Abstract
This chapter examines the major Islamic groups in three North African countries, namely, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It analyzes the Maghrebi Islamic scene through a study of Sufis, Islamists (political), and Salafis in a comparative manner. Historical paths, different experiences with colonization, political culture, limits of secularization, state control over the religious sphere, relative balance of power among actors, legitimacy that particular Islamist figures or groups enjoy have produced different Islamisms in the Maghreb. The regimes in these countries have adopted policies of repression, co-optation, and even cooperation, depending on the local conditions. Moreover, they have frequently balanced one Islamic actor with another. Therefore, the current Islamist scene not only is a product of Islamists themselves but is also shaped by various other actors and political forces.
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Ünlü Bilgiç, T. (2021). Islam in the Maghreb: Between Sufis and Salafis. In: Lukens-Bull, R., Woodward, M. (eds) Handbook of Contemporary Islam and Muslim Lives. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32626-5_23
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