Seminar

Inside Salafi-Jihadist Governance

Marta Furlan

Senior Program Manager for Research at Free the Slaves

Chairs
Juan Masullo & Andrea Ruggeri
University of Milan 

10 March 2026, h. 11:00
Seminar Room (Passione)
Department of Social and Political Sciences
Via Passione, 15 - Milan

Abstract
In the years following the Arab Spring, several Islamist insurgent groups seized territory across the Middle East and North Africa and began governing civilian populations, taking on responsibilities such as administering justice, collecting taxes, and providing essential services. This talk offers a comparative analysis of Salafi-jihadist governance, drawing on case studies of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in northwestern Syria, and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in southern Yemen. It examines how these groups approached rule in practice, focusing on their treatment of minorities, levels of civilian participation, use of coercion, and ambitions for social and political transformation. The presentation also explores whether a coherent model of Salafi-jihadist governance exists, the extent to which ideology shapes governing practices, and how these experiences compare with those of other armed nonstate actors, offering broader insights into insurgent rule.

Bio

Marta Furlan is Senior Program Manager for Research at Free the Slaves, an international NGO. She studies armed non-state actors, rebel governance, and civil conflict. Her research interests also include the human rights impact of climate change. Her recent book, Inside Salafi-Jihadist Governance (Columbia University Press, 2025)analyzes Salafi-jihadist rebel administration, drawing on in-depth case studies of the Islamic State in western Iraq and eastern Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in northwestern Syria, and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in southern Yemen.