Talking to Foreign Fighters: Insights into the Motivations for <i>Hijrah</i> to Syria and Iraq

Dawson, Lorne L.; Amarasingam, Amarnath

doi:10.1080/1057610x.2016.1274216

Cited by 71 publications

(55 citation statements)

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“…A violence-justifying ideological narrative is needed to help shape expressions of self-sacrifice toward terrorism and other violence-inflicting acts for the sake of the group (Kruglanski et al 2018). Evidence suggests that specific scriptural passages help encourage violence (Bushman et al 2007), and religious beliefs have been found to play a key role in explaining religious extremism (Appleby 1999;Dawson 2018;Dawson & Amarasingam 2017;Wood 2016). In some cases, religiosity has been found to correlate with the increased endorsement of violent self-sacrifice (Cinnirella et al 2010;Rink & Sharma 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dying for the group: Towards a general theory of extreme self-sacrifice

Whitehouse¹

2018

Behav Brain Sci

154

178

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Whether upheld as heroic or reviled as terrorism, throughout history people have been willing to lay down their lives for the sake of their groups. Why? Previous theories of extreme self-sacrifice have highlighted a range of seemingly disparate factors such as collective identity, outgroup hostility, and kin psychology. This paper attempts to integrate many of these factors into a single overarching theory based on several decades of collaborative research with a range of special populations, from tribes in Papua New Guinea to Libyan insurgents, and from Muslim fundamentalists in Indonesia to Brazilian football hooligans. These studies suggest that extreme self-sacrifice is motivated by 'identity fusion', a visceral sense of oneness with the group resulting from intense collective experiences (e.g. painful rituals or the horrors of frontline combat) or from perceptions of shared biology. In ancient foraging societies, fusion would have enabled warlike bands to stand united despite strong temptations to scatter and flee. The fusion mechanism has often been exploited in cultural rituals, not only by tribal societies but also in specialized cells embedded in armies, cults, and terrorist organizations. With the rise of social complexity and the spread of states and empires, fusion has also been extended to much larger groups, including doctrinal religions, ethnicities, and ideological movements. Explaining extreme self-sacrifice is not only a scientific priority but also a practical challenge as we seek a collective response to suicide terrorism and other extreme expressions of outgroup hostility that continue to bedevil humanity today.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dying for the group: Towards a general theory of extreme self-sacrifice

Whitehouse¹

2018

Behav Brain Sci

154

178

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…While research into radicalization has mostly been conceptual and theoretical rather than empirical, some interesting interview studies have been conducted. Scholars have communicated with active jihadists in Syria on social media and using text messaging applications 22 and interviewed them when they are visiting their home countries. 23 Scholars have also conducted interviews with former jihadists 24 and even recent defectors from the Islamic State (IS).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Motivations for Jihad and Cognitive Dissonance – A Qualitative Analysis of Former Swedish Jihadists

Nilsson

2019

Studies in Conflict & Terrorism

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This study is based on interviews with three former Swedish jihadists, and it uses cognitive dissonance theory to analyze how their motivations for jihad changed-from the early stages of radicalization to fighting as part of a jihadist group and finally leaving jihad. It argues that cognitive dissonance is a causal mechanism, alternative to empathy and collective relative deprivation, that can explain how individuals with collective identities can be motivated to opt for jihad. For none of the interviewees did fundamentalist Islam provide a gateway into jihadism, nor did they seem to use Islam as a mere justification for violent behavior. Cognitive dissonance can also shed light on why some jihadists have not been susceptible to further radicalization by accepting even more radical ideas.

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“…As research by Lorne L. Dawson and Amarnath Amarasingam has demonstrated, it is not impossible to make contact with jihadists and interview them via online messaging apps. 2 But it probably is not feasible for most scholars to conduct the kind of in-depth, face-to-face qualitative life-history interviews that would facilitate introspection and illuminate their radicalization pathways, given the physical risks involved.…”

Section: Researching Jihadist Online Propaganda (Jop)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…; (2) what is its causal role in the radicalization process of jihadists? ; and (3) how is it received by the audiences it is intended to shake up, berate, or terrorize?…”

Section: Researching Jihadist Online Propaganda (Jop)mentioning

confidence: 99%