Explanation of Salafist's Collective Action in the Political Changes of the Post-Mobarak Egypt

Salafism’s root in Egypt dates back to the early 21st century. Before the revolution، salafists didn’t believe in political participation and regarded it as prohibited، but their approach changed after the revolution. This movement just after the Egypt''s January 25 revolution in 2011، mobilized resources to gain individual and group interests and emerged as a powerful actor in a political scene by organizing themselves and using available opportunities. These have led to appear Salafists’ collective actions. From the perspective of political sociology، this article، based on a descriptive-analytical method، inspired of Charles Tilly’s resource mobilization theory and Weber’s collective action approach، tries to answer these two main questions: What are the reasons of change in the Salafists’ political approach after the Egypt revolution? How have been the collective actions of Salafists since the revolution? The main finding of the study is that the change of ideological approach، external factor (Saudi Arabia)، concern of other political actors’ power، and ultimately the removal of suppression atmosphere and the prevailing of tolerance and facilitate in the post-Mobarak era caused Salafists’ political activism. However، in some cases، this activism in dealing with the opposition took passive and defensive، somtimes aggressive mood.