Journal for Deradicalization
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Book Review: Leidig, E. (2023). The Women of the Far Right: Social Media Influencers and Online Radicalization.
Full text linkThis article reviews Eviane Leidig’s “The Women of the Far Right: Social Media Influencers and Online Radicalization.
When Terrorist Disengagement Processes Are Consistent with Previous Violent Radicalization: Two Case Studies
Full text linkAlthough terrorist disengagement is a dynamic process, this study proposes the likelihood of a continuity in the prevailing factors influencing exit from terrorism and the prevailing dimensions which initially influenced violent radicalization. Through the analysis of two contrasting cases featuring third-generation Muslims formerly involved in jihadist activities in Spain, we assess a connection between the prevailing push and pull factors which sparked individuals to cease their terrorist engagement and the predominant dimensions that earlier prompted the radicalization which led them to terrorist involvement. Drawing from in-depth interviews with the two former jihadists, Hassan and Omar, conducted while they were serving prison sentences for terrorism offences, we suggest that the significance of ideology and network in, respectively, their journeys from Islamic fundamentalism towards jihadism is similarly reflected in their accounts of ending jihadist involvement, even in the presence of secondary factors that also play a role in such a complex process
Belonging and Conflict Avoidance: Towards Understanding the Resilience of the Romani Against Radicalisation
Full text linkThis ethnographic study presents the results of a qualitative investigation into the absence of radicalisation that would lead to political violence among Romani in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Despite facing ethnic and socioeconomic grievances, the largest ethnic minority in Europe does not exhibit a marked tendency towards violent radicalisation. The study seeks to clarify how certain cultural and sociopsychological factors contribute to the resilience of the Romani against radicalisation. Their strong sense of belonging, in-group solidarity, and social cohesion represent fundamental characteristics that prevent community members from seeking alternative routes to fulfil their social needs, for example, through involvement in violent extremist groups. Furthermore, the study explores the coping mechanism for conflict avoidance that the Romani tend to use to avert violent conflict with the majority population. By presenting a case of non-radicalisation based on 54 in-depth interviews and 40 extensive mixed-method questionnaires, this article intends to stimulate further theoretical reflections on the role of grievances in the process of radicalisation, contribute to the debate about the character of resilience against radicalisation, and also prove the usefulness of investigating negative cases of political violence.
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by the Charles University grant UNCE/HUM/037 ‘Human-Machine Nexus and Its Implications for International Order’ and by the Charles University grant project GA UK No 442120
Unintended but not unanticipated consequences: youth work, organized crime, and concealed radicalization
Full text linkThis is a case study of youth work in a deprived neighborhood in Gothenburg, Sweden. The case is retrospective, and the period studied was 2012–2016, when gang violence became prevalent and young adults from the neighborhood traveled to Syria and Iraq to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) and similar violent movements. Kingsfield (pseudonym for the neighborhood) is one of the several deprived areas in Gothenburg that has been reported in the media for intense violence in the last 15 years, but it was never mentioned as an area that was also a potential recruitment hub for ISIS. The retrospective case study sets out to examine how this recruitment was missed both by the media and the bureaucrats of the city of Gothenburg. The empirical data were collected from semi-structured interviews with eleven professionals working in Kingsfield during 2012–2016. The case study revealed a potential misuse of youth workers with immigrant backgrounds in Kingsfield, which could have led to an unintended support for criminal structures. The study draws theoretically on De Zwart’s (2015) distinction between unintended and unanticipated consequences
Perceptions Versus Reality of QAnon Radicalization: A Comparative Study
Full text linkThe online following of conspiracy theory believers known as QAnon has recently come into focus of U.S. government agencies and terrorism scholars, raising questions about the risk of violence it poses. To address these questions, as well as to triangulate existing research on QAnon’s threat, the present study compared survey responses about actual radical intention and activist intention scores of QAnon supporters (n = 113) and non-QAnon participants (n = 287), relative to QAnon’s radicalization as perceived by non-QAnon participants. Actual radical intention scores for QAnon supporters were significantly lower than the perceptions of QAnon radical intentions, and were not significantly different than the actual radical intention scores for non-QAnon participants. Activist intention scores were lowest among QAnon supporters, followed by non-QAnon supporters, and then by perceptions of QAnon activist intentions. The implications of the results for public policy are discussed.
Acknowledgements
Financial support for this study and the authors was provided by the Office of Naval Research grant N000 14-21-275485 Weaponized Conspiracies: Mapping the Social Ecology of Misinformation, Radicalization and Violence
Policy Paper: The Ethics of Using Formers to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism
Full text linkAfter 9/11, the academic study of terrorism flourished as more government resources were focused on counterterrorism efforts. As the focus slowly shifted towards P/CVE or Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, more and more articles lauded the potential benefits of including Formers. The idea behind that was that experience equals expertise. Formers have been valuable data sources as research participants. However, the current trend has seen Formers leave that role and take on far more complicated and sophisticated roles, such as deradicalization experts, claiming to help people leave extremism. This policy paper focuses on the evidence, specifically the lack of evidence, to support the prevailing assumptions regarding the effectiveness of Formers and dissects the ethical issues arising from their involvement in P/CVE. The paper ends with policy recommendations to shift P/CVE activities and research toward a more empirically-grounded model. Since P/CVE initiatives involve a variety of actors, from academic researchers to the media to practitioners, this paper is not aimed at one field or profession. Rather, it is intended for everyone involved in P/CVE-related activities, including research
Social Cohesion. A Basis for the Primary Prevention of Radicalisation in Cities.
Full text linkSocial cohesion has been widely used as a normative concept in European debate since the late 1990s. The contribution relates the concept to (primary prevention of) radicalisation and shows that a low degree of social cohesion enhances the danger of extremism. Our study in urban districts of Toulouse/France uses an adapted model of social cohesion that combines statistical data with qualitative data. The aim of the study is to describe the living circumstances in the districts in detail and to compare specific risks and protective factors in the territories. It can be shown that matching policies or social interventions may be developed–depending on the specific situation of each territory. Especially different perceptions of safety, the meaning of “feeling at home”, and the identification of inhabitants with “their” neighbourhood play an important role in terms of social cohesion and thus should be fostered in order to prevent violent, anti-democratic radicalisation. In socially marginalized neighbourhoods feelings of belonging may serve as a resource if municipality and the state executive manage to enter in a trustful relationship with the inhabitants
Counseling towards the Deradicalization of Islamist Extremists: An Overview of Approaches Based on Two Qualitative Interview Studies with Prevention Practitioners in Germany
Full text linkOver the past decade Islamist mobilization has resulted in numerous departures from Germany towards the civil war zones of Syria and Iraq. As a determined response to this trend, the scope of prevention efforts in Germany has increased significantly, combatting Islamist radicalization at the federal and state level with a variety of projects and approaches. This article analyzes the approaches to counseling by deradicalization practitioners in Germany, based on two qualitative interview studies (n=25) and (n=9) with experts in secondary and tertiary prevention. Drawing on the experiential and interpretative knowledge of the interviewees, we identified four prevalent approaches to deradicalization, composed of activity-oriented concepts that explain counseling efforts within a specific set of goals, contents, methods, and techniques. Herein imperatives of action are, firstly, religiously and/or ideologically oriented, secondly, oriented towards acceptance, thirdly, systemically oriented, and lastly, oriented towards life management. However, these are not static approaches, characterized by oft-intersecting efforts. Our findings indicate that confrontational means of dealing with the ideological are uncommon, even though in theory ideological reappraisal is widely considered a core objective of deradicalization practices. More emphasis is placed on an appreciative relationship between counselors and clients as well as collaborations with other support systems and institutions to meet individual needs. Further to this, this article discusses our findings with regard to the theoretical and empirical research framework, taking into account interdisciplinary perspectives as well as experiences from the prevention of right-wing extremism.
Acknowledgments
This project has received funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the program “Societal Causes and Effects of Radical Islam in Germany and Europe”. This publication reflects only the views of the author(s); the BMBF is not responsible for any information it contains
Football-based prevention of radicalisation: A Theory of Change for football-based prevention of Radicalisation
Full text linkThis paper describes the development of a programme theory for a football-based radicalisation prevention programme. As part of the Belgian Red Courts programme, an initiative of the Belgian Football Association in cooperation with the Vrije Universiteit Brussels and the Hannah-Arendt Institute, a literature review was conducted that links current research on preventing radicalisation with findings from the field of Sport for Development research. The Belgian Football Association is building and renovating 40 mini-football pitches in Belgium, providing sports infrastructure as well as a theory-based football programme to prevent radicalisation and promote social cohesion, and training of coaches to implement the programme. Starting in September 2023, the implementation of the trainings will start in 10 locations, which will be accompanied and evaluated within the framework of a PhD. In 2024, a further 10 locations will be implemented and evaluated. The paper aims to develop and describe a programme theory as the basis of a football curriculum for young people aged 14-18. The central mechanism for the prevention of radicalisation is Daniel Koehler's (2017) theory of re-pluralisation. In the course of the literature review, concrete contents and competences were identified that are considered to prevent radicalisation and at the same time work towards re-pluralisation of the target group in the course of the programme theory. This research aims to contribute to a larger body of scientific literature on the use of sport as an instrument in the prevention of radicalisation but also to develop a theory-based and practice-oriented foundation for promising sports programmes. With the completion of the research, the project will provide empirical evidence about the effect and possibly also the programme's sustainability
Criminalising (Hateful) Extremism in the UK: Critical Reflections From Free Speech
Full text linkThe UK has a comprehensive arsenal of counter-terror law. The Terrorism Act 2000, for example, outlaws the membership of a proscribed terror group, as per s.11; and support for a proscribed terror group, as per s.12. The legislation also criminalises the preparation of terror attacks, such as possession for terrorist purposes, as per s.57; and the collection of information, as per s.58. Following the 7/7 terror attacks in London in 2005 the UK passed the Terrorism Act 2006 outlawing, for example, the encouragement of terrorism, including the glorification of terrorism, as per s.1; and the dissemination of terrorist publications, as per s.2. But the UK’s existing counter-terror legislation does not seem to go far enough in deterring violent extremism that falls short of terrorism. In February 2021, therefore, the UK’s independent Commission on Countering Extremism suggested further legislative reform to this area. In the UK there is freedom of expression, guaranteed by Article 10(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). However, Article 10(2) of the ECHR permits a necessary interference with speech on the grounds of the prevention of disorder and crime. Indeed, historically, liberalism, which underpins much of human rights law, has also permitted limitations on the freedom of expression. Are the Commission’s proposals to curtail further the free speech of extremists compliant with the jurisprudence on free speech and the philosophy of liberalism upon which much of the law of human rights is grounded? Without being able to assess the Commission’s suggested reforms within every element of free speech, this piece examines many of its important facets, such as the responsibility of the rights-holder, the speaker, and the certainty upon which the law limiting the free speech is authorised. The findings of this piece are that the proposals of the Commission respect the UK’s law on free speech and its related theories of liberalism