In a previous post I used a free visualization product called searchCrystal to show the distribution of blogs that discuss a common topic among Salafist/Jihadist, "hakimiyyah." This morning I decided to try another commonly discussed concept: Taghout.
"Taghout" or "taghoot" (there are numerous spellings) is the idea of worship of something other than God. It's often translated as "idolatry" or disbelief. Those trained in the Salafist/Jihadist current will describe any Muslim government that does not completely (to their interpretation) apply shariah (Islamic law). Like the previous example -- "hakimiyyah" -- the idea of taghout comes into the modern Islamic thought through Sayyid Qutb. It's also safe to say that any blog or website that focuses on or describes any government in these terms has some sympathy with the Salafist/Jihadist current. However, it does not guarantee that the blog/site advocates violence or has direct connections to al Qaida.
Because of numerous spellings and sources, I performed two searches. The first is a search of blogs in which the word "taghoot" appears. The second search is a general web search of the word "taghout."
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