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In the aftermath of 9/11, intelligence, security, and policy circles have identified the global phenomena of Wahhabism and Salafism as central concerns due to their presumed association with violent and extremist manifestations of Islam in the public sphere, typically associated with or connected to Saudi Arabia as their purported epicenter. Most of the studies written since 9/111 analyze Wahhabism and Salafism through the lens of security studies, privileging information relevant to intelligence and military needs and often marginalizing other dimensions, even where they are statistically more important. Identification of and connections between individuals, organizations, and movements are often assumed based on the presence of broad, yet often vague, ideas for which all members either claiming or assigned a particular label are presumed to have identical views. While these connections and networks may exist in some instances, it should not be assumed that every person within a particular network has identical views on any single issue (Voll 2009). In reality,“Wahhabism” and “Salafism” cover a range of views, from theological and creedal to political or legal orientations, not all of which are associated with violence, and within which exist a range of opinions, however singular their method of interpretation claims to be. In addition, because the labels “Wahhabi” and “Salafi” are used as both endonyms and exonyms, they often mean different things to different interpreters.“Wahhabi,” for example, carries such a pejorative, parochial connotation today that those following the teachings and methodology associated with the Wahhabi tradition tend …