The Making of a Salafi Muslim Woman ─ Paths to Conversion

The spread of Salafism - often called "Wahhabism" - in the West has intrigued and alarmed observers since 9/11. Many see it as a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam that subjugates women and fuels Jihadist extremism. According to this view, Salafi women are the unwilling victims of a patriarchal, fanatical version of Islam. Yet, in Britain, growing numbers of educated women - often converts or from less conservative Muslim backgrounds - are actively choosing to embrace Salafism's literalist beliefs and strict guidelines, including full veiling, wifely obedience, and seclusion from non-related men. How do these young women reconcile these demands with their desire for fulfilling careers, university degrees and suitable husbands? How do their beliefs affect their love lives and other relationships? And why do they become Salafis in the first place?

Anabel Inge has gained unprecedented access to Salafi women's groups in the UK to provide the first in-depth and vivid account of their lives. Drawing on more than two years of ethnographic fieldwork and interviews in London, she probes the reasons for Salafism's appeal among young Somalis, Afro-Caribbean converts, and women from other backgrounds. She also reveals how the women's lives are fraught with personal dilemmas. This ground-breaking, lucid, and richly detailed contribution will be of interest to policy-makers, journalists, scholars, and general readers.

Anabel Inge completed her PhD at the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, King's College London, where she won the AHRC Doctoral Award and Walton Scholarship. She has taught courses on Islam and the Anthropology of Religion at SOAS (University of London) and King's College London.