Essay Example on Radicalization: Understanding the Process of Homegrown Terrorism

Introduction

For years, decades, and generations, radicalizations have continuously been linked up with different definitions originating from various government institutions from diversified countries and states. However, it is usually frequently used when referring to cases of homegrown terrorism. The process by which an individual absorbs the idea, conventionalize it, agree to it or involved in the practical aspect of the approach to cause an unjustifiable action is what is referred to as radicalization (Mandel, 2009).

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This study aims at discussing two major radicalization models, stating how the models meet, in either definitions or anything else, and probably how they differ in the way they result. The study also looks at how behavior and psychology factors do lead to homegrown radicalization (Mandel, 2009). The study highlights some of the critical and harmonious ways of dealing with the effect of radicalization, to ensure that in the future, individuals stay with each other peacefully without creating chaos ad quarrels.

Differences between the Two Models

Borum and Wistorowicz differ in ideas concerning the procedures and steps that people either in a political, cultural or regional wing usually undergo, become becoming fully radicalized to become part of the terrorism (King & Taylor, 2011). Borum's first idea on radicalization originates when he fully explain whatever he thinks is responsible for radicalization in the linear and progressive model (Borum, 2011). He portrays his idea in the FBI law enforcement bulletin, where he states that for a person to become radicalized, he/she must have passed four main stages.

In the first stage, there is social and economic deprivation. A person feels that his rights on the nature of service delivery are being violated. As a result, he considers the behavior as wrong or "not right" as boron puts it (Borum, 2011). Inequality and resentment then follow as the second step. This is the stage, where after an individual has felt that he has been deprived or denied access to a particular product or service, he then decides to compare the situation with other persons of the same environment and in the same level. The person then sees the behavior as a form of unjust or illegitimate due to the evidence of inequality (King & Taylor, 2011). In this step, the person may blame a specific group of people and consider them responsible for the existing illegitimacy and grant them an expression "it is your fault." It is this stage that hatred may also begin.

This process of blaming and attributing an outside group is what is involved in the third stage or radicalization as depicted by Boron. After this step, stereotyping and demonization of the targeted group or enemy follow and marks the final stage. It in this step that people or person may generate negative stereotype to an outside group, and consequently, put the same blame on the entire group of the people in that group. Violence or rather terrorism, is then done to the stereotyped group by the radicalized.

On the other hand, Wiktorowicz on his linear and emergent model presents a different understanding towards understanding how individual typically become radicalized to finally involve in homegrown terrorism, via the process of radicalization (McCauley & Moskalenko, 2017). His concept generally is religiously based on the ethnicity of Muslims and other religious groups. He also highlights four significant stages or procedures that a person may go through. They include; cognitive opening, religion seeking, doing frame alignment, and finally socialization.

In the initial stage of "cognitive opening," a person is customarily observed going through a given personal crisis, especially when other surrounding personnel is so vulnerable to undergo conversion. This particular crisis may become triggered by several factors like; losing a job, facing discrimination cases with the people around, or in the process of conversation with an individual of a different interest as described by Wiktorowicz (King & Taylor, 2011). In the second stage of religious seeking, the author believes that if one had a conversation with someone like a Muslim in the first stage the, he may get and perhaps liken the idea, in this step, this person, may decide to declare openly that he needs to seek the same religion seemingly due to conviction or persuasion. The person then starts considering the extremist Islam groups as the correct group of people, instead of the people from the religion that he was present in, before conversion.

This step is referred to as frame alignment. Lastly is the socialization and joining the stage, where an individual declares openly that he is a Muslim, for instance, and ready to perform any act terrorism that the group is committing. Wiktorowicz uses Al-Muhajiroun as an extremist Islamic religion, and therefore, by an individual joining the group, he is promised to involve in some injustice actions that promote terrorism (King & Taylor, 2011).

Similarities between the Models

Both of the two models consist of four stages that lead to the complete procedure of radicalization. Also, the last stage of both of the models leads an individual to a step of performing terrorism. With the psychological approach of Boron and the ethnographic approach of Wiktorowicz, individuals become radicalized with the external factors and activities around them, by first expressing a form of dissatisfaction with the nature of how they are treated. Both the theories then lead to a stage where a person, tries to find a better solution for the existing dissatisfaction or disagreement.

Behavioral and Psychological Factors Associated With Disengaging From Terrorism

Previous studies have indicated that it may take many considerations before an individual withdraws from the extremist group of terrorism. For instance, some of the behavioral factors that may influence the process of disengaging stigmatization and religion (Kruglanski & Fishman, 2009). For example, a Christian or a Buddhist may decide to join the Islamic religion, after the conviction that the other religion is better and matches his/her wishes. Stress resulting from mistreatment is an example of a psychological factor that may make an individual get into an activity, leading to stereotyping (Kruglanski & Fishman, 2009). An individual may decide to develop a sense of hatred to a given outgroup in a society and community in a country, and finally to commit terrorism either at an individual level or in the group. Pessimism is another psychological factor that may influence the process of a person to disengage in terrorism.

Efforts or Programs Most Effective In Countering Radicalization

In the fight against extremism, states and countries are working so hard to develop some of the necessary strategies to help in fixing the problem. One primary reason for this concern is that homegrown terrorism is an excellent inhibitor to any state's development agenda and achievement of goals and objectives, as the general process deters development and may sometimes involve the destruction of properties and loss of lives (Bizina & Gray, 2014).

Healthy cities network is one of an international strategy that international organizations usually work in collaboration or partnership to inform, do empowerment, representation, building, and connecting countries (Selim, 2016). Empowerment is the dominant role, as the network provides appropriate approaches. Some of these approaches aim at creating community awareness in distinct countries. By doing this, individuals can learn and seize from the process of stereotyping. This piece of informative communication may be done via the internet to capture the attention of many internet users whose numbers have significantly increased over the last decade (Greenberg, 2016).

Safe spaces initiative is another program that incorporates a vast range of interdisciplinary teams, which may include the social workers, clinical technicians or nurses, religious leaders, and a group of spokespersons working to defuse rumors and solving instances of misunderstanding between people in the society (Beutel et al., 2016). One prominent advantage of this approach is that, the teachings which are involved in the initiative help communities to create awareness on the legal rights of people.

References

Beutel, A., Weine, S., Saeed, A., Mihajlovic, A., Stone, A., Beahrs, J., & Shanfield, S. (2016). Guiding principles for countering and displacing extremist narratives. Contemporary Voices: St Andrews Journal of International Relations, 7(3). Retrieved from https://jtr.st-andrews.ac.uk/articles/10.15664/jtr.1220/print/

Bizina, M., & Gray, D. H. (2014). The radicalization of Youth as a Growing Concern for Counter-Terrorism Policy. Global Security Studies, 5(1). Retrieved from http://globalsecuritystudies.com/Bizina%20Youth-AG.pdf

Borum, R. (2011). Radicalization into violent extremism II: A review of conceptual models and empirical research. Journal of Strategic Security, 4(4), 37-62. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/26463911.pdf

Greenberg, K. J. (2016). Counter-radicalization via the internet. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 668(1), 165-179. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0002716216672635

King, M., & Taylor, D. M. (2011). The radicalization of homegrown jihadists: A review of theoretical models and social psychological evidence. Terrorism and Political Violence, 23(4), 602-622. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09546553.2011.587064

Kruglanski, A. W., & Fishman, S. (2009). Psychological factors in terrorism and counterterrorism: Individual, group, and organizational levels of analysis. Social Issues and Policy Review, 3(1), 1-44. Retrieved from https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1751-2409.2009.01009.x

Mandel, D. R. (2009). Radicalization: What does it mean. Home-grown terrorism, 101-113. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=8w2hCxoNG6EC&oi=fnd&pg=PA101&dq=definition+of+radicalization&ots=7DtKg6rtAB&sig=lR7EJqHgyZyczC48KNrloX_Zq1E

McCauley, C., & Moskalenko, S. (2017). Understanding political radicalization: The two-pyramids model. American Psychologist, 72(3), 205.

Selim, G. (2016). Approaches for countering violent extremism at home and abroad. The Annals of the American academy of political and social science, 668(1), 94-101. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0002716216672866