Understanding Islam: "Schools, sects and religious movements in Islam"

Islam is divided into several branches. The main one is that of the vast majority Sunnis. It is followed by that of the mu'tazilites, a current of a philosophical nature, or that of the kharidjites, which are numerically less important.

Sunni Islam or Sunnism is the main religious current of Islam. Followers of the Sunni tradition are referred to as Sunni or Sunni. Sufism, on the other hand, represents, properly speaking, the interior dimension of this Islam.

Wahhabism or "Salafism", in which both the current rulers of Saudi Arabia and various extremist groups recognize themselves. It corresponds to a literalist and rigorous expression of Islam.

Author: Mohammed Jamil Cherifi, former professor at the Muslim Institute (Mosque of Paris), graduate in Arabic language and Islamic civilization at INALCO and Paris III.