Violence as a Tool

This article studies violence in the region of North-Western Africa in the 20th century, which witnessed a radical shift in the perpetrators of violence. While at the beginning of the century it was Sufi marabouts who issued the call to arms, in the course of the century they were succeeded by Salafi nationalists, Islamists, and jihadists. The motivations for violence also changed. In the first half of the century, acts of violence committed by Muslim groups in the region often had a “side” agenda and were used as a tool by Sufi and Salafi to achieve some un-religious goals. Later, following changes in the whole Muslim world, violence became a tool of religion, used by Islamists and Salafi movements to hijack the system. The explanation for these changes lies not just in theregion itself but also in its changing political and religious landscape.