(Washington Post) William Booth, Karin Brulliard and Abigail Hauslohner - As moderate Islamist leaders begin to craft post-revolutionary constitutions, the Salafists in their midst, adherents of a puritanical form of Islam, are pushing to create societies that more closely mirror their ultraconservative religious beliefs and lifestyles. The formidability of the Salafist awakening and the problems it poses for the new governments are unexpected. While challenges from remnants of the old regimes and from disgruntled liberals were widely anticipated, the Islamist bona fides of those who took power had been considered beyond reproach. But many Salafists, emboldened by what they see as growing public enthusiasm for their cause, have denounced the new leaders for being too timid in injecting Islamic thought into long-standing domestic and foreign policies, seeking more dramatic action now.
2012-10-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive