Scripture People - Salafi Muslims in Evangelical Christians'' America

On 9/11, many Americans were introduced to an Islamic movement called Salafism, the theological strand that includes Al Qaeda. Since then, Salafism, an important and popular movement in global Islam, has frequently been disparaged as 'Radical Islam' or 'Islamic fundamentalism.' Scripture People is the first book-length study of the embattled American Salafi movement and the challenges it has faced post-9/11. Matthew D. Taylor recounts how these so-called "Radical Muslims" have adopted deeply rooted American forms of religious belonging and values. Through comparison with American Evangelical Christianity, informed by his own Evangelical background and studies, Taylor explores the parallel impulses, convergent identities, and even surprising friendships that have emerged between Salafis and Evangelicals in America. Offering an entry point for understanding the dynamics and disagreements among American Muslims, Taylor's volume upends narratives about 'Radical Islam' by demonstrating how Salafi Muslims have flexibly adapted to American religious patterns in the twenty-first century.

List of contents

1. The evolution of two American species of scripture people; 2. What is a Salafi or an Evangelical anyway?; 3. Splitting the atom of text and tradition; 4. Education and the democratization of scripture; 5. How 'American' can Salafism be?; 6. Empowered by common sense; 7. Can we call Salafism (or Evanglicalism) a movement?.

About the author

Matthew D. Taylor is a scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies in Baltimore. He has served on the faculty of Georgetown University and George Washington University. He holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and Muslim-Christian Relations from Georgetown University and an M.A. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Product details

• Authors: Matthew D. Taylor, Matthew D. (Institute for Islamic Taylor
• Assisted by: Hussain Amir (Foreword)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.10.2025
• EAN: 9781009352741
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0935274-1
• No. of pages: 358
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Other religions; Islam, USA, RELIGION / Islam / General, RELIGION / Islam / Rituals & Practice, comparative religion, RELIGION / Comparative Religion, 21st Century, United States of America, USA, Early 21st century c 2000 to c 2050, Islamic Life & Practice, Relating to Islamic / Muslim people and groups, Islamic life and practice, Islam: branches and groups