Citizenship in the Minds of Radical Islamists

Abstract

‘Islamists’ represent a very complex category of actors mostly associated with research on terrorism and radicalisation. While many studies have investigated the dangers posed by Islamist groups in various national contexts, only a few analyses have explored Islamist views on core concepts, including citizenship. This article examines the concept of citizenship through the lenses of two long-living transnational Islamist groups, i.e. Ikhwan al-Muslimun and Hizb ut-Tahrir. Starting by framing the concept of citizenship within Islamism as an ideology, this article eviscerates the main causes that have led Ikhwan and the Hizb to hold diverse views on citizenship. This analysis concludes that different visions on citizenship are caused by two main factors (terminal and instrumental values), which are defined by the different evolutionary paths undertaken by the groups over the decades. Together, these values define a new social identity each individual develops as a result of his/her membership to the group. This new identity eventually aligns the members’ interpretation of reality and their behaviours with the group’s core values