Category: Religious and Political Radicalization

Radicalization Series Part II – What is it? A plea for critical radicalization studies 2

Radicalization Series Part II – What is it? A plea for critical radicalization studies

This is part two of the radicalization series. In the first I gave a brief overview of different practices regarding counterradicalization, triggering (I think) the main question for part two: what the hell is radicalization. I will try to answer that question and also make a plea for critical radicalization studies (as inspired by critical terrorism studies).

Besmet. Levenslopen en motieven van extreem-rechtse activisten in Nederland 1

Besmet. Levenslopen en motieven van extreem-rechtse activisten in Nederland

Annette Linden interviewde 36 rechts georiënteerde activisten langdurig en meerdere malen om te achterhalen wat mensen beweegt om actief te worden en te blijven bij een extreem-rechtse beweging. Op vrijdag 26 juni 2009 om 13.45 uur verdedigt Annette Linden haar proefschrift ‘Besmet. Levenslopen en motieven van extreem-rechtse activisten in Nederland’.

Radicalization Series – Part I: The slippery slope of ethnic profiling 12

Radicalization Series – Part I: The slippery slope of ethnic profiling

The report, Ethnic Profiling in the European Union: Pervasive, Ineffective, and Discriminatory, details widespread profiling in France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and other EU member states. Much of the counterradicalization policies has been based on the idea of a slippery slope but in practice it is ethnic profiling that resembles slippery slope and is often more of a public relations stunt than a real response to crime and radicalization. I will discuss the report briefly here and give extensive quotes based upon the Dutch situation. This is part one of a series of entries on the issue of radicalization.

Criminalisering van islam? 1

Criminalisering van islam?

Zou het in een democratische rechtsstaat mogelijk moeten zijn om aanslagen te verheerlijken? Hoe ver mag de Nederlandse overheid gaan in het opleggen van kledingvoorschriften ten aanzien van moslims? Zijn er gronden waarop men verbodsbepalingen ten aanzien van uitingsvormen van islam kan legitimeren? Dit zijn vragen die aan de orde zullen komen tijdens een symposium van de Onderzoekschool Maatschappelijke Veiligheid van de Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam.

House of Glass – New publications by Al-Maqdisi 1

House of Glass – New publications by Al-Maqdisi

Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi was not only the mentor and teacher of Al-Zarqawi but his texts also played a major role in several Dutch jihadi circles, in particular that of the Hofstad network. The murderer of filmdirector and writer Theo van Gogh translated several texts of Al-Maqdisi such as Millat Ibrahim. Al-Maqdisi has presented a new book and an essay (the latter has been translated into English). In the essay he criticizes the pope and the book is dedicated to, among others, the pope and Geert Wilders.

Het glazen huis – Al Maqdisi Jihadi Controverse en nieuwe publicatie 27

Het glazen huis – Al Maqdisi Jihadi Controverse en nieuwe publicatie

Abu Mohammed al-Maqdisi is een Jordaans-Palestijnse islam-geleerde. Hij is één van de meest invloedrijke jihad-theoretici en ideologen van de mondiale jihad. Zeer recent heeft hij een nieuw boek gepubliceerd: Man Kana Baytahu min Zujaj fa-la Yarmi ghayrahu bi-Hajar – Qira’a wa-Ta’ammul fi Asfar al-‘Ahd al-Qadim wa-Muqarana bayna Akhbariha wa-bayna l-Qisas al-Qur’an al-‘Azim (Wie een huis van glas heeft moet een ander niet met stenen bekogelen – Een lezing en beschouwing over de boeken van het Oude Testament en een vergelijking tussen zijn boodschap en de verhalen van de geweldige koran). Het mag een opvallend boek genoemd worden dat is opgedragen aan onder meer Geert Wilders en Theo van Gogh.

Studying Jihadism – The Jihad Recollections I 0

Studying Jihadism – The Jihad Recollections I

Fursan Media has released a new English language Jihadist magazine: Jihad Recollections I. Analyzing such a magazine and Jihadi thought in general, should not only focus on the religious and or political content of the magazine (and the grievances that ‘make’ people resort to Jihadism). They do matter but they should be contextualized by studying the (daily) lives of people producing it and consuming it.

Tariq Ramadan controversy: Moulding Muslim leaders 1

Tariq Ramadan controversy: Moulding Muslim leaders

Even if Ramadan made all those controversial statements, why wouldn’t he be the right man for a dialogue? In fact it appears now that the frequent attacks on him are more dangerous for his position as a person for dialogue than his statements. In particular because he is not only under attack from Dutch secularists and anti-islamists but also from radical groups who oppose his cooperation with Dutch authorities and his statements about homosexuality and his call for a moratorium on corporate punishment. According to these critics Ramadan sells himself to the Dutch authorities which inevitable means that he will have to adjust (in their view dilute) the Islamic message. Their interpretation seems to be correct due to this controversy.