Journal for Deradicalization
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Preventing violent extremism in Kenyan schools: Talking about terrorism
Get PDFThis article focuses on what teachers and students in Kenya consider the best ways to prevent violent extremism. Two common approaches to preventing violent extremism through education are discussed. The first approach is resilience to violent extremism through critical thinking and counter-narratives. The second approach is inclusion, tolerance and social cohesion. Key findings from my research on secondary schools in Kenya reveal that teachers are very conscious of not taking a confrontational approach to controversial issues like violent extremism, as doing so might provoke certain student groups in class. Thus, an avoidance strategy is employed to create harmony and social cohesion. This article is based on fieldwork in three Kenyan secondary schools from 2019 that involved 50 classroom observations, 30 semi-structured interviews with students and teachers, and documentary analysis of the Kenyan secondary school syllabus and textbooks
Research Note: ‘If I said I trust you, I would be lying’. Reflections and recommendations for conducting interviews with (violent) extremist prisoners
Get PDFOver the past decade, the (violent) extremism, terrorism and countering violent extremism (CVE) research field is witnessing an increasing number of studies based on primary data collection. Despite this evolution, however, conducting face-to-face interviews with former or active (violent) extremists and terrorists still appears to be the exception rather than the rule. In addition, most evidence-based research often lacks methodological transparency on the researchers’ experiences, good practices, and the challenges faced during the different research phases (e.g., making contact with the respondents, the process of creating trust, challenges linked to the prison context). Therefore, the aim of this article is to provide academic researchers with insight into the potential challenges they may encounter when contacting and interviewing former or active (violent) extremist prisoners, and how to overcome them. The results are based on field experiences of a PhD research on the process toward (violent) extremism and terrorism in which qualitative in-depth interviews are conducted with (violent) extremist prisoners in Belgium. By providing reflections and recommendations based on this fieldwork, this article can be used as a guideline to improve and increase future primary data collection and the methodological transparency and reliability within terrorism and CVE research
Long-Term Experience Means Professionalization – Or Does It? An in-depth look on the Involvement of Former Extremists in German Prevention and Education
Get PDFThe utilization of former extremists in preventing and countering radicalization and violent extremism has increased internationally. Nonetheless, the question of professionalization in these fields regarding the formers themselves is controversial. However, the issue of staff professionalization within P/CVE organizations and structures has been neglected. This article closely examines the degree of professionalization in the German context, especially regarding school-based P/CVE interventions, with more than twenty-year experience with such tools. The authors conducted interviews with representatives of four German organizations known to facilitate former-based P/CVE workshops as part of their portfolios. In summary, the findings indicate the need for improvement in professionalization
The Use of a Scenario-Based Nominal Group Technique to Assess P/CVE Programs: Development and Pilot Testing of a Toolkit
Get PDFPreventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) requires coordination among multiple agencies, stakeholders and systems. The complexity of this task (compounded by the variety of P/CVE programming around the world) creates a challenge for those hoping to develop these initiatives. The purpose of this project was to develop a replicable process and corresponding toolkit to engage multiple stakeholders in consensus building around the efficacy and improvement of nascent, developing or mature systems-level P/CVE programs. As a method, we adapted the process of nominal group technique (NGT), a structured-brainstorming tool that provides an orderly procedure for obtaining qualitative and ranked information from heterogenous participant pools. The technique we developed is based on a case-study approach (“scenario”) which we then tested in three countries (USA, Sweden, and North Macedonia) with existing P/CVE initiatives at different stages of development. We conducted scenario-based NGT sessions in each location and then systematically analyzed the results using iterative qualitative coding based on a common framework. Results were analyzed to achieve consensus on the most common system-level challenges and system-level functions, necessary to overcome those challenges, in each location. Practitioners in each local jurisdiction were then able to utilize the results derived from the NGT for their own purposes, such as advocacy to policy makers, strategic regional P/CVE planning, and ongoing stakeholder engagement.
Acknowledgments:
This project was funded by the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme under the award entitled "Evaluation Support for CVE at the Local Level" SPS.MYPG5556, the Swedish Contingency Agency (MSB), and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Science and Technology Directorate (Cooperative Agreement Number: 2015-ST-108-FRG005). The content of this manuscript as well as the views and discussions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of any of the above institutions, nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government
Book Review: “The Routledge Handbook on Disengagement and Deradicalization” by Stig Jarle Hansen and Stian Lid (eds),: London and New York, Routledge, 2020 pp. 374, £152.00 (hardback) ISBN: 9781138229969
Get PDFReview of "The Routledge Handbook on Disengagement and Deradicalization” (Routledge, 2020) by Stig Jarle Hansen and Stian Lid
Can partnership approaches developed to prevent Islamic terrorism be replicated for the extreme right? Comparing the Muslim Brotherhood and Generation Identity as ‘firewalls’ against violent extremism
Get PDFDrawing on both official and scholastic descriptions of the Muslim Brotherhood and Generation Identity, this article suggests that in the UK context, some striking similarities exist between the two organisations. Both represent ostensibly nonviolent permutations of their respective extremist movements. Despite this similarity, a stark distinction exists in the response of the UK government. Although, like many Islamist civil society actors, the Muslim Brotherhood has benefited from the perception that nonviolent extremist groups can help address terrorism and radicalisation, the same contention is yet to be made regarding political extremists from within the far right. This article first uses the Muslim Brotherhood as an example to illustrate the standards that have been contrived in the UK for distinguishing nonviolent extremist organisations from their violent counterparts. The intention here is to demonstrate that just as the Muslim Brotherhood is identified as the prototypical example of ‘political Islam’, counterparts for this type of organisation can be found in different extremist contexts. It will be postulated that in particular, Generation Identity may be thought of as occupying an analogous position within the context of far-right extremism. The purpose of this comparison is to explore the viability of utilising ‘nonviolent extremists’ to prevent violent extremism across different movements; it will be contended that although the results of such an arrangement could be replicated, there is a need to consider the adverse impacts in the initial context before attempting to reproduce the approach
Broadcast Your Past: Analysis of a German Former Right-Wing Extremist’s YouTube Channel for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Crime
Get PDFRecently, former extremists and offenders have begun providing online initiatives in addition to their offline enterprises (e.g., in-school talks, TV productions, autobiographies). They often present these initiatives as designed to prevent and counter violent extremism and crime. Strikingly, while formers’ online narratives are increasing and usually receive positive coverage, research on them has been limited. This study applied a structure analysis to systematically explore a former right-wing extremist’s YouTube channel as a case study. The analysis was based on the formal channel criteria and 421 videos published between May 2017 and May 2020. This is a full survey during this period. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate this phenomenon. Examining the YouTube channel provides valuable evidence for: (1) a focus on detailed narratives and visualizations from the extremist and criminal past, (2) using YouTube as a business model, and (3) distributing content and behavior that is inappropriate for children and youths (e.g., depicting violence, alcohol consumption, and [e-]cigarette use). The results indicate that such online initiatives’ content and other relevant aspects (e.g., content creators’ self-presentation) require more critical attention and reflection before they, for example, are promoted as suitable tools for young people
When Healing Turns to Activism: Formers and Family Members’ Motivation to Engage in P/CVE.
Get PDFThe involvement of former extremists or family members of terrorists in measures aimed at preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) has recently gained more attention in research and practice. However, little is yet known about the motivations of these individuals as to why they chose to engage in P/CVE activities. Understanding what drives such engagement could provide a better appreciation of the potential impact of such deployment, whether beneficial or detrimental to both the individuals involved and their respective P/CVE-target audience – and contribute to the evolving discourse regarding the effectiveness and potential risks of such P/CVE interventions. This article draws on eight biographical-narrative interviews with four former right-wing extremists and with four relatives of jihadist foreign fighters, all of whom are currently engaged in P/CVE work. Through qualitative reconstructive methods, a combination of narrative and thematic approaches was used to reconstruct the action-relevant orientations for the interviewees' activism. Results indicate that family members are motivated by coping mechanisms for traumatic stress, by social relatedness derived from a ‘positive marginality’, and in response to situational demands. Motivations of former extremists include finding their way back into society, having their new identity mirrored back to them, or maintaining a sense of self-continuity through ‘role residuals’. The results show that, in the case of family members, motivation is affected by exposure to traumatic stress. They also suggest that a locus of control among former extremists can signify different stages of deradicalisation in some forms of exit pathways and thus help to identify different risks depending on a former’s P/CVE role.
Acknowledgement:
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 725349. This publication reflects only the views of the author(s); the European Commission and Research Executive Agency are not responsible for any information it contains.
Since the second author of this article (Daniel Koehler) is also the Editor in Chief of the Journal for Deradicalization, a guest editor (Prof. Hilary Pilkington, Manchester University) facilitated the peer review process to prevent any conflict of interests and protect the integrity of the peer review process
Communities’ Perceptions of Reintegration of Al-Shabaab Returnees in Mombasa and Kwale Counties, Kenya
Get PDFThis study explores community perceptions of reintegration of returning foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) from Al-Shabaab in coastal Kenya. Drawing from fieldwork accounts collected in Kwale and Mombasa Counties, Kenya, this study nuances and problematizes communities’ perception of reintegration. The study fits into a growing yet unsettled discourse of what works well in reintegration initiatives for returning foreign terrorist fighters. Governments worldwide are focusing on fighting Islamist terror groups like ISIS and Al-Shabaab in East Africa. But the need to also build other strategic counter-terrorism capabilities has developed, even more so in the rehabilitation and reintegration of returning foreign terrorist fighters. How host communities perceive this shift from a whole-of-government, hard approach, to a whole-of-community, soft approach, will determine how effective this strategy is in the global fight against terrorism. In Kenya, it is estimated that at least 1,000 returnees live in communities along the coastal areas of Kwale and Mombasa. There is a paucity of research focusing on the perceptions of those communities absorbing the returnees in Kenya. This study draws on 31 interviews with government officials, returnees, academic experts, civil society actors, and 104 questionnaire interviews with community members in Kwale and Mombasa. The study’s findings show that while the family and the society at large may be longing to see their loved ones, there are competing dilemmas involved, including stigma and negative labelling. The study also found that there is a lack of structures to ensure proper involvement of host communities in the reintegration of returnees. As such, the process is marred by lack of trust and negative labelling, which affects positive reintegration. The study’s findings are useful for counter-radicalization policy formulation and practical peacebuilding interventions at the community level
Research Note: Singapore’s “Deradicalisation” Model: Revolution – or Evolutions?
Get PDFThe detention in December 2020 by Singapore’s Internal Security Department (ISD) of a “far-right” individual, a 16-year-old Singapore citizen of ethnic Indian background (and of Protestant faith) who planned to murder Muslims at two mosques (imitating Brenton Tarrant’s 2019 attacks in Christ Church) is something of a jolt to those who follow radicalization trends in Singapore and Southeast Asia. Past detentions of radicalized individuals in Singapore have tended to be of ISIS-inspired youths (or, in the earlier phase, members of the Jemaah Islamiah). This research note attempts to trace the likely evolutions of Singapore’s “deradicalisation” model in response to this striking case. More attention will likely have to be paid to “non-ideological factors” especially in cases that involve youths. The research note also considers whether the Religious Rehabilitation Group, the key player in Singapore’s “deradicalization” enterprise, is necessarily the best body equipped to deal with new types of (non-Islamist) radicalization cases. At the wider, whole-of-society level, relevant agencies will likely have to find ways to reinforce aspects of Singapore’s “resilience model” (in particular, the emphasis on tolerance and inter-faith and inter-ethnic harmony) which forms an integral part of Singapore’s holistic counter-radicalisation strategy. Time and resources will also need to be be devoted to study other forms of extremism, including types formerly thought to be confined to the West. It is vital that links be forged between researchers across East and West exploring the phenomena of new trends in radicalisation, not least because of the possibility that potential extremists just embarking on their own trajectories across may well be doing the same across the hemispheres