Julian Waleciak from the United Project for Prevention and Deradicalisation at the University of Applied Science Muenster/Germany gives a statement on the necessity to understand motifs of young people to radicalise and to combine European research on this.

TRIVALENT-Symposium “Prevention of Radicalisation” January 22, 2018 in Witten/Germany

As a third-party contribution to the TRIVALENT project, University Witten/Herdecke as third party, represented by Martin Woesler, conducted a literature survey on the German (academic) debate on prevention of radicalisation and analysed the results.

These results were discussed with 16 experts on a Symposium in Witten/Germany, opened with a greeting by project coordinator Luigi Moccia and jointly organized by Matthias Kettner, Thomas Loer and Martin Woesler.

Results of the literature survey on the German (academic) debate on prevention of readicalisation [paper abstract]

German literature on radicalization focuses on the group (meso level) for causes and trigger events, followed by individual (micro) causes and trigger events and finally followed by causes and events on the societal (macro) level (politics etc.). “Internet and media” are identified as top trigger events on the meso level, followed by “recruitment”, therefore neglecting rational factors like religious or political-ideological beliefs, which are more dominant in the Near East. Political grievance is almost dismissed as a cause by German scholars, despite the results of the main survey with English and Italian literature. Although these explanations through group dynamics and individual causes and events may explain some, especially short term radicalizations of converts, they may need to be placed more in the context of societal factors (macro level).

In general, the reasons for radicalization seem to be extremely complex and need to be discussed interdisciplinary, as the wide variety of disciplines contributing to the debate shows. Except from evidence like the visit of a certain mosque with a hate preach, the visit of a terrorist training camp, it is not only difficult to predict who becomes radicalized, but each individual, if identified at all, may have to be dealt with using different forms of individualized intervention to prevent or stop further radicalization.

The detailed results were presented and discussed.

Thomas Loer introduced his approach, based on the religion sociology by Oevermann, that experiences of alienation (sexuality, individuality, sociality, environment) of growing ups during puberty lead to a longing to regain familiarity/reciprocity. In standard developments, this familiarity can be given by peer groups/models leading to an autonomous individuality. If caught by a hate monger to be “chosen”, which turns the young person into total isolation combined with a transcendental recognition/reciprocity. However, in the cases of attackers in Germany, the only attacker in the age of puberty was a girl who was radicalised by her mother, a salafist. Still, this idea to compare the salafist concept of the “alienated”/”stranger”/”lonely wanderer” with the vulnerability of “alienated” young people in puberty was considered by all participants a precious add-on.

Susanne Wittmann, Paritetic Academy LV of the state of Northrine-Westfalia, counsels especially young mothers who look for help, when they discover radicalization of their children, and who encounters many convertites who are often dropouts. She explained her observations from the actual practise, where she witnessed young people who were repressed sexually in the family and religion, but who experienced salafism as a kind of liberation, since they were allowed as 14 year old salafists to marry, every salafist brother being entitled to wed them. To her, the main motivation to become a salafist was to have fun and to experience an adventure.

Julian Waleciak from the United Project for Prevention and Deradicalisation at the University of Applied Science Muenster/Germany reported his observations from the actual practise, that many of those educationally challenged young people are searching for orientation, identity, need for affiliation and the sense of life, expressed in an interest for the past, in hip-hop, in gender issues, longing for autonomy, self-efficacy and social/group affiliation.

Nina Wiedl from Hamburg is one of the first scholars having written a PhD thesis on salafists, observed that salafists are proud to be alien in the West.

Johannes Twardella from Goethe University Frankfurt reported on Pierre Vogel, a convert, and his campaign “We love Muhammad”. Seemingly positive, this campaign reveals its perspective in phrases like that the prophet needs to be “defended”. Also he promotes a 2009 edition of a Mohammed biography, in which women were not called spoils of war, but instead sacrifised themselves voluntarily and joyfully.

Elhakam Sukhni, wh works in the Office of Prevention of Extremism of the Migration Department of the City of Wuppertal reported from the actual practise, how he coached convicted criminals and young people, trying to empower them, to empower the “Mosque Community Bochum” to become strong. He appeals to speak with the people instead of about them.

Stefan Kutzner explained that religious-motivated violence is inherent to the Islam Habitus. The promises of salvation (peace and respect) are directed towards life on earth and not towards a life after death. However, this ideal seems to be realized in the West already (without Islam religion).

Martin Woesler summarized his research results and the feedback from the expert discussions in his detailed report, which is currently prepared for publication. German scholarly literature on radicalization focuses on the group (meso level) for causes and trigger events. This appears to be even more important than individual (micro) causes and trigger events. Almost neglected are causes and events on the societal (macro) level (politics etc.).

On this meso level, “internet and media” are identified as top trigger events, followed by “recruitment”. So German scholars according to this literature review seem to neglect rational factors like religious or political-ideological beliefs, which are more dominant in the Near East.

Political grievance is almost dismissed as a cause by German scholars, despite the results of the main survey with English and Italian literature, where it ranks more prominently. Although these explanations through group dynamics and individual causes and trigger events may explain some, especially short term radicalizations of converts, they may need to be placed more in the context of religious, political and societal factors (macro level), since the individuals at least claim to refer to this level. This is confirmed by the study Impact, which identified “ideology” as the driving factor behind radicalization, closely followed by a group/meso cause (“social exclusion”).

In general, the reasons for radicalization seem to be extremely complex and there is a need for them to be discussed interdisciplinary, as the wide variety of disciplines contributing to the debate shows.

Except from evidence like the visit of a certain mosque with a hate preacher, the visit of a terrorist training camp, it is not only difficult to predict who becomes radicalized, but each individual, if identified at all, may have to be dealt with using different, individualized forms of intervention to prevent or stop further radicalization.