Online salafism : the tension to (co)exist in religious and ideological plurality

Zalta, Anja (author)

Social networks and the digital competence of new generations create paral-lel spaces and search for new approaches in the religious sphere, which produce religious innovations based on alternative interpretations of traditional religious systems. This article highlights the example of Salafist online influencers who are shaping new dynamics among Muslim communities, including in Europe, and who often do not listen to the simultaneous consensus of all societal actors or do not participate (voluntarily or otherwise) in defining the basic principles or con-stitutive values of (European) societies. The aim of this article is to draw attention to the recognition of the diversification and dynamics within Muslim communi-ties in Europe today, with a particular focus on the rise of Salafi influencers who use social networks to spread their ideas and recruit followers. our thesis is that social networks and the digital literacy of the new generations (especially Genera-tion Z) create a parallel space that is alternative and often does not listen to the simultaneous consensus of all social actors. Salafist online influencers, who help shape the new dynamics between Muslim communities, including in Europe, of-ten increase the tensions within Muslim communities and with European society in a broader sense.

• Language: English
• Keywords: salafism, digitalisation, social networks, generation Z, Muslims in Europe, salafist influencers
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 18.12.2025
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 219-239,338,349
• Numbering: Let. 30, št. 119/120
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-177732
• UDC: 316.74:28
• ISSN on article: 1318-8828
• DOI: 10.35469/poligrafi.2025.518
• COBISS.SI-ID: 263215619
• Publication date in RUL: 05.01.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Poligrafi : revija za religiologijo, mitologijo in filozofijo
• Shortened title: Poligrafi
• Publisher: Nova revija, Društvo za primerjalno religiologijo, Nova revija, Društvo za primerjalno religiologijo, Univerza na Primorskem, Znanstveno-raziskovalno središče, Univerzitetna založba Annales, Društvo za primerjalno religiologijo, Znanstveno-raziskovalno središče, Annales ZRS, Društvo za primerjalno religiologijo
• ISSN: 1318-8828
• COBISS.SI-ID: 59336192

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Spletni salafizem : utopična vizija in napetost (so)bivanja v verski in/ali ideološki pluralnosti

Abstract

Družbena omrežja in digitalne kompetence novih generacij ustvarjajo vzporedne prostore in iščejo nove pristope na verskem področju, kar vodi v verske inovacije, ki temeljijo na alternativnih interpretacijah tradicionalnih verskih sistemov. prispe-vek izpostavlja primer spletnih salafističnih vplivnežev, ki oblikujejo nove dinamike v muslimanskih skupnostih (tudi) v Evropi in ki pogosto ne upoštevajo hkratnega soglasja vseh družbenih akterjev ali (prostovoljno ali ne) ne sodelujejo pri opredeljevanju temeljnih načel oziroma konstitutivnih vrednot (evropskih) družb. Namen prispevka je opozoriti na ključne dejavnike, s katerimi se morajo soočiti različne muslimanske skupnosti v Evropi in tudi evropska družba nasploh, da bi pritegnile mlajše generacije z uporabo novih tehnologij ter upoštevale spremembe v verskem spominu in izzive, ki jih vse to prinaša.

• Keywords: salafizem, digitalizacija, družbena omrežja, generacija Z, muslimani

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P6-0194-2019
• Name: Problemi avtonomije in identitet v času globalizacije