Islamic Extremism Research Articles

How terrorist attacks distort public debates: a comparative study of right-wing and Islamist extremism

ABSTRACT Previous research has shown how terrorist attacks attract media attention and influence public opinion and decision-makers. However, we lack a comparative assessment of the extent to which extremist ideologies matter and how they matter. Therefore, this paper compares mass media debates over extreme right and Islamist terrorist attacks. Theoretically, it innovates by linking research on discursive critical junctures and issue-specific discursive opportunity structures, emphasising the systematic differences between the two ideologies. Empirically, the study is based on an original, large-scale content analysis of mass media debates on all seven fatal attacks in Germany since 2015 (N = 9047). It combines relational quantitative content analysis with frame and network analyses. The results show how ideologies behind terrorist attack shape political reactions and the framing of the key security threat. Notably, both types of attacks provide favourable conditions for the far right, and political elites play a central role in the diffusion of far-right frames. In contrast, victims and ethnic or religious minorities have little voice in public debates. Overall, the study contributes to a better understanding of the impact of terrorist attacks on Western democracies by emphasising the impact of ideology and distorted threat perceptions in public debates.

Interfaith Dialogue to Counter Radicalization in Bangladesh: An Approach to Move from Extremism to Pluralism

The fundamental objective of this research paper is to examine how interfaith dialogue can be an effective mechanism to combat the forces of radicalization and extremism in Bangladesh. To unveil the answer to this question, this study has explored the nature of the politicization of Islam and the scope of Islamic fundamentalism in Bangladesh. Reviewing the existing pieces of literature, this research paper has identified that there has been a rise in Islamic extremism since the beginning of the 21st century, which evolved throughout the last two decades changing in its nature and intensity. It has illustrated that after the military coup of 1975, the military rulers and the following democratic governments of Bangladesh carried on the tendency of politicizing religion and have used state mechanisms to Islamize Bangladeshi society. However, to address this recent trend of rising militancy, interfaith dialogue can be an effective approach that will shrink the potential of radicalization and extremism in Bangladesh. This study proposes incorporating an interreligious curriculum in the education system of Bangladesh and the engagement of religious preachers as well as mass people of different faiths including various sects of each religion in such interfaith dialogue initiatives to improve understanding and compassion. Social Science Review, Vol. 40(1), Jun 2023 Page 165-184

Islamic Revivalism and the Role of Islamic Extremist Groups in Tajikistan

Islamic Revivalism and the Role of Islamic Extremist Groups in Tajikistan

Managing dissent or creating it? Cameroonian Muslim youth, secularism, and securitization in a time of terror

ABSTRACT The rise of Islamic extremist movements in the Lake Chad Basin has become one of the most important security issues in Africa. Research on these conflicts has focused primarily on the extremists themselves, and far less on the conflict’s wider effect on social relationships between Muslims and state authorities. Based on extensive fieldwork on Cameroonian university campuses, we argue that the Cameroonian “war on terror” has contributed to the ongoing “securitization” of Muslim youth experiences. Although the treatment of educated, internationally connected and outwardly pious Muslims as security threats is not a new development, the current conflict has opened new areas of contestation and conflict between Muslim youth and state authorities. It also challenges the legitimacy of Cameroonian secularism, which appears increasingly non-neutral and unequal to Muslim youth facing suspicion and surveillance.

Defining and Illustrating “Extremism” Using the Largest Investigation into Islam in Prison

In the context of a damaging absence of clarity, we define “Islamist Extremism” as: the absolutely divided and antagonistic Worldview of the “Us”-true-Muslim “in-group” who must strive to live in an “Islamic” State versus “Them”-non-Muslim’ and “wrong”-Muslim “out-groups” who are stripped of their human status due to their opposition to “true Islam.” We illustrate this definition of “Extremism” - including showing how Islamist Extremism is different from Mainstream Islam - using fresh empirical data from the largest ever study of Islam and Muslims in prison. We proceed to show how this definition of “Extremism” can be used as the basis for understanding processes of radicalization and de-radicalization in and outside prison. We then extrapolate from the case of Islamist Extremism in prison to suggest a working definition of “Extremism” more generally as: any absolutely divided “Us” versus “Them” Worldview by which a “chosen” in-group strips “condemned” out-groups of their basic human qualities, properties and rights and thereby sets them up for harm.

Counterintelligence, Policy Recommendation and Military Convergence in Dealing with Current and Emerging Regional Implications of Jemaah Islamiyyah

This study was conducted to seek reemerging threats of JI in recent years, counterintelligence taken by police and military convergence. Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) is an Islamist extremist group in Indonesia that seeks to overthrow the government and create a pan-Islamic state in Southeast Asia. It has ideological origins in the Darul Islam (DI) movement of the 1950s and 1960s, in which insurgents of West Javanese descent carried out a violent campaign that attempted to establish an Islamic state in Indonesia. Despite the arrest of more than 100 Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) members in the last two years, the militant organization appears resilient, partly due to its hierarchical organizational structure. Such a structure has enabled JI to have a strong agenda-setting capacity and exercise accountability and specialization within its hierarchy. This study is qualitative in nature. I conducted in-depth library and fieldwork research with former JI operatives and Police (POLRI & DENSUS 88, PDRM) officers. My findings show the survival patterns JI in the context of operations, which includes personal, political, economic, and community structure within their circle. To curb the threat of JI, I would like to suggest the Government of Indonesia and regional members devise an action plan to address the terrorist-related issues

Актуализация патриотизма в российском исламе

The article analyzes the balance of Islamic identity and patriotism in Russian Islam in the context of the current geopolitical situation. The contrast of opinions in the interpretation of this balance in Islamic extremism and in Russian traditional Islam is established. The constructive balance of regional Islamic and all-Russian civic identity in the regions with the dominance of Islam, especially in the North Caucasus, is substantiated. The problems in ensuring an effective balance of Islamic identity and Russian civil patriotism in the Muslim regions of Russia are analyzed. It is proved that overcoming the negative consequences of liberal reforms by the Russian society, the effective solution of acute social and political problems, such as poverty, social inequality, economic degradation, unemployment, corruption, etc. will completely solve the problem of a relative partial imbalance of Islamic identity and Russian civic patriotism.

Intelligence failure in countering terrorism in south Asia: a comparative analysis of Holey Artisan and Easter attacks

ABSTRACT Intelligence agencies exist to ensure national security, but the path to attain that goal is filled with numerous unexpected threats and vulnerabilities. This makes intelligence failure often highly likely. This article explores and compares the 2016 Holey Artisan (Bangladesh) and the 2019 Easter (Sri Lanka) attacks from intelligence failure perspectives to understand the fault lines in counterterrorism (CT) efforts in the south Asian context. The article summarises the causes of intelligence failures into three broad yet interconnected themes: failure due to issues within the intelligence activities and agencies, failure leading from policy or direction, and failure arising from psychological forces. This article concludes that poorly coordinated counterterrorism policy, poor internal security and border management apparatus and cognitive limits of the security forces were the causes of the intelligence failure in the Holey Artisan attack. On the other hand, the intelligence failure of the Easter Sunday attacks resulted from political leadership, miscommunication and psychological limits of top intelligence officials, and the intelligence community’s failure to adapt to the emerging security threat of Islamist extremism.

Constructing Muslim Identity in a Secular State: The Strategic Role of Two Singapore Islamic Organizations

In Singapore, Islamic identity matters mainly because Muslims and Malays have special constitutional status. However, state policies seem to contradict the status while the community is still dealing with the problem of backwardness in educational and economic development. This article examines the profile and strategic role of two Islamic organizations, MUIS (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore) and Pergas (Persatuan Ulama dan Guru-Guru Agama Islam Singapura, Singapore Islamic Scholars, and Religious Teachers Association), in accommodating the expression and reconstructing Singaporean Muslim identity. Through intensive library research and using an interdisciplinary approach from social constructivist and fiqh of minorities’ perspectives, this article found that both have played a very important role in the expression and construction of Singaporean Muslim identity. There have been dynamic contestation and cooperation between the state policies towards the Muslim community. However, the global effect of Islamist extremism and terrorism has united them in terms of religious thought, attitude, and the formulation of the ideal Singaporean Muslim identity. The changing process of their stances toward the government’s policies was effective due to the function of fiqh of minorities in contextualizing Islamic teachings in the context of Singapore as a secular state.

Патриотизм и интернационализм в исламе

The article analyzes the problem of correlation between patriotism and internationalism in Is-lam. The concepts of patriotism and internationalism are clarified and it is proved that constructive na-tionalism, as the core of patriotism, does not contradict constructive internationalism, but is harmoni-ously combined with it. The authors consider the balance of internationalism and patriotism in tradi-tional Islam and the historical testing of this balance. Pan-Islamism is analyzed separately as a form of politicized Islamic internationalism. Two main forms of Islamic nationalism that developed in the 20th century are singled out. The constructive form led to the formation of a new synthesis of international-ism and patriotism with the dominance of the latter in modern Muslim nation states. The destructive form of modern Islamic internationalism is radical Islamic extremism and international terrorism. The authors conclude that in traditional Islam, one of the foundations of the righteous faith is humanistic patriotism based on constructive spiritual Islamic internationalism.

‘Strengthening cooperation with external partners: Looking for a common response to the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters’

Addressing the challenge of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and their affiliates who travelled to Syria and Iraq to join Da'esh and other terrorist groups has been a priority for the EU and the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator since 2013, both within the EU and internationally. This article sets out comprehensive EU cooperation with international partners on foreign terrorist fighters: It covers EU action related to the camps and prisons in North East Syria where FTFs and family members are held, accountability of FTFs and affiliates, cooperation on FTFs with the EU’s neighbourhood: Turkey, Western Balkans and Middle East and North Africa regions, multilateral engagement with the United Nations and other fora as well as addressing Islamist extremist ideology which is contributing to the radicalization process. From a practitioner's perspective, the article provides the EU policy framework and its evolution, as well as examples of capacity building and other initiatives.

RECLAIMING POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY: A CRITICAL STUDY OF WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN MAINSTREAM POLITICS IN PAKISTAN

Women account for over half of the global population, yet women are politically marginalized and underrepresented in third-world countries. Long-standing conventional structural and socio-economic difficulties hurt their mobility, socialization, political and electoral engagement, and participation in decision-making forums. They cannot make significant changes to socio-political trends because of their limited effectiveness. Their political emancipation was weakened and domesticated by Pakistan's traditional patriarchal mentality and the emergence of Islamic extremism. Although women in Pakistan have overcome the obstacles above and increased their representation in Parliament, they still have a bit of a way to go before actively participating in the decision-making process. Over time, there has been a growing realization that the only way to achieve a gender-balanced society that addresses women's issues is to encourage greater participation of women in governance structures. There are significant differences in women's political participation in diverse parts of the globe. This study examines the reasons for the increase in the number of women in legislatures in other parts of the world, focusing on South Asia and presenting the case of Pakistan. This study focuses on the political participation of Pakistani women. The Pakistani Parliament in 2002 now shows the highest level of feminine representation in the country’s history. The study examines how Pakistani women benefit from their numerical superiority in Parliament, whether women are "agents of change" or "agents of change," and whether these alterations are driven by women or triggered by external factors. This study examines the challenges women face in Pakistan in overcoming political marginalization and recommends creating a more comprehensive and representative civilization.

The Role of Religious Political Parties in Democracy-Reasons for Their Influence on the People of Pakistan

In Pakistan's political system, religious political parties do play a significant role. These parties have generally fought for legislation that is in line with Islamic ideals and has the support of conservative, religiously motivated population segments. They have successfully influenced the nation's political discourse and energized citizens around religious themes. Their impact has also been a contentious issue. According to critics, religious political parties foster intolerance and extremism, which can harm societal cohesion and minority rights. This has given rise to challenges such as sectarian conflicts, the persecution of religious minorities, and the demise of some spiritual institutions, but it has also given rise to a framework for governance. National and local political parties must cooperate at the federal and provincial levels to combat Islamic extremism in Pakistan. In order to create policies that support tolerance, diversity, and respect for minority rights while respecting the Islamic principles that are essential to the nation's identity, collaboration is essential. This demands a holistic approach encompassing education, discourse, and efforts to alleviate socioeconomic factors that can contribute to extremism. Furthermore, promoting an atmosphere that supports moderate and forward-thinking readings of Islam and principles of peace, coexistence, and social harmony is critical. This can be done by encouraging a pluralistic understanding of Islam involving religious scholars, local leaders, and civil society organizations. Strengthening democratic institutions and fostering a climate of religious freedom and pluralism are essential for combating religious extremism. The rights of religious minorities must be protected, and their equal participation in political processes must be guaranteed. To maintain Pakistan's political environment as inclusive, tolerant, and respectful of the rights and aspirations of all its residents, it is important to balance Islamic principles and democratic norms.

Khilafah Political Controversy in Indonesia

This paper aims to investigate the political controversy surrounding the caliphate in Indonesia. Using a qualitative approach, this study explores the perspectives of various stakeholders on the topic, including religious leaders, politicians and the general public. The study also analyzes the historical background and current political environment in Indonesia to understand the context of the controversy, using normative juridical research methods. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country, and the idea of a caliphate has been the subject of political controversy for many years. A caliphate is an Islamic state led by a supreme religious and political leader, known as the caliph, who is considered the successor of the Prophet Muhammad. The concept of the caliphate has been a subject of debate among scholars and political leaders in Indonesia, with some in favor and others opposed. The results show that the controversy surrounding the caliphate in Indonesia is complex and multi-dimensional, with a variety of opinions and perspectives. Some argue that the caliphate is essential for uniting the Muslim world and reviving the prestige of Islam, while others believe that the caliphate is incompatible with the principles of democracy and the diversity of the Indonesian population. The research also emphasizes the role of politics in shaping the debate and the impact of external factors, such as global politics and the actions of Islamic extremist groups. This research contributes to a better understanding of the political controversy surrounding the caliphate in Indonesia and its potential impact on Indonesia's future. The findings can inform policy decisions and provide insights for future research on related subjects.

Decoding the U.S. justice system’s response to typologies of domestic terrorism

This study adjudicates disparities in the United States government’s response to different terrorism typologies under a domestic legal framework. Far Right and Islamic Extremist typologies were compared and informed by Structural-Contextual theory. The study leveraged data from the American Terrorism Study to evaluate empirically prosecutorial approaches, plea and trial conviction rates, the magnitude of investigatory resources applied, and levels of explained variance between groups. Total conviction rates were largely different among groups, with significantly harsher outcomes for Islamic Extremists. The author proposes a variation of Structural-Contextual theory, where a proactive political environment is predictive of more severe outcomes.

The De-Extremism Strategy of Egypt’s Sisi Government and Its Practice

After the collapse of the Mubarak regime, the activities of Islamic extremism organisations in Egypt have been frequent, which brought great challenges to national security and social stability. After Sisi came into power, the Egyptian government took various measures to actively promote the de-extremism work, however, the difficulties in the process of Egypt’s de-extremism cannot be ignored. Whether the transition of de-extremism from a movement to a institution can be realised will be the key to its long-term effect.

What Do Overrepresented and Underrepresented Groups Tell Us About Risks for Involvement in Islamist Extremism?

On the basis of empirical research on an underrepresented group—Turkish-Dutch youngsters—and an overrepresented group—converts—in Islamist extremist movements, we want to contribute to the debate on what fosters radicalization and resilience. While in both the underrepresented and the overrepresented group there are ample factors recognizable that are commonly identified as contributing to radicalization, Turkish-Dutch youngsters hardly become involved in Islamist extremism, while converts are involved to a larger extent than one might expect on the basis of the number of converts. To shed light on these findings, we will demonstrate how this differential involvement can be understood through the concept of “relational embeddedness”. 1 We will demonstrate how the relational embeddedness of this underrepresented and overrepresented group contributes in various ways to either the lack of susceptibility or the susceptibility to involvement in Islamist extremist groups. We will do this with reference to their sources of identification, their religious socialization, and the availability of legitimate political pathways. In the concluding discussion, we will argue that these insights can contribute to a more nuanced policy approach.

The Implications of Turkish Interventions in Rojava for US and EU Foreign Policies

This paper examines how Turkish invasions into Northern Syria’s Kurdish enclave undermine US and European policy objectives. It argues that the Turkish state, obsessed with Kurdish hostility, endangers American and European foreign policies by further destabilising war-torn Syria, facilitating the empowerment of Islamist extremist groups, impeding a peaceful resolution to Syria’s protracted conflict, and assisting Russia’s anti-Western interests. The paper suggests that the US and Europe could rather deploy a dual strategy aimed at exerting pressure on Turkey to discontinue its disruptive and belligerent actions. To cease targeting anti-ISIS Kurdish forces, Turkey must either resume the Kurdish-Turkish peace process or risk being designated as a rival state, analogous to Russia, and subjected to punitive sanctions.

Islamist Responses to the August 2021 Taliban Takeover of Afghanistan: The Case of Malaysia

ABSTRACT This study seeks to uncover how Malaysia’s Islamists responded to the August 2021 re-assumption of the reins of government in Afghanistan by the Taliban. Utilizing semi-structured interviews held with Malaysian stakeholders of the country’s Afghanistan-related policies, this article finds that, despite forebodings swirling around the policy-making community regarding a possible hike of violent extremism following the rapid collapse of Afghanistan’s American-supported government, the impact of Taliban’s ascendancy on the growth of Islamist extremism in Malaysia has so far been negligible. However, taking into account past close linkages between jihadist networks of Malaysia and Afghanistan during the latter’s occupation by the Soviet Union, this research urges all stakeholders to not under-estimate the plausibility of violent offshoots emerging from non-violent manifestations of Islamist extremism in Malaysia. While conceding that non-violent extremism is the more prevalent form of Islamist radicalism to be threatening peace in Malaysia, evidence of the recent willingness of young Malay-Muslim zealots to fight alongside Muslim terrorists in Iraq, Syria and the Philippines should be enough to ring alarm bells to the Malaysian authorities. This study’s novelty lies in having derived input from Malaysian informants who have had first-hand experience in dealing with Taliban and other interested parties in Afghanistan.

Cyber-Radicalization: A New Breeding Ground for Violent Extremism in Bangladesh?

In recent years, people in Bangladesh have faced a new security concern over cyber-radicalization. Due to the increased visibility of law enforcement agents on the ground, Islamist extremists are turning more and more to cyberspace to further their objectives. Despite the growing danger posed by cybercrime, there is insufficient research on cyber-radicalization. So, it is essential that a comprehensive study be carried out to bridge this void of knowledge. The central research question, “How do internet-based social media tools serve as a breeding ground for violent extremism in Bangladesh?” is addressed in the study with empirical data. The research examines how cyber-radicalization affects social stability and personal lives. It also analyzes the difficulties security personnel encounter in combating the growing danger of cybercrime. A mixed-method approach has been employed to address the research question. The findings revealed that the manipulation of technology, free access to the internet, and the lack of a clearly defined legal framework make it easy for extremists to radicalize cyberspace. The study underlines the urgent need for a thorough, all-encompassing strategy to address the concern.