Violent Extremist Groups Research Articles

Community Narratives in Producing Negative Images: Their Implications to Violent Extremism Recruitment

This study explores how narratives within communities affected by the All-Out war of 2000 contribute to the creation and transmission of enemy images against the government. It examines the role of these stories in fostering a social identity that otherizes the government and discusses the mechanisms of vertical transmission of these images from parents to children. The paper also considers the implications of these narratives for recruitment into violent extremist groups and suggests strategies for reframing stories to mitigate their impact on borrowed trauma.

Becoming an Ex-Extremist: Stopping the Hate and Embracing a New Identity

Abstract Domestic radicalization to violent extremism has evolved into the most urgent terrorism threat facing the West. We contribute to research on extremism and role exit processes by demonstrating how identity transformations are linked to the pursuit and avoidance of possible future selves motivated by negative emotional states of shame, embarrassment and guilt. The data are drawn from in-depth life history interviews with 47 former members of US domestic violent extremist groups. The interviewees, who had detailed accounts of childhood maltreatment, abuse and neglect, were vulnerable and looking for belonging, acceptance and significance in their lives. The interviews revealed that the extremist role identity conflicted with other emerging aspects of their selves (e.g. parent, spouse) that created an interaction between negative emotional states (i.e. shame, guilt and embarrassment) and doubts about their group involvement. The internal conflicts and emotional awareness opened individuals to embrace non-extremist versions of themselves. These processes diverted their extremist trajectory by creating doubts, engaging in anticipatory socialization and avoiding a feared possible self.

Evasive countermeasures: Boko Haram’s influence operations in the Lake Chad Basin region

Since its emergence, the insurgency group, Boko Haram has continued to wreak havoc on local communities in Northeast Nigeria and across the Lake Chad Basin region together with its offshoot, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP). This has led to the death of several people and the displacement of many others. While affected states in the troubled region have mostly responded through kinetic operations, the activities of both groups have continued unabated. These activities have mostly been achieved via attempts to exert influence in communities with little or minimal state authority. Previous studies have focused on the origins, causes, attacks, and consequences of the activities of the violent extremist group, yet its influence operations particularly in contested territories remain under-examined. This qualitative study foregrounds the need to close this gap using descriptive analysis. Countering Boko Haram and ISWAP’s influence operations in the Lake Chad Basin region remains the key to winning the “soft” war which is necessary to ultimately degrade, dismantle, and defeat these insurgency groups in the region.

Rethinking the US Global War on Terror in the Sahel (2001–2017) between deterrence and defeat of violent extremist groups

Rethinking the US Global War on Terror in the Sahel (2001–2017) between deterrence and defeat of violent extremist groups

Can Environmental Peacebuilding Tools Effectively Combat Terrorism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

Since the 2014 breakout campaign of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, IS affiliates have proliferated across the African continent. Given the consistent failure of military campaigns against violent extremist groups (VEGs), policymakers have begun to explore the use of alternative tools like environmental peacebuilding to address the root causes of these conflicts. This paper discusses trends in violent extremism in Africa; highlights the relationship between the environment, conflict, and peacebuilding; and assesses the utility of employing environmental peacebuilding frameworks to combat the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an IS affiliate in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The author finds that while environmental peacebuilding may slow recruitment by VEGs in Africa and could reduce conflict within the DRC, it is unlikely that such strategies would effectively stop the Allied Democratic Forces because the group is not primarily reliant upon locally generated funding, does not draw voluntary recruits locally, and relies rather little on the local population for support.

Boko Haram Terrorism and Socio-Economic Development in Borno State, Nigeria

The violent extremist group, Boko Haram, operating in Northeast Nigeria has severely damaged the region's infrastructures and left thousands of people displaced. The incessant violent attacks had caused serious disruption and decline in economic activities, investment and education. This would have substantial implication for the socioeconomic development of the North-East generally, and Borno state particularly. Borno state is the epicenter of Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria’s least developed geo-political zone. Terrorist activities over the years have further worsened the people’s already difficult socioeconomic conditions. Thus, the study adopted qualitative methodology to examine the effect of terrorism on Borno state’s socio-economic development. Hinged on state fragility theory, the study argued that whereas several efforts have been made to combat terrorism, Nigeria’s fragile and weak system greatly hampered these efforts. Considering the essentiality of education for long-term development, incessant abductions of pupils and disruptions of educational activities have further jeopardized the state's chances of development. The study found that terrorism has dealt a terrible blow on business activities, mobility, investment and educational opportunities in Borno state. In order to engender sustainable development, it is imperative that the Nigerian government, domestic stakeholders and international development partners intensify collaboration to address the menace of terrorism in Nigeria. Keywords: Boko-Haram, Displacement, fragility, Socio-economic development, Terrorism

Impact of Khilafat Movement on the politics of British India (1920-1940): a descriptive and exploratory analysis

Khilafat Movement was started in British India immediately after the end of the First World War (1914-18). Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar and Maulana Shaukat Ali, the graduates of Sir Syed Muslim Anglo-Oriental (MAO) College, were its founding leaders. It got mass recognition when the Indian National Congress, under the leadership of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, joined the Movement. It also provided a solid platform for propagating his famous political philosophy of non-violence. Unfortunately, when the Movement was at its peak, Gandhi separated himself from it based on his non-violence approach. This study is focused on the impacts of the Khilafat Movement on Indian politics during the period 1920-40. The descriptive and exploratory method was adopted to analyze the results of the Movement. Religious movements like Shuddhi, Sanghatan and Tablighi Movement, and the religious political party, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, were founded during and after the Movement. The Jamia Millia Islamia was founded against the Muslim University Ali Garh. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), initially a Hindu reformist movement, which later became a violent extremist group, was founded in 1925. Hindu-Muslim riots started after this Movement at regular intervals, which never ended till the partition of India in 1947.

Effects of National Government Administration Soft Approaches on Countering Violent Extremism in Garissa County, Kenya

The threat of violent extremist groups across the globe cannot be ignored as it is a multi-national problem. Appropriate response strategies need to be put in place by governments and regional economic blocks to mitigate the potential threats within the framework of Countering Violent Extremism (CVE). Research findings have revealed that, there is limited documented research done on the effectiveness of the CVE strategies being employed by these parties in countering the terrorism menace. Further, it reveals lack of a single consensus pathway to violent extremism, which in turn has proven complex especially in designing best practices for CVE in Kenya. Kenya is continuously under the threat of Al-Shabaab terrorist organization which has claimed attacks within the Kenyan boundaries. This study, therefore, sought to explore the success of national government use of soft approaches and the mitigation measures to make it achieve its objectives of ensuring a secure environment to her citizens. The study used class theory of terrorism and the rational choice theory to provide the necessary theoretical background. Descriptive research methodology was employed for this study and the respondents were drawn from the national government officers in Garissa County. The research reached out to 44 respondents from the national government, Garissa County. Key Informant Interviews (KII) and Focused Group Discussion (FGD) was used to acquire required data. Collected information underwent thorough cleaning, editing, and thematic grouping for qualitative analysis. Key finding from the study showed that Life skill trainings enhance CVE programmes and are very important interventions for reducing repetition and radicalization to violent extremism among children and youth offenders in Kenya to improve safety and security. Community engagement initiatives have created safe, mentored spaces for individuals to freely express themselves and challenge one another's beliefs. The study also underlined the greater role played by media in the fight against radicalization and VE. The study concludes that government should embrace partnership across board, put in place soft approaches, conduct threat analysis so as to adopt right strategies and also, address root causes of VE. Key recommendations include: Partnership for VE mitigation, Strengthening the capacity of institutions involved in CVE, Identification and addressing the local pull and push factors and addressing grievances that may lead to radicalization and recruitment.

Religion, Family Pressure, Life Conditions: Turkish Female Foreign Fighters in Their Own Words

ABSTRACT The article aims to contribute to the discussion why and how women join violent extremist groups by exploring the motivational factors among Turkish ISIS women, zooming in on the level of agency in their decision. Our focus was on Turkish women as there have been no previous studies of this cohort. We used thematic analysis of the transcripts from interviews with thirty-seven Turkish ISIS women. Our analysis revealed three main motivational factors: religion, family pressure, and escaping life conditions. The first main finding of the study is that the twenty-two women who viewed religion as more than a belief were motivated by political and ideological factors and had agency and choice. Secondly, the twelve women who are motivated by family pressure continued to strictly adhere to their traditional roles as dutiful daughters or dutiful wives to their militant fathers or husbands. Thirdly, the three women who often emphasized the oppressive conditions under which they lived and a desire to gain independence and wanted to be accepted, respected, and valued prioritized escaping current life conditions. The study indicates that Turkish ISIS women are driven by different motivational factors and that most of the women in the study made a rational choice to join ISIS, be it out of political or ideological motivations or to escape oppression. In this context, the findings reported here shed light on the fact that women, like men, may resort to violence as the best means of achieving their political purpose.

The Order of Nine Angles: Cosmology, Practice & Movement

The Order of Nine Angles (O9A)—a trans-national esoteric Satanist movement—is of growing interest to researchers and law enforcement because of its apparent connections to violent extremist individuals and groups. This article presents a primary source-driven exploration of O9A’s cosmology, practice, and movement intended to inform objective discussions about the movement’s nexus to violent extremism, and to help readers better understand the terms and concepts contained in O9A texts. At the heart of O9A’s outlook lies a perspective on human and spiritual evolution holding that the true ethos of Western civilization is pagan but has been corrupted by Judeo-Christian values. O9A thus believes Western society is irredeemable in its present form and seeks to inculcate “heretical” acts that can break the shackles of Judeo-Christian constructs and contribute to societal breakdown. As this article establishes, O9A’s philosophy and practice have meaningful overlaps with violent extremism but clearly identifiable acts of violent extremism are less easy to discern at the movement level.

WHERE IS TERRORISM GOING AND ARE CANADIAN AGENCIES PREPARED TO CONFRONT IT?

On November 22, 2022, Mr. Phil Gurski, President and Chief Executive Officer of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd., presented on Disruption and National Security. The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer period with questions from the audience and CASIS Vancouver executives. The key points discussed were the difficulties of the current definition of Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremist groups (IMVE), as well as the need for Canada’s security agencies to shift focus from IMVE back to Islamist terrorist organizations. Mr. Gurski also discussed the importance of maintaining public trust through oversight and improved communication with the public, as well as improving technology and understanding context when assessing data sourced from social media platforms. Received: 2022-12-05Revised: 2022-12-28

폭력적 극단주의와 테러집단의 사이버 인지전에 대한 미국의 법률적 대응

The rapid technologic development generated various emerging tec hnology and resulted in changes of patten of our lives. Accordingly, various violent extremist and terrorist groups have been exploiting n ew technology including communication technologies to further their causes and terrorists goals. Among these technologies, terrorists and extremists aggressively utilized the social network platforms to wage cyber warfare against the target population to obtain their mind wit h weaponaized narratives which have strong influence on human’s mind, emotions and behaviors. In response, the states’counter-terrori sm measurers seek to counter the cyber propaganda by means of ad opting new online laws. These new legal approaches aimed to preve nt, punish and control the extremism and terrorism contexts especia lly on the social network platforms. In particular, it follows that many Western countries have enacted online laws as the terrorists’ cyb er propaganda became an immanent national security treats. In this paper, the authors explored the legal responses of the United States like the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act of 2016 and the Combat Terrorist Use of Social Media Act of 2016. These laws have great potential to secure some tangible benefits by clarifying the bo undaries of forbidden conduct in accordance with the law requireme nt. These laws are particularly have considerable political and legal implications to South Korea. In South Korea, there would be some potential threats that pose the risk of utilization of the internet for radicalization and extremism purpose for their own causes. Therefor e, this paper attempts to investigate the legal response of the Unite d States to combat violent extremism and terrorism in cyberspace. I n results and discussion, the authors discussed policy implications a nd suggestions to further develop current counterterrorism policies a nd laws.

Assessing the Implications for Children in Violent Extremist Families

On September 8, 2022, the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies (CASIS) Vancouver hosted the Defence and Security Advisory Network (DSAN) workshop in which Dr. Joana Cook, Senior Project Manager at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) and Editor-in-Chief of the ICCT Journal, presented on Assessing the Implications for Children in Violent Extremist Families. The presentation was followed by a moderated question-and-answer period in which the audience was able to deepen their understanding of the topic. The discussion centered around understanding the context of children who are affiliated with violent extremist (VE) groups so that practitioners can better support them and address their specific needs.

Cultural intelligence and conflict ethnography: The importance of the anthropological knowledge for military advisors in fighting international violent extremist groups

The aim of this paper is twofold. That is, to present the Cultural Intelligence. A new method of anthropological analysis on the battlefield to support military intelligence in order to study subversive, terrorist and insurgent groups. Moreover, it is to define a new professional figure in military units and staffs: the ethnographer of war. A professional who, necessarily, must have a great military background and who must know how to apply the typical methodology of the ethnographic gathering to the analysis of unconventional military organizations that work to destabilize a state. A research that, therefore, has the ambition to give a small contribution to the technicians of the sector with the awareness that, in order to face the wars of the future, there will be an increasing need for an anthropological perspective.

Conservation science and policy should care about violent extremism

Protected areas are increasingly prone to violent extremism spillover, with dramatic consequences for both local people and wildlife populations. Due to the influence of violent extremist groups, science and policy generally fade away. We outline the case of the W-Arly-Pendjari complex of protected areas in West Africa (Burkina Faso, Benin, and Niger), 62% of which is currently under the control of violent extremist groups. The last large population of West African elephants may soon disappear if no action is taken. We discuss the roles of conservation science and policy in protected areas under violent extremism spillover, namely (i) maintaining and reinforcing international support, (ii) authentically engaging local communities in conservation and management strategies, and (iii) planning long-term conservation and security strategies.

A QUALITATIVE STUDY ON VIOLENT EXTREMISTS AND NEWS MEDIA: HOW MALAYSIAN ONLINE NEWS FRAMED VIOLENT EXTREMIST GROUPS INVOLVED IN THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR

The news has been a place for violent extremist groups to gain recognition internationally. The Syrian Civil war which had involved notorious and internationally recognised violent extremist groups is an example of this phenomenon. However, a limited number of studies had uncovered the thematic variation on how Malaysian online news frames violent extremist groups involved in the Syrian Civil War. Therefore, the present study explored whether the Malaysian news coverage of the violent conflicts that involved violent extremist groups active during the Syrian civil war may shed light on how mainstream news covers violent extremist groups. The present study employed a qualitative search and analysis of two popular online newspapers in Malaysia to identify the types of news frames on the news published during the peak of the Syrian civil war and when a notorious violent extremist group, Daesh (alternatively known as Islamic State (IS) or Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)), had shaken and threatened the world. A total of 272 news articles published between 2010 to 2020 were collected and analyzed. Analysis of the news frames revealed twelve different news frames. The frame with the highest occurrence was labelled as “Western destructive interventions”. The frame detailed out Western nations’ involvement in the war which caused damage to livelihood and civilizations in Syria and justified the violent extremist groups’ activities. The present study concludes that the Malaysian news media framing on violent extremist groups and other parties involved in the Syrian Civil War could have two varied forms, positive (heroic or humanized) or negative (destructive or demonized). The main contribution of this study is that it provides an insight into how Malaysian news media cover a conflict involving Muslim extremist groups. Additionally, the study adds to previous research on how violent extremist groups is framed in digital news.

An evaluation of factors pushing youth from Majengo, Mombasa Kenya into al-Shabaab: a methodological and theoretical analysis

ABSTRACT This study examines factors influencing youth from Majengo in Mombasa County in Kenya to join the Al-Shabaab violent extremist group. Drawing on empirical data and social movement theory, the study finds several contextual factors, including religious ideology, social media, and texts, as aiding the radicalisation process. The study findings are consistent with the existing literature in the sub-field of terrorism studies indicating the non-linearity of the radicalisation journey. The study is informed by insights from 30 in-depth qualitative interviews carried out between 2016 and 2019 in Mombasa with religious leaders, academic experts, community members and various government agencies. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used to collect qualitative data, which were analysed thematically. Secondary data was collected from books, academic journals, newspapers and grey literature. The study contributes to noted gaps in terrorism studies on the value of primary data in the analysis of political violence.

Bioterrorism: An analysis of biological agents used in terrorist events.

BackgroundThe Covid19 pandemic has reignited debates and discussions around healthcare systems' biosecurity vulnerabilities and cast a spotlight on the potential weaponization of biological agents. Terrorist and violent extremist groups have already attempted to incite the intentional spread of Covid19 and to use it as an improvised form of a biological weapon. This study aims to provide an epidemiological description of all terrorism-related attacks using biological agents sustained between 1970 and 2019.MethodsData collection was performed using a retrospective database search through the Global Terrorism Database (GTD). The GTD was searched using the internal database search functions for all events using biological weapons between January 1, 1970 - December 31, 2019.Results33 terrorist attacks involving biological agents were recorded between 1970 and 2019, registering 9 deaths and 806 injuries. 21 events occurred in the United States, 3 in Kenya, 2 each in both the United Kingdom and Pakistan and a single event in Japan, Columbia, Israel, Russia and Tunisia.ConclusionThe reported use of biological agents as a terrorist weapon is extremely rare and accounts for 0.02% of all historic terrorist attacks. Despite its apparent rarity, however, bioterrorism has the ability to inflict mass injuries unmatched by conventional weapons. Anthrax has been the most commonly used in previous bioterrorism events with the vast majority of reported attacks occurring in the United States by a single suspected perpetrator. Counter-Terrorism Medicine (CTM) and Disaster Medicine (DM) specialists need to be proactive in delivering ongoing educational sessions on biological events to first responder communities, and anticipate emerging novel biotechnology threats.

Mass Displacement and Violent Extremism in the Sahel: A Vicious Circle

With the Sahel crisis entering its tenth year, the indiscriminate violence faced by local populations trapped between various al-Qaeda and Islamic State-affiliated organisations, other non-state armed groups, and counter-terrorism operations, is forcing ever-growing numbers of civilians to flee, resulting in over 2.8 million people being forcibly displaced across Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Frequently representing the only coping strategy available, displacement however exposes internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees to even more precarious situations, while also raising important challenges for their host communities. Through an initial exploration of the complex interconnections between mass displacement and violent extremism, this policy brief aims to assess how displacement simultaneously constitutes one of the most tangible symptoms as well as a potentially aggravating factor of the Sahel crisis. More specifically, it considers the potential for mass displacement, which results from rising (extremist) violence, to perpetuate conditions conducive to violent extremism by increasing local tensions and grievances that have been known to be exploited by violent extremist groups.

Perempuan dan Peran Regenerasi dalam Lingkaran Ekstremisme Kekerasan: Narasi dari Indonesia Timur

This article argues the important roles played by women either in the act of violent extremism or in its countering by focusing particularly on the issue of regeneration. Through their traditional roles as a mother and wife, women can affect, manage, or even to a certain extent shape the choice of a family either to keep or to discharge violent extremism ideology in the family circle. The study was carried out in Poso, a small town in Central Sulawesi, Eastern Indonesia, which has experienced communal conflict between Muslim and Christian communities that eventually been transformed into violent extremism acts by jihadi-terrorist actors. Through conducting fieldwork in 2019 and continuing with an ‘in-distance study’ using communication technology in 2020, the study employed a qualitative method by interviewing 30 women in Poso. Following Vigh (2006) and Sjoberg & Gentry (2011), it contends that woman as agency carries out social navigation in dealing with uncertainties and socio-political crises as the consequence of protracted violent conflict in the area. This study concludes that despite being situated in the circles of jihadism which are more dominated by masculine character, women’s agency emerges in two forms: first, in nurturing and maintaining the ideology of violent extremism through inheriting revenge narratives, choosing a school, and involving children in extremism activities. Second, some women opt to leave violent circles off in their families by disclosing the spaces for dialogue and opening reflective personal communication with their children to provide broader viewpoints and non-violence values. The article closes with a reflection on the dynamic relations between mother and children as a pivotal factor in the regeneration process of violent extremist groups based on biographic narratives of mother and children in jihadi-terrorist family.