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Extremism and theology - Saudi style
November 9, 2008 | Posted by Londonstani - 7:54am | 1 Comment
This NYT article is a good follow on from the academic paper in the last post.
Now, Londonstani has always been more than a little skeptical about Saudi and Egyptian de-radicalisation efforts. Mainly because it has seemed mostly political in its objectives. ie. to convince Western allies that they are part of the solution and not the problem. Also, there's the huge elephant-shaped question of the Saudi government's own domestic policies. These de-rad schemes usually happily bypass this by blaming "deviant" ideology.
However, this scheme touches on what we were discussing in the last post; psychological issues.
"Though the Saudi government tends to explain its rehabilitation program in purely Islamic terms, as an effort to correct theological misunderstandings, the new program also addresses the psychological needs and emotional weaknesses that have led many young men to jihad in the first place."
and..
"Though the exact nature of the role that religious belief plays in the recruitment of jihadists is the subject of much debate among scholars of terrorism, a growing number contend that ideology is far less important than family and group dynamics, psychological and emotional needs. “We’re finding that they don’t generally join for religious reasons,” John Horgan told me. A political psychologist who directs the International Center for the Study of Terrorism at Penn State, Horgan has interviewed dozens of former terrorists. “Terrorist movements seem to provide a sense of adventure, excitement, vision, purpose, camaraderie,” he went on, “and involvement with them has an allure that can be difficult to resist. But the ideology is usually something you acquire once you’re involved.”
Psychological factors are not exclusive to young men from poor backgrounds. And, there's no suggestion that "mental deficiencies" are the only factor. Rather, there is an underlying thought processes going through a young man's mind when he's getting fired up listening to someone talk about the need to fight to protect weak Muslims. Does it give him a sense of self importance that was otherwise lacking? Is he willing to absorb with relative passivity the ideology being presented to him because the rhetoric is fulfilling a more personal need?
The motivating factors for radical extremism are different in different societies. Although, in Londonstani's experience the psychological aspect is similar, to some degree, amongst British born/raised and Saudi Muslims, who both come from relatively affluent societies.
Now, Londonstani has always been more than a little skeptical about Saudi and Egyptian de-radicalisation efforts. Mainly because it has seemed mostly political in its objectives. ie. to convince Western allies that they are part of the solution and not the problem. Also, there's the huge elephant-shaped question of the Saudi government's own domestic policies. These de-rad schemes usually happily bypass this by blaming "deviant" ideology.
However, this scheme touches on what we were discussing in the last post; psychological issues.
"Though the Saudi government tends to explain its rehabilitation program in purely Islamic terms, as an effort to correct theological misunderstandings, the new program also addresses the psychological needs and emotional weaknesses that have led many young men to jihad in the first place."
and..
"Though the exact nature of the role that religious belief plays in the recruitment of jihadists is the subject of much debate among scholars of terrorism, a growing number contend that ideology is far less important than family and group dynamics, psychological and emotional needs. “We’re finding that they don’t generally join for religious reasons,” John Horgan told me. A political psychologist who directs the International Center for the Study of Terrorism at Penn State, Horgan has interviewed dozens of former terrorists. “Terrorist movements seem to provide a sense of adventure, excitement, vision, purpose, camaraderie,” he went on, “and involvement with them has an allure that can be difficult to resist. But the ideology is usually something you acquire once you’re involved.”
Psychological factors are not exclusive to young men from poor backgrounds. And, there's no suggestion that "mental deficiencies" are the only factor. Rather, there is an underlying thought processes going through a young man's mind when he's getting fired up listening to someone talk about the need to fight to protect weak Muslims. Does it give him a sense of self importance that was otherwise lacking? Is he willing to absorb with relative passivity the ideology being presented to him because the rhetoric is fulfilling a more personal need?
The motivating factors for radical extremism are different in different societies. Although, in Londonstani's experience the psychological aspect is similar, to some degree, amongst British born/raised and Saudi Muslims, who both come from relatively affluent societies.
Huh?
Huh?
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