Salafism’s Cultural Victory

A set of commentators argue that Salafi or fundamentalist Sunni ideology has scored a rhetorical and cultural win over the past 25 years in Western public discourse, not because of military success but because Western elites and publics have adopted self‑undermining critiques that mirror Islamist narratives. The consequence is a two‑way effect: Islamist ideas gain legitimacy while voices defending liberal secular norms are delegitimized or silenced. — If true, this shift changes how democracies should frame counter‑extremism, immigration, free‑speech and Jewish safety — moving the debate from only security measures to cultural and civic narrative contests.