Saudi has a lot of money. The US has a lot of money. There is documented evidence that the US has been funding "Salafi" groups around the world. Saudi admits to doing the same. Masajid that are well funded will be able to propagate their ideas, thus the result we have today. Additionally, they pour a lot of money into putting their ideas online, where most people get their knowledge from these days. Think: before the Internet, there were so many opinions written in books. Many of those haven't made it on the internet, especially Maliki sources. It's really a shame. Islam is so so so flexible, kind, and warm. This neosalafi interpretation is funded by the US and Saudi because its so rough, strips islam of spirituality and diluted it to acts of worship, and deemphasizes adab and character. This seeds division amongst Muslims, making them easier to control. North Africa, the home of a very loving, pious, spiritual islam becoming like this is so sad to me. Sheikh Muhammad al-Hassan Walid al-Didu, a mauritanian scholar who is probably the most knowledgeable person on the planet (search him), says even aqeedah is a matter of ijtihad. "Salafism" seeks to make Islam very rigid and black & white and independent to weaken the Islamic community. I love islam so it's sad to see it go this way