Identity and Islamic Radicalization in Western Europe (original) (raw)
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Islamist and Nativist Reactionary Radicalisation in Europe
Politics and Governance, 2021
In this article, the term "radicalisation" is discussed as a process that appears to be a defensive and reactionary response of various individuals suffering from social, economic, and political forms of exclusion, subordination, alienation, humiliation, and isolation. To that effect, the article challenges the mainstream understanding of radicalisation. In doing so, the work concentrates on the elaboration of reactionary radicalisation processes of self-identified Muslim youth and self-identified native youth residing in Europe. The main reason behind the selection of these two groups is the assumption that both groups are co-radicalizing each other in the contemporary world that is defined by the ascendance of a civilizational political discourse since the war in the Balkans in the 1990s. Based on the findings of in-depth interviews conducted with youngsters from both groups in Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, the work demonstrates that the main drivers of the radicalisation processes of these two groups cannot be explicated through the reproduction of civilizational, cultural, and religious differences. Instead, the drivers of radicalisation for both groups are very identical as they are both socioeconomically , politically, and psychologically deprived of certain elements constrained by the flows of globalization and dominant forms of neo-liberal governance.
THE ISLAMIC STATE AND EUROPE: EXAMINING HOW THE ISLAMIC STATE RADICALISES EUROPEAN CITIZENS
The growing numbers of terror attacks in Europe in recent times has made the concept of radicalization a sensitive phenomenon; most especially, Islamic radicalization, which leads to terrorism. Islamic radicalization has become a threat to peace and security of Europe and other hemispheres. The activities of Islamic extremists and terrorists have been identified with a good number of European citizens, who have joined the Islamic State (IS) and engaged in acts of terror against their own citizens and governments. Radicalisation has been used as a weapon by the Islamic State to recruit some European citizens as its members in order to perpetuate its objectives in Europe. The objective of this essay is to examine how the Islamic State has been able to radicalize some European citizens as its members and build its network across the continent. It seeks to critically analyse the influence of the Islamic State ideology on European citizens, which has consequently led and could further lead to the participation of some European citizens in terrorist engagements. This essay seeks to respond to the puzzle: how is it possible for the Islamic State to secure the interest of some Europeans into terrorism, considering the distance between Europe and the Middle East and the high standard of living as well as education that is available in Europe? In this essay, the relevance of the study is pointed in today Europe as far as peace and security development is concerned. This work maximizes secondary sources of data collection to investigate the study and its theoretical analysis is drawn from social network theory in order to shed more light on the discourse of the radicalisation of European citizens as the Islamic State members. Specifically, this essay discusses a brief origin and objectives of the Islamic State, the ideological perspectives of the group as well as channels of radicalizing European citizens.
Were we to believe alarmist reports on Islam in Belgium, a major terrorist attack against Brussels is only "a matter of time", and there is a broad perception of the 'Muslim community' of Belgium as being increasingly radicalised. In this paper, we discuss a number of different types of radicalisation that have been observed among persons of Islamic faith or culture in Belgium, highlighting the conflicts it has caused or it could become the cause of. Our research suggests that the majority of Muslim Belgians seem to have embraced the spirit of compromise and moderation prevalent in the country's political scene. Whilst a number of the groups and movements discussed have indeed represented a challenge to the peaceful coexistence between Belgian society's cultural components, it is important to note the considerable antithesis between the visibility and mediatisation of radical movements and the very poor results they have obtained every time they have tried to transform their alleged popularity into electoral gains.
Social Identity Theory for Investigating Islamic Extremism in the Diaspora
An overview of literature on radicalization in the Muslim diaspora in Europe finds identity crises to be a key precipitant to the process. Studies also typically focus on the manipulation of identify by violent Islamic extremist groups. This paper attempts to contribute to the discussion on the role of identity in radicalization by using social identity theory. In doing so, the article explores the formation and transformation process of social identities, and argues that the nature of community-level groups and networks may contribute to identity ‘readiness’ for radicalization. To this end, special focus is given to formally recognized Islamist non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and institutions and their potential impact on Muslim religious identity in the European Muslim diaspora. Findings suggest that the more pervasive the ideology of Islamist representatives is, the more likely the normative environment in the diaspora is to be conducive to both non-violent and violent Islamic extremism.
2020
Radicalism, extremism, terrorism, fundamentalism and violence have recently been interchangeably used by many in academia, media and politics. These terms used to be perceived and defined very differently prior to the 1990s when tremendous political, societal and demographic changes took place all around the world. Focusing on the radicalisation processes of both nativist and Islamist youngsters in Europe, this Working Paper scrutinises the differences between these terms by revisiting the ways they were used in the past. In doing so, the paper tries to reveal the neo-liberal logic of modern state actors in reducing radicalisation to terrorism and extremism.
The State Of The Art On Radicalisation: Islamist And Nativist Radicalisation In Europe
2020
Radicalism, extremism, terrorism, fundamentalism and violence have recently been interchangeably used by many in academia, media and politics. These terms used to be perceived and defined very differently prior to the 1990s when tremendous political, societal and demographic changes took place all around the world. Focusing on the radicalisation processes of both nativist and Islamist youngsters in Europe, this Working Paper scrutinises the differences between these terms by revisiting the ways they were used in the past. In doing so, the paper tries to reveal the neo-liberal logic of modern state actors in reducing radicalisation to terrorism and extremism. This paper derives from the ongoing EU-funded research for the "PRIME Youth" project conducted under the supervision of the Principal Investigator, Prof. Dr. Ayhan Kaya, and funded by the European Research Council with the Agreement Number 785934. The Working Paper is available at: https://bpy.bilgi.edu.tr/en/publicati...