Article Sociological Bulletin 1–15 © 2021 Indian Sociological Society Reprints and permissions: in.sagepub.com/journals-permissions-india DOI: 10.1177/00380229211051036 journals.sagepub.com/home/sob 1 Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences; Honorary Director, Institute for Multidisciplinary Programmes in Social Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India Corresponding author: M. H. Ilias, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences; Honorary Director, Institute for Multidisciplinary Programmes in Social Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam 686560, Kerala, India. E-mail: mhilias@gmail.com Of Passport and Politics: Faith and Politics Among the ‘Neo-Salafis’ of South India M. H. Ilias 1 Abstract There is a major assumption regarding the politics of the neo-Salafis in South India (especially in Kerala) widely shared in the political, media and academic circles; their everyday life and religiosity do not provide a conscious address to things such as state and politics and they are confined to the social and religious sphere rather than the political one . The recurring question in this study is, therefore, how to make sense of the political expressions of a group, which apparently shows no direct inclination towards the ‘mainstream’ politics. This study also tries to address the ambiguity about the role of Salafi ideology in eve- ryday conduct of politics among the neo-Salafis. What is the position of Salafism in the scheme of political thinking and how it relates to the political imagination of neo-Salafis, are examined taking cues from the experience of some of the neo- Salafist groups, which keep a strong open disbelief in the secular polity. Keywords Islam in South India, Salafi movement in Kerala, Salafi-Islamic modernity, religion and reform, everyday politics of the neo-Salafis, complexities of reconciling faith and politics Introduction The narrow rue that leads to Ahl al-Sunna bookshop reminded me the streets of similar sorts in Arabian Peninsula. Shops around it dealing with Arabian dates and