Qutbism
is an Islamic ideology developed by Sayid Qutb. Sayid Qutb was an Islamic theorist
and activist that combined salafi tenets with the writings of Hassan al Banna and Karl Marx to develop the politico-militant
wing of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Qutb was trained in Egypt
as a religious scholar then received a master’s degree in education from what is now the University of Northern Colorado. Sayid Qutb
was executed by the Egyptian government on August 29th, 1966 for his participation in an attempted coup against
the secular Egyptian government.
Qutbee
is a term used to describe the followers of Sayid Qutb and is often used as a negative term by Wahab-Salafists. The term used in this way equates the followers of Qutb as “takfirists”. Takfir is an Islamic term that means a Muslim has denied Islam by action or word, making the errant Muslim
“target-able” as non-Muslim. Qutbees do not recognize themselves
as takfir but will declare opponents of their ideology takfir. Salafi terrorists,
the population of which is made up of many Qutbees, declare Shia Muslims and Muslims who refuse to stand against a government
that is not supportive of the restoration of the Islamic caliphate as being takfir and so “target-able”. This negates any guilt associated with the collateral death of Muslims in an area
of struggle.
As
with “Wahabbi”, Qutbees will rarely refer to themselves as such due to the negative historical association as
well as the implication that these Muslims follow a man’s ideology rather than Allah’s guidance.
Qutb
believed that Arab-Islamic states were headed into Jahiliyya, a reference to backsliding or reversion to uncivilized, pre-Islamic
living and needed a physical revival, or re-conquering, in order to reclaim the
rightful place of Islam and Muslims in the world. He wrote the book Milestones
in which he declared, “Muslims have drifted away from their religion and their way
of life, and have forgotten that Islam appointed them as representatives of God and made them responsible for learning all
the sciences and developing various capabilities to fulfill this high position which God has granted them." Qutb also believed that the education of Muslims should be wide to include non-religious studies like
chemistry, physics, biology, astronomy,
medicine, industry, agriculture, administration (limited to its technical aspects), technology, and military art in order
to further the spread of Islam and its influence in the world.
The ideological base of Islam lends itself well to the practice and imposition
of Marxist Communism. A focus on social order, rule by consensus of an un-elected
council and a superficially recognized equality along with the appeal to ancestral superiority creates a fertile ground for
Qutbee recruitment. This is especially true among displaced, disenfranchised
Muslims as seen in Iraq and the Palestinian
population.
