Islamic Extremism Research Articles

Poso’s Second Jihad: The Local, the National, the Global

ABSTRACT This article looks at the second Poso jihad from 2011 to 2022, focusing on its local, national, and global dimensions. Drawing upon 62 interviews with members of Poso-based Islamist extremist groups, it advances three arguments: First, it contends that at the local level the lingering grievances and perceptions of injustice as well as the initial jihadi leaders, trainers, and recruits provided continuity between the first and second Poso jihads. Second, it posits that the jihadi training camps served as the crucial bridge connecting the local, the national, and the global dimensions. Third, it argues that the interplay between the local, national, and global enabled MIT to periodically regenerate its jihad and to have a reach far beyond its numbers.

The Impact of Islamic Extremist Terrorist Attacks on the British Muslim Community

This study investigates the impact of Islamophobic hate crimes on the British Muslim community in the aftermath of the 2017 terrorist attacks in the UK (United Kingdom), which were largely linked to Islamic extremism. Using qualitative research methods, the project explores the psychological and social consequences experienced by Muslim communities, focusing on hate crimes and discrimination. Through participant questionnaires, the study identifies key themes such as heightened anxiety, fear of public safety, and altered online behaviours. Respondents reported feelings of paranoia, identity questioning, and social withdrawal, reflecting the emotional and mental toll of Islamophobia. Additionally, the rise in Islamophobic abuse, both in person and online, demonstrates the widespread prejudice faced by Muslims post-terrorist incidents. The research highlights gaps in current counter-terrorism strategies, particularly in addressing the secondary harm inflicted on Muslim communities. Victims often felt neglected by law enforcement, leading to calls for more robust protective measures, such as increased police presence in vulnerable areas and better communication between authorities and Muslim communities. Participants also recommended educational reforms to raise public awareness of Islamophobia and more responsible media coverage to prevent further stigmatization of Muslims. The study emphasizes the importance of policy changes to reduce hate crimes and foster social cohesion.

Biased Social Media Debates About Terrorism? A Content Analysis of Journalistic Coverage of and Audience Reactions to Terrorist Attacks on YouTube

Social media are an important source of news during crises such as terrorist attacks. However, how news media and their audiences make sense of terrorism on social media is subject to bias, for example, given their differential treatment of terrorism by right-wing versus Islamist extremist perpetrators. In this study, we analyze how incident- and perpetrator-related characteristics of terrorist attacks are associated with bias in public debates about terrorism on YouTube. We focus on selectiveness in which attacks are covered (gatekeeping bias), how attacks are covered (presentation bias), and how audiences react to coverage (audience bias). Methodologically, we employ a manual and an automated content analysis of terrorism coverage by five international broadcasters on YouTube ( N = 643, 2018–2020) and related user comments ( N = 193,721). Our findings illustrate how sociocultural contexts shape news bias in terrorism coverage, both in the form of gatekeeping bias and presentation bias—but we conclude with less evidence for audience bias in public reactions to terrorism, at least on social media. Consequently, journalists should critically question working routines in covering crises to avoid reinforcing power imbalances, especially those from Western contexts.

SCO and BRICS in an emerging multipolar world order

The year 2024 will be a milestone for the development of both the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS, a unique negotiating format for rapidly growing economies. This year, Kazan will host the BRICS summit, and Astana has already held the SCO summit, which was marked by the adoption of a number of important initiatives. The assessment of the results and historical significance of these summits requires a special study, in this article we will look at the state in which both BRICS and SCO approached them, what problems they are currently facing and what prospects open up to them in the context of a global transformation of the IR system. The first section examines the main stages of the formation and current trends in the development of the SCO. The author emphasizes that in addition to addressing traditional challenges, the SCO member states are actively cooperating in countering new threats, such as separatism, drug trafficking, terrorism, and Islamic extremism. In this context, the SCO countries are particularly attentive to the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan. The author concludes that although the SCO member countries have managed to create a solid legal framework and effective mechanisms of interaction, there are contradictions and even clashes between them on a number of issues. The second section identifies the stages of formation and current trends in the development of BRICS. The author notes that in the last few years, BRICS have been actively expanding both quantitatively by including more and more new countries in the association, and qualitatively, exploring new forms and areas of cooperation. In this regard, special attention is paid to the efforts to create a BRICS currency and to cooperation within the framework of the New Development Bank. According to the author, the SCO summits in Astana and BRICS in Kazan in 2024 should bring the development of these international structures, which embody hopes for the establishment of a new, fairer world order, to a qualitatively new level.

Deconstructing Orientalist Representation of The East in Yasmina Khadra’s Sirens of Baghdad

Because of the blatant, direct persecution, and misrepresentation of all Iraqis, which comes from an Orientalist’s ignorant perception of the Orient (Iraqi), this study will be conducted to show the different misrepresentations of Arabs and Iraqis by the American tropes in a novel entitled The Sirens of Baghdad written by an Algerian novelist, Khadra Yasmina. The current study explores orientalists’ misrepresentation and the Western gaze towards the Middle East, especially the Iraqi character. Khadra portrays the complex life of Iraqis during the invasion of 2003, in the context of us versus them. Drawing on the critical framework of Orientalism theory by the theorist Edward Said, this paper examines how Sirens of Baghdad deconstructs Orientalist representations by giving voice to marginalized perspectives and resisting the erasure of local knowledge and agency. Khadra's narrative subverts simplistic depictions of “Islamic extremism”, highlighting the multifaceted social, political, and psychological factors that shape an individual's path towards violence and, ultimately, the possibility of redemption and nonviolent resistance. The study emphasizes the importance of embracing nonviolent resistance which represents a powerful alternative to the spiral of violence, gesturing towards the possibility of reconciliation and moral progress.

Basic Psychological Needs and Extremism: Understanding Theories Through Meta-Analysis

ABSTRACT Extremist attacks pose a dangerous threat to society and past work suggests that many factors can contribute to radicalization. The present project aims to combine literature from multiple theories of radicalization to meta-analyze the association between basic psychological needs and extremism. From 46 articles containing 75 samples, 248 effect sizes were retrieved (N = 30,082). There is not a significant overall association between basic psychological needs and extremism. However, the operationalization of the need explains a significant amount of variance in the effect sizes, such that need satisfaction is negatively associated with extremism (r = −0.09, 95 percent CI [−0.15, −0.03]) whereas desire for a need is positively associated with extremism (r = 0.21, 95 percent CI [0.14, 0.28]). This finding suggests that how researchers define basic psychological needs is important when examining the role of needs in radicalization and theorists should continue to incorporate them in their models. Furthermore, the nature of extremism explains a significant amount of variance in the effect sizes, such that basic psychological needs are positively associated with Islamist extremism and negatively associated with far-left extremism. Directions for future research and implications for countering violent extremism interventions are discussed.

Targeting muslims beyond Europe: preventing violent extremism and radicalisation in Kosovo

Ervjola Selenica is post-doc fellow and adjunct professor in Terrorism and Counterterrorism at the University of Bologna and associate research fellow at the University of Sussex. Previously, she was post-doc fellow at Scuola Normale Superiore (Firenze). She holds a PhD in International Studies (University of Trento), an MSc. in International Development Studies (University of Amsterdam), a BA in International Relations and Political Science (University of Bologna), and a PGDip on Peace and Conflict (Peace Research Institute Oslo). Her research interests include education, international interventions, conflict, global changes. She has published at The Journal of Contemporary European Studies, Italian Political Science Review/Rivista Italiana di Scienze Politiche, Critical Studies on Terrorism, Globalisation, Societies and Education, and Journal of Southeast European and Black Sea Studies. The paper analyses national and international interventions on preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) and radicalisation in Kosovo and their underpinning rationales. The analysis seeks to understand how a country with a Muslim majority is targeted by P/CVE and counter-radicalisation policies. Furthermore, it seeks to understand whether these policies are informed by an understanding of violent extremism and radicalisation as underpinned by Islamic extremism and, if so, how they tackle and interact with the question of Islam in Kosovo. The article has found that P/CVE and counter-radicalisation policies in Kosovo are mainly externally driven and funded, rest upon the same preventative, anticipatory logic that has characterised similar policies implemented in EU member states, are informed by an understanding of violent extremism and radicalisation as ideological processes fuelled by radical Islam, and encompasses an all-societal approach combining hard and soft measures of prevention as those found in other EU and non-EU contexts.

Extremists of a feather flock together? Community structures, transitivity, and patterns of homophily in the US Islamist co-offending network.

Prior research suggests that members of terrorist groups prioritize forming network ties based on trust to improve their organizational and operational security. The homophily principle, which postulates that individuals tend to form relationships based on shared characteristics, can be a key mechanism through which people identify trustworthy associates. Next to homophily, the mechanism of establishing interconnected relationships through transitivity is also well-known to serve this purpose and shape community structures in social networks. We analyze the community structures of the Islamist co-offending network in the United States, which is highly violent, to assess whether homophily and transitivity determine which extremists form co-offending ties. We rely on a new database on the individual attributes and the co-offending relationships of 494 Islamist offenders radicalized in the United States between 1993 and 2020. Using community detection algorithms, we show that the US Islamist co-offending network is highly clustered, modular, and includes many small but only a few large communities. Furthermore, results from exponential random graph modeling show that transitive relationships as well as spatial proximity, ideological affiliation, and shared socio-cultural characteristics drive co-offending among US Islamist extremists. Overall, these findings demonstrate that the processes of homophily and transitivity shape violent social networks.

Dakwah Anti Ekstremisme Melalui Media Instagram (Analisis Konten Di Instagram Infonusia)

This Process of information disclosure is very easy to be used by extremist Islam. They aggressively spread propaganda through social media, both in text to audio-visual. This has triggered unrest for the public by looking at the phenomenon that is happening right now, because social media is currently not friendly and leads to wrong understanding. This has become an urgent need for the community, given the extreme upheaval of Islamic extremism to surface to look for pilgrims. This researcher wants to explore the process of making da’wah conten through social media, as well as knowing the standards used in making da’wah content, with the hope that the public will be able to choose correctly which media propagate the noble values of Islam by emanating respect for the people.

Islamist Extremism in Australia: Tracing the Ideological Roots and Pathways to Radicalisation

Australia has not been immune from patterns of recruitment, attacks and foreign fighters harbouring the ideology of Islamist-jihadism. This paper draws on sociological data from a nationwide survey of 1034 Muslim Australians to analyse the way in which pathways to knowledge exist for Muslim Australians in relation to interpretations of Islam and, importantly, the adoption of an Islamist or Militant interpretation. Islamist and Militant typologies will be examined to see if their sources of Islamic influence were different or the same in their belief formation compared with more moderate typologies. This paper will also examine those participants who indicated that the Quran should be read literally and analyse the overall religiosity of the various typologies, with the aim to get a sense of the connection between (moral/ethical) belief formation and daily ritual of Islamists and Militants. This paper finds that Muslim Australians categorised as Political Islamist and Militant are more likely to have been influenced by mainstream areas of Islamic knowledge and discourse, such as the Quran, hadith, ulema, and the mosque, whilst also interpreting the Quran literally and praying daily. These findings suggest a challenging path forward for counterterrorism and countering violent extremism policies and programs in Australia.

Religion and authoritarianism in the Maldives: Is another authoritarian reversal in the Maldives imminent?

AbstractThe Maldives commenced its transition to democracy after its first multiparty elections in 2008. This was challenging due to the Maldives being a Muslim nation, its authoritarian legacy of monarchical rule before independence, and by dictatorship after independence. This article analyzes the postindependence rule periods of Ibrahim Nasir and Maumoom Abdul Gayoom, which were akin to one‐man dictatorships. The third autocratic president postindependence, Abdulla Yameen, was an electoral authoritarian as he implemented authoritarian measures in a multi‐party context. I assess if religion provided political legitimacy to these authoritarian leaders or if religion was exploited by leaders to gain political support and civic spaces. Theories of authoritarianism, religious populism, electoral authoritarianism, as well as concepts of the ulema‐state alliance and the rentier state are utilized. In addition to their authoritarian legacy, democratic presidents like Mohamed Nasheed and Mohamed Solih had grappled with politicians' manipulation of religion through political Islam, Islamic nationalism, and fundamentalism to derail democracy by equating it to Westernization. These events resonate with Samuel Huntington's description of the conflict between the West and Islam as a clash of civilizations. Crimes against liberal thinkers by Islamic extremists are an added challenge. There is a real danger of another authoritarian reversal in the Maldives.

Russian Subversive Influence on Islamic Radicalism in the Countries of the Western Balkans

After the outbreak of the war in Bosnia-Hercegovina (1992 – 1995) and of the armed conflicts in Albania, (1997), Kosovo (1998 – 1999) and North Macedonia (2001), the unchecked influx of dozens of extremist Islamist organizations from the Middle East began. Those organizations invested millions of Dollars to propagate a radical ideology and stoke religious hatred in all Western Balkan countries populated by Muslims.Furthermore, subversive activities of Islamic organizations have been observed since the beginning of the Russian military aggression in Ukraine. Those organizations support Putin openly and disseminate negative propaganda against the Western world, in line with certain doctrines pertaining to expanding Russian influence in the Muslim world. Additionally, they foster interreligious hatred in the region.

Understanding Islamic Extremism Away from the Dominant Normative Paradigm

Much academic interest has been given to the relationship of Islam with extremism, with such relationship being too often articulated in terms of religiosity as the main predictive factor, and a language of normativity positing that extremism is the negative manifestation and excess of Muslim discourses. This systematic review attempts to account for such normative assumptions by looking at the predictive ability of psychosocial and environmental factors related to social identity processes, in addition to the predictive ability of religiosity in accounting for Islamic extremism. Two search rounds were performed using several databases for peer reviewed English language articles, of all types of research designs, between 2012 and 2023 defining Islamic or Muslim extremism as a deviation from the dominant Eurocentric normative definition and delineating its predictors. The review revealed a differing account regarding the roots of Muslim extremism in which exclusion from the modern world-system—framed in terms of perceived threat, deprivation, discrimination, and oppression—is highlighted, while religiosity had predominantly insignificant effects. The paper calls for a reconsideration of extremism among Muslims away from the normative paradigm set forth by the modern world-system.

Islamist Extremism, Propaganda, And New Media: A Case Study of @Mutiaradabiq During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The activities of Islamist extremist actors are increasingly intensive during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which they are progressively active in producing Islamist narratives in cyberspace. Strategic communication is one of the techniques for Islamist extremist groups to perpetuate their influences on society through social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus this research aims to study propaganda as part of strategic communication in Islamist extremist activities during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021), primarily through Facebook @MutiaraDabiq. This research considers that strategic communication and propaganda are two interrelated communication entities. This study is qualitative research and uses critical discourse analysis (CDA) as a method of data analysis. This research argues that propaganda on social media worked significantly through verbal and visual discourse uploaded by Islamist extremist actor, who reveals rational connections between language use and social reality. This study found how the existences propaganda of this Facebook account can exist during the COVID-19 pandemic by; first, strategic communication emerges into instrumental propaganda at the @MutiaraDabiq performance, and second, strategic communication flourish in discourse logic at the @MutiaraDabiq account.

The de facto Autonomous Governance and Stability in the Middle East: The Case of Kurds in Rojava

ABSTRACT While the fight against ideological warfare of the Islamic State (ISIS) would not be possible without an effective counter ground operation led by the Kurds, these unique players in regional stability have contributed to the mitigation, and in some cases the elimination of Islamist extremist ideology, conducing to the human security of the region. Viewing these actions within a pro-democracy approach, this paper will demonstrate why the international community, led by the United States and EU, needs to, indeed ought to consider the Kurdish de facto autonomous region model as an element for stability. The resulting outcome could help contribute to the regional security of the Middle East, and also prevent the perpetration of any future atrocities against the Kurds and other minorities. Through a collective case study and a qualitative set of data, this paper will evaluate the de facto autonomous governance experience of the Kurds, its impact, and its potential.

Disorienting the Native Struggle for Independence: A Postcolonial Reading of Leila Slimani's Historical Novel, The Country of Others

Novels can both reinforce colonialism and undermine liberation movements, especially when they echo colonial narratives. This dynamic is critically examined in Leila Slimani's historical novel, "The Country of Others," through a postcolonial close reading approach. The novel's depiction of France's colonialism in Morocco is presented in a misleading light. It offers a stark contrast in character portrayal: European characters are depicted as agents of a “civilizing mission,” with aspirations to bring prosperity, good health, and education to Moroccans. This portrayal not only feeds into a narrative of cultural superiority, depicting Europeans as emotionally complex and culturally advanced, but also subtly suggests benevolence in their colonial endeavors. Conversely, indigenous Moroccan characters are shown in a more one-dimensional and negative manner, often associated with violence, particularly against women. Furthermore, the novel intertwines Morocco's struggle for national independence with contemporary discourses on Islamic extremism, casting this historical fight less as a pursuit of freedom and more as an aggressive and antagonistic movement.

Explaining the Impact of Extremist Groups in the UK After 9/11

The current study aimed to identify definitions of extremism, its forms, and the reasons for its emergence in societies. In addition to the roots of extremism in the three religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This research studies the role and effects of the 9/11 attacks on the United States as a turning point in modern history and a link between extremism, violence, and global jihad. Al Qaeda as a paradigm. This study uses the descriptive narrative method to describe the characteristics and origins of Islamic extremism and study the attributes of far-right British extremist groups in the UK as a study case. The narrative approach is selected because it is often used to understand individuals and groups better and describe a phenomenon. This study will prove the extent to which extremism directly affects societies and individuals. It also will reveal that extremism often flourishes in environments characterized by social and economic disparities, political instability, ideological polarization, and undemocratic governments. Moreover, the role played by electronic platforms and social networking sites, in addition to mosques and religious sermons, works to facilitate the spread of extremism. Extremist ideologies emerge as a worrying contemporary challenge. The thesis emphasizes the importance of precise and context-specific strategies to combat extremism, emphasizing the need for collaboration between governments, civil society, and technology providers. In conclusion, this research contributes to the academic understanding of extremism, provides a general knowledge of its motivations, and gives recommendations to face it. By comprehensively addressing the root causes and manifestations of extremism, it advocates for holistic approaches that foster inclusivity, education, and social cohesion as essential components in mitigating the impact of extremist ideologies on global society.

Causes of the Palestine-Israel Crisis as Perceived by Israeli Muslims

Generally, a great number of papers, books, theses, scholarly conferences have been dedicated to causes of the Israeli-Arabconfrontation, and the problem in question will still be explored in its complexity and diversity. The aforementioned assault, launched by Hamas, once again attracted attention of the world community and of specialists of the domain. The tragedy was followed by unprecedented large-scale rallies supporting Palestinians held in various cities all over the world. In some countries, people were split and confronted each other, whereby some supported the quite legitimate military activities, carried out by Israel, while others, alongside demanding avoidance of innocent victims, appeal against incessant oppression of Palestinian Arabs. Irrespective of the fact that the history of Israel abounds in instances of peaceful cohabitation of Palestinian Arabs and Jews, notonly various layers of populations of various countries, but also academic circles frequently posit the theory about the incompatibility of Palestinian Arabs and Jews, having been corroborated by discussions on demographic, economic and confessional causes. We can in no way accept this attitude; thus, in the present paper, we will do our best to answer the question whether there actually is insurmountable antagonism between Muslim communities and the state in Israel, where is the main watershed in the relationship between the majority and minorities, and, aside already discussed and explored causes, what other factors facilitate intensification of Islamist extremism and what conditions facilitate Muslims’ peaceful cohabitation and integration in Israel.

Globalization and Terrorism in Nigeria: A Retrospective Reflection

Nigerian sovereignty for more than a decade was challenged by the onslaught of Sunni Jihadism in the North-East. The Jihadist insurgency took a more frightening dimension with the emergence of Islamic State of West Africa Province, ISWAP in alliance with Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda Awati Wal-Jihad, otherwise known as Boko Haram in bid to Islamize a secular nation-state. This paper in retrospective sense examined the frightening reality and, argued that this absurdity is facilitated by global spread of Islamic extremism and terrorism. The discourse adopted qualitative research design to explore the relevance of secondary and non-participant observational sources of data collection and content-analyzed issues and enfolding events. The discourse revealed that well-coordinated suicide bombings of Louis Edet House, Nigeria Police Headquarters on June 16, 2011 and United Nations building on August 26, 2011 at Abuja, the Federal Capital, were visible manifestations of global terrorist links of Boko Haram with Al-Qaeda. And, subsequent pledge of allegiance to ISIL in March 2015 watershed the varicosity of global terrorism in Africa most populous country. In credence to these findings, the discourse suggested holistic review of national security strategy and operational

Deradicalization Concept of Islamic Extremists to Maintain Law and Order of West Java Area

This study aims to develop a deradicalization concept for Islamic extremists within the jurisdiction of the West Java Regional Police (Polda Jabar). The understanding of this concept is developed using qualitative descriptive methods and research and development (RND) designs. The research was prompted by data from the Global Terrorism Index in 2020, which ranked Indonesia fourth in the Asia Pacific region for its high terrorism index. This ranking is consistent with the factual conditions in Indonesia, where acts of terrorism and radicalism carried out by groups affiliated with Islam are prevalent. In the West Java Regional Police area, acts of radicalism and extremism affiliated with Islam are primarily concentrated along the south coast in places such as Garut, Tasikmalaya, and Sukabumi. Recently, a declaration of the Islamic State of Indonesia was discovered in the Garut region of West Java. The investigation conducted by the Garut Resort Police revealed significant community support for this declaration. If left unaddressed, this support poses a serious threat to the security and public order within the jurisdiction of the West Java Regional Police. Therefore, the focus of this research is to develop a deradicalization pattern for extremists associated with Islamic groups. The ultimate goal is to ensure security and public order within the jurisdiction of the West Java Regional Police. By implementing effective deradicalization measures, it is hoped that the threat posed by extremist elements can be mitigated, contributing to a safer and more stable region.
 Keywords: deradicalization, Islamic extremists, security, West Java