Co-radicalisation of Islamist and Nativist Extremists in Europe

Abstract

A vast amount of social science research has been dedicated to the study of Islamist extremism – in particular, to uncover its psychological and structural drivers. However, the recent revival of extreme-right extremism points to the need to investigate this re-emerging phenomenon. This article highlights some of the characteristics of the extremisation of Islamism in Europe in parallel with the rise of the extremisation of right-wing extremist groups. In doing so, we explore similarities between Islamist and right-wing extremist individuals and groups. The main premise of the article is that a threat-regulation approach fails to understand the role of contextual and structural factors in the political and religious extremisation of individuals. Instead, the article claims that a reciprocal-threat model can better explain extremist violence since it is based on the idea that nativist and Islamist extremist individuals/groups are mutually threatening each other.

Don’t they want to, or can’t they? Political Participation and Engagement by Turkish postmigrant Youth in Germany

“…In other words, populist rhetoric that targets anti-elitist sentiments and anti-establishment beliefs and, for that matter, blames mainstream politics for the relative deprivation and victimhood of marginalized youth (see Barr, 2009) may also target the allegedly low external political efficacy of ethnic minority youth and gain support from them for their aims. Thus, to hinder not only the disengagement of mainstream politics but also (co-)radicalization of ethnic and religious minority youththose who were designated as Muslim by the majority (see Kaya, 2021;Kaya & Adam-Troian, 2021) mainstream politics in Germany should address the needs and demands of young people to encourage their political participation. The "democratic deficit narrative" reflects the narrow understanding of political participation.…”

“Consumed by creed”: Obsessive‐compulsive symptoms underpin ideological obsession and support for political violence

“…Understanding the psychological processes that contribute to radicalization remains critical for maintaining peace and security. The global wave of Islamist terrorism over the last two decades (Kaya & Adam‐Troian, 2021), the perceived risk of civil war in the United States (Orth, 2022; Rapoport, 2021) and the emergence of populist movements across Western countries (e.g., Yellow Vests in France, Mahfud & Adam‐Troian, 2021; anti‐vaccine movements, Pantucci & Ong, 2022) illustrate the social, political and economic harm that result from radicalization (Bardwell & Iqbal, 2021). In addition to small armed groups, recent conflicts in Syria, Libya, and the invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022 suggest that large‐scale conflicts fueled by extremist ideologies (such as Russian religious nationalism, Grzymala‐Busse, 2019) continue to play a major role in 21st century geopolitics.…”