outbidding, existing Islamic concepts, practices, and discourses are defined, practised, and interpreted in an exaggerated - one could also say radical - way. While religious outbidding struggles are discussed by Muslim theologians as religious exaggerations (mughalat), there is no well-founded sociological analysis of their modern contexts, forms, and consequences.
Youssef Dennaoui: At the core of the research interest is the question of how, under the conditions of global conflicts, religious radicalisation among Salafists emerges, persists over time, and gains appeal at a local level. To answer this question, we aim to reconstruct Salafist positionings in the context of global conflicts, specifically the 1st and 2nd Gulf Wars, 9/11, the Syrian War/IS and the Gaza War, using discourse analysis and with focus on the last 30 years in Morocco and Germany. The aim is to identify the use of Salafist outbidding strategies in discursive conflicts and to describe their contextual consequences in crisis and conflict situations. This requires a differentiated theoretical and methodological approach that does justice to the specific contexts of both countries.
Youssef Dennaoui: So far, our initial analyses have shown that acts of religious outbidding can be characterised as a multi-layered phenomenon that occurs not only among Salafists, but also among various Islamist movements. A key finding is that religious outbidding strategies are used for different purposes. The empirical analysis of these strategies, their emergence, their interaction with other factors in the respective context, and their social consequences (polarisation, radicalisation) is the most important result of our project.
Youssef Dennaoui: It is very interesting to observe and analyse the actions and interactions of radical Salafist groups in these two entirely different contexts: In Morocco, Salafism is a mass phenomenon that has existed for quite some time and whose development and interaction with other religious movements can be easily reconstructed. In Germany, where Salafist groups are less strongly represented in quantity, it is still difficult to describe their religious dynamics and potential for development more precisely without taking into account their transnational connections and references. Research on Salafism and Islamism in Germany must therefore consider the two phenomena in a more global context without losing sight of the local specifics (migration experience, discrimination, Islamophobia, etc.).
Youssef Dennaoui: Outbidding means inflating an opposing position in an unregulated manner in order to put an alternative view/practice in its place. Radicalisation, on the other hand, means adopting a fringe position from which everything else is labelled as wrong. Typically, radicalisation is preceded by a polarisation in which, as part of a social debate in Islam, not only positions but also religious poles (traditionalists, Islamists, Salafists, etc.) emerge that compete with each other for the correct/true interpretation/practice. In certain conflict situations, this competition can take an unregulated course and escalate without the opponents being able to control or foresee its course and consequences. Polarisation, radicalisation, and outbidding processes are therefore closely linked.
Youssef Dennaoui: The genesis and transformation of the radical Salafist scene worldwide can be clearly put into context with global political conflicts/events. The hypothesis of our project is that there is an internal connection between global conflict events and the emergence and establishment of a radical Salafist ideology that has undergone various transformations over the last 30 years. Over the past three decades of global conflicts, 'radicalisation entrepreneurs' from the Salafist spectrum have repeatedly attempted to adjust their own ideology along the lines of new conflicts and to sharpen it through strategies of outbidding. It is important to realise that religious discourses are often used for political purposes in order to appeal to certain feelings among Muslims, which points to a fusion of religion and politics, especially in the radical spectrum. Our analysis therefore also includes social and political aspects of the phenomenon of religious outbidding.
Youssef Dennaoui: Discourses of religious outbidding increasingly occur in the context of certain conflicts. Our discourse analysis covers three conflict events. In the phase following the Second Gulf War (1990), unregulated disputes (outbidding) increased worldwide. Debates and religious language became more aggressive, harsh, and radical. The global Salafist discourse underwent a similar development in connection with the attacks of 9/11. Another important event was the Arab Spring. Since 2011, we have observed a significant increase in Salafist activities in Islamic countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco. The Salafist voice has become louder, more self-confident, but rhetorically more controlled, which can be recognised by the rejection of certain jihadist tropes or the participation in elections, for example in Egypt, Tunisia, or Morocco. In my opinion, analysing these developments is crucial in order to be able to make predictions about the development of Salafist ideologies.
Youssef Dennaoui: Morocco pursued a two-track strategy early on when it came to preventing radicalisation: a repressive prevention strategy and a restructuring of the state's religious policy. After the terrorist attacks in Casablanca in 2003, Morocco recognised the need for prevention. The government strengthened traditional religious institutions and placed mosques and other Islamic institutions under strong state control in order to counter radical currents and to ensure that the authority of interpretation over Islam was not left to Islamist organisations or Salafist actors. This policy emphasises religious-theological rather than secular elements, which in turn can be seen as a governmental form of ideological outbidding. Moroccan experts I have spoken to see an ambivalence here: religion can act as an element against the radical, but at the same time it can also push society into a direction that is not wanted by the majority. This ambivalence should be kept in view.
Youssef Dennaoui: The aim of the project is to develop comparative analyses of intra-Islamic discursive dynamics and processes of religious competition using the example of Salafism. It also aims to generate preventative knowledge against religious radicalisation that can be gained from anti-Salafist counter-strategies and counter-discourses of other - religious and non-religious - actors in the field of Islam and can be conceptually prepared for preventative work. To this end, it is essential to precisely analyse the differences within the Muslim community in order to see which counter-strategies are being developed against radical Salafist attacks from within the Muslim communities. On a practical level, we cooperate with local mosque congregations, Islamic theological centres, and central organisations involved in the prevention of radicalisation (Wegweiser NRW, CoRE network) in order to discuss our research findings. These collaborations enable us to apply our findings at various levels and contribute to a differentiated and pluralistic perception of Islam.
More about the project Deutungsmacht
Website Deutungsmacht