What are the causes of Radicalisation?

Children who are generally the target and who are at risk of radicalisation may have low self-esteem, or be victims of bullying or even discrimination.

by Victor Cherubim-June 06, 2021

Although there is no generally agreed definition of terrorism and/or radicalisation internationally, in the

United Kingdom, The Terrorism Act 2000 defines terrorism as:

“The use or threat of action designed to influence the government or an international government organisation or to intimidate the public, or a section of the public; made for the purpose of advancing a political,religious,racial or ideological cause; and it involves or causes:

Serious violence against a person; serious damage to a property; a threat to a person’s life; a serious risk to the health and safety of the public or serious interference with or disruption to an electronic system”.  

Radicalisation is often shrouded in secrecy and can be very difficult to spot. Signs that someone,particularly children are being radicalised include:

Isolating themselves from family and friends

Talking,speaking as if from a scripted narrative

Unwillingness or the inability to discuss their views open

A sudden disrespectful attitude to others

Increased levels of anger 

Increased secretiveness,especially on internet use and in social media.

Children who are generally the target and who are at risk of radicalisation may have low self-esteem, or be victims of bullying or even discrimination.Extremists might target them and coerce them they can be part of something special, later brainwashing them into cutting themselves off from both their friends and family,if not isolating them.

The anomaly of interpretation

Someone’s beliefs does not automatically make them a radicalist or even a terrorist. Whilst at the same time the above described signs don’t necessarily mean a child is being radicalised. It could be normal teenage behaviour,or a sign that there is something else that is wrong. Children have the innate quality of acceptance.Thus, Psychologists and Social Workers often need deeper behavioural pattern attention to consider radicalisation. 

The Four Stages of the Radicalisation Process

In the past and from current studies, the factors or conditions that are frequently attributed as causes of radicalisation in general terms include:

Relative Deprivation ( Gurr,1970)

Colonial or often Western Support for Oppressive regimes (Pape,2006)

Identity Politics (Choudhury,2007)

Poor Political and Socio- Economic conditions.

But current knowledge about radicalisation processes is limited. Fundamental understanding and knowledge about who are radicals, and why they commit to extreme and often violent ideologies still remains a mystery. 

Very often they do not match a specified demographic or psychological profile. Research informs: “not only do they stem from different age groups,socio-economic strata and cultural backgrounds (eg. Sageman, 2004, Bakker,2006), they are generally not characterised by psychological peculiarities or deviating types (eg. Victoroff,2005)”. 

What are the ways to tackle Radicalisation? 

As radicalisation is a gradual process, although it can occur very rapidly, it has no specific beginning or end. 

Radicalisation is an individual development process that is initiated by a unique combination of causal factors and that comprises a drastic change in attitudes and behaviour patterns.

The development of effective interventions in the radicalisation process include among others the Prevent Strategy. 

PREVENT is a UK cross-Government policy that forms one of the four strands of CONTEST which is UK’s Strategy for Counter Terrorism strategy organised around four work streams,each comprising a number of key objectives:

PURSUE: To stop terrorists attacks;

PREVENT: To stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism;

PROTECT To strengthen protection against a terrorist attack; and

PREPARE: To mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack and resolve.

Prevent addresses radicalisation to all forms of extremism and terrorism, including the extreme right wing and seemingly non-violent extremism which can popularise divisive and harmful views that terrorists exploit. To assist in this the objective of the Prevent Strategy, as from 2018, are to:

Tackle the causes of radicalisation and respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism

Safeguard and support those most at risk of radicalisation through early intervention, identifying them and offering support

Enable those who have already engaged in terrorism to disengage and rehabilitate.

It can also include the anti-radicalisation of vulnerable adults and children. 

Radicalisation vs Terrorism

As  Terrorism is often perceived as a political tool, wheras Radicalisation is a process of socialisation, which people go through that could ultimately, but not necessarily, lead up acts of terrorism.

Robert Pape, one of the scholars of suicide terrorism states:

“Terrorists are simply the members of their societies who are the most optimistic about the usefulness of violence for achieving goals that many and most of them support.” (2001: 8).  

Terrorism is not the only and inevitable result of radicalisation process. It is rather one of the worst possible but not the unavoidable outcome of radicalisation.

In other words, although every terrorist is a radical, not every radical is a terrorist.

The Easter Sunday Bombing in Sri Lanka 

Zahran and his cahoots in the Easter bombing of Churches and hotels in Sri Lanka in 2019 were well trained radicals and “jihadists” who had serious, but warped minds,if not grievances against the atrocities committed against Muslims of Sri Lanka and perhaps elsewhere,in New Zealand.

But,it is the generally held view, according to many Muslim Clerics and Muslims in Sri Lanka, that Zahran and the Easter Sunday jihardists, were acting not according to the tenets of Islam,but were having other ulterior motives instigated by unknown actors behind the scene,which the government is further investigating. Many people today in Sri Lanka and elsewhere, look for clarity and justice behind this atrocity. This cannot be ignored.  

This further implies that radicalism can evolve in many directions, including violent as well as non violent ends,or be manipulated?

We need resolve to safeguard the open nature of our public places, including schools,temples,churches,mosques,

reducing vulnerability that can be expoited or manipulated.