Recently, a debate that has been simmering for nearly two decades within the Salafi-jihadi camp in Jordan has come to a head, resulting in an open rift within this camp. The breakup was vividly reflected in a June 15, 2009 communiqué by the prominent Salafi-jihadi sheikh Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, in which he instructed his followers to disassociate themselves from the extremist Salafi-jihadis, known as Takfiris, and to denounce them publicly. The crucial question is whether this rift represents merely a jurisprudential disagreement between two factions within the camp, or runs deeper and has more far-reaching consequences. This article will trace the development of this intra-Salafi-jihadi debate over the years, and will argue that the recent split was not triggered by a mere jurisprudential argument, but reflects a fundamental struggle for authority between the mainstream Salafi-jihadis and ultra-extremists within their camp....
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