How identity crisis, relative deprivation, personal characteristics, and empathy contribute to the engagement of Western individuals in Islamist terrorist behavior

Abstract

Despite being raised in Western countries

Forced Migration, Diaspora Politics and Extremism: Conceptual, Policy and Operational Implications with a Focus on the United Kingdom

“…Functional models, largely designed by government security agencies, that set out to explain and predict the radicalisation process (Borum 2003;Moghaddam 2005;Silber and Bhatt 2007) identify triggers for radicalisation. Among migrants and refugees, frequently identified triggers include identity crises, social alienation, discrimination or social exclusion, racism, and poverty (Yusoufzai and Emmerling, 2017). As Rahimi and Graumans have observed, 'regardless of the diversity of causes, academic literature as well as governmental strategies have shown a consistent interest in the basic formula that a lack of cultural integration equals an increased threat of radicalisation' (2015: 28), and most of those who have been prosecuted for terrorism, at least in Canada, UK, and US, tend to be citizens, members of the community who were born in those states or who were naturalized over a long period of time.…”

Relative Deprivation as a Factor of Sociopolitical Destabilization: Toward a Quantitative Comparative Analysis of the Arab Spring Events

“…Studies of the reasons why Muslims from the West (Europe, United States, and Canada) become involved in terrorist organizations also show the importance of relative deprivation. Thus, the systematic discrepancy between the expected and the real experienced by Muslims living in the West forms a sense of frustration and injustice, which leads to the formation of the concept of “us against them” and the growth of violence (Yusoufzai & Emmerling, 2017; see also Abbas & Siddique, 2012; Awan, 2008; Murshed & Pavan, 2011).…”

ISIL recruiters as social media influencers: Mechanisms of legitimation by Australian Muslim men

“…In particular, Australia has witnessed a significant increase in young Australian Muslims involved in homegrown terrorism since the rise of the ISIL (Zammit, 2017). Among other factors, scholars have associated this with issues of identity and belonging (Dawson, 2018;Ingram, 2017;Yusoufzai and Emmerling, 2017), which is linked to the complex construction of Muslim identities in Western states and the multiple factors that can lead to radicalisation (Abdel-Fattah, 2017;Kabir, 2013;Rane, Ewart and Abdallah, 2010). Therefore, the objectives of this paper are to explore how young Australian Muslim men inspired by ISIL view themselves; how they believe they are viewed by others; and how negative discourses on Islam can affect their identity construction.…”

“…In many ways, identity is deeply intertwined with terrorism, radicalisation and Islamism, which provides a foundation for these processes and actions. However, the role of identity in the path to terrorism is rarely straightforward (Taylor and Louis, 2004;Yusoufzai and Emmerling, 2017). To narrow the scope of research, this literature overview will briefly discuss the four bases of identity, how this relates to the social structure of Muslim identity, and how ISIL uses identity in their recruitment strategy.…”

“…The hardened view he espouses in these comments suggests a strengthening of his ISIL identity in response to the threat posed by his friends. Research by Yusoufzai and Emmerling (2017) on Islamist terrorist behaviour has highlighted that individuals tend to harden their views and convictions when faced with uncertainty. Putting these two things together, it could be suggested that utilising both selective perception and interpretation allowed him to validate his role identity with ISIL, while remaining covert enough to avoid prosecution.…”