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Can Western Muslims Be De-Radicalized?

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Can Western Muslims Be De-Radicalized? Can Western Muslims Be De-radicalized? by Uriya Shavit and Sören Andresen topping the radicalization of young Muslims has become a focal point of political and academic discussion in the West as thousands of Western SMuslims have traveled to jihadist training camps in Syria and Iraq. The attacks in Paris in 2015 and in Brussels and Nice in 2016 have also heightened fears of terrorism in the West perpetrated by returning jihadists. Along with an intensification of intelligence and surveillance operations, three main courses of action have been deliberated and partially implemented by Western governments: banning or limiting the freedom of preachers who, while not endorsing violence, openly oppose liberal values and envision an Islamic future for the West; setting up domestic programs to prevent or reverse radicalization by enhancing integration of Muslim communities and persuading citizens who have joined jihadist groups to return home; and fighting the Islamic State While not sanctioning violence, some mosques and (or ISIS) on its home turf with the schools cultivate among young devotees a triumphal, aim of destroying it. supremacist, Islamic mindset, which can eventually There are positive aspects to lead to violent action. Former British prime minister each of these courses of action, but David Cameron (above) set off a firestorm of protest in October 2015 when he spoke about the existence of do they significantly decrease the radical “breeding grounds” for terror and vowed current threat of Islamic terror in there would be “no more passive tolerance [to Western countries? Is it possible that radicalism] in Britain.” they may even contribute to increasing the very threat they aim to counter? An examination of current programs can reveal which components are useful and which are not. Such an assessment along with other ideas based, in part, on interviews with European security officials and leading radical imams in Europe offer useful policy recommendations. MIDDLE EAST QUARTERLY Fall 2016 Shavit and Andresen: De-radicalizing Western Muslims / 1 1. Closing Down “Grey Zones” attending other mosques.2 According to another A primary thesis in political and study, out of some 2,600 mosques in Germany, academic counterterrorism discourse is that in almost 37 percent of the 110 German Muslim some, though not all, cases, gradual, nonviolent jihadists whose biographies were studied and radicalization precedes and anticipates violent whose attendance at a specific mosque could be actions. To combat this, some in the West have verified, had been attendees of just six specific concluded that “grey zones,” places where Salafi mosques in the country.3 Islamist, Salafi, and other radical ideologies are Their hostility to liberal values and endorsed and promoted, must be closed down. intolerance of other religions notwithstanding, While not sanctioning violence, some mosques there are reasons to think that closing down and schools cultivate among young devotees a Salafi mosques may also negativaly impact the triumphal, supremacist, Islamic mindset, which fight against terror, especially in the short term. can eventually lead to violent action. Then To begin with, some Salafi mosque leaders are British prime minister David Cameron artic- adamant and passionate propagators of an ulated this view in October 2015 when he spoke anti-jihadist agenda, in line with the anti- about the existence of radical breeding grounds jihadist campaigns of the Saudi religious for terror and vowed there would be “no more establishment.4 These imams argue that by passive tolerance [to radicalism] in Britain.”1 Banning the proliferation of hateful and supremacist rhetoric limits freedom of speech, 2 Mitchell D. Silber and Arvin Bhatt, Radicalization in the but, as implied by Cameron and others, can be West: The Homegrown Threat (New York: New York justified with caution. Liberal democracies have Police Department, Intelligence Unit, 2007), pp. 16-85. an obligation to protect their citizens and defend 3 Alexander Heerlein, “‘Salafistische’ Moscheen—Ort des their very existence against those who openly Gebets oder eine Brutstätte für Dschihadistische use the freedoms of those democracies to Muslime?,” in Gefährliche Nähe: Salafismus und extinguish those freedoms for others. However, Dschihadismus in Deutschland, Michail Loginov and a closer look at some of the assumptions under- Klaus Hummel, eds. (Stuttgart: Ibidem-Verlag, 2014) p. 169. The term Salafi implies in this context lying this argument should give pause. adherence to the teachings of the Saudi Wahhabi Much attention, for example, has been religious establishment. In a descriptive-empirical devoted by authorities to the dangers of Salafi sense, Salafi is understood today in the European- proselytizing. An influential study published in Muslim context as Wahhabi-oriented; not all Salafi 2007 by the New York police department mosques are supported financially by Riyadh, but all preach the Wahhabi version and adhere to the analyzed the backgrounds of terrorists involved jurisprudence and theology promoted by the Wahhabi in ten terror attacks in North America, Europe, religious establishment. and Australia, and demonstrated that individuals 4 See, for example, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Ibn Baaz, “al-Wala attending Salafi mosques (i.e., mosques that are wa-l-Bara wa-Ahkam al-Kuffar,” in Fatawa al-Balad radical yet preach against violence) are al-Ḥaram (Cairo: Matktabat at-Tawfiqiya, n.d), pp. considerably more likely to become jihadist- 174-5; Sheikh Uthaymin, Muslim Minorities Salafi and active in terrorism than individuals (Hounslow, U.K.: Message of Islam, 1998), p. 20; Saalih bin Fouzan al-Fouzan, Al-Wala wa-l-bara: Allegiance and Association with the People of Islam and Eeman and Disassociation and Enmity with the People of Falsehood and Disbelief in Islam (Ipswich: Jam‘iyyat Ihya Minhaj as-Sunna, 1997), pp. 13, 24; Ahkam at-Ta‘amul ma‘a Ghayr al-Muslimin (Riyad: 1 “Tory Party Conference 2015: David Cameron’s Speech Dar Kunuz Ishbilya li-l-Nashr wa-l-Tawzi, 2009), p. in Full,” The Independent (London), Oct. 7, 2015. 20. MIDDLE EAST QUARTERLY Fall 2016 Shavit and Andresen: De-radicalizing Western Muslims / 2 residing in the West and officials take a similar being given citizenship or When radical individuals center in stand.10 But some chal- a visa, Muslims are party one location, intelligence is more lenge the wisdom of this to a contract, and true effective and easier to gather. view, noting that police Muslims never breach a cooperation with radical contract,5 or that attacking civilians and communities has proven effective.11 committing atrocities breach Islamic norms.6 The complicated reality is that neither Salafi imams in England7 and in Germany8 side of the debate is wrong as exposure to have stated in interviews with the authors radical ideas has varying effects on different that their preaching is a great asset to individuals. On the one hand, there is prevention efforts because of their ability to evidence that some of those who attend ground opposition to jihad in persuasive radical mosques turn to jihadism. On the religious terms. And while these claims may other, it is safe to conclude that the vast well be self-serving, Salafi mosques do majority of Western Muslims who embrace contain more anti-ISIS and anti-al-Qaeda and even articulate radical rhetoric have not litrature than other places of worship due to turned to actual, violent jihadism. For them, the burning hatred between Wahhabis and provocative rhetoric appears to satisfy a need jihadist-Salafis. to profess anger or disrespect toward their The revised British “Prevent host for whatever reason. This form of Strategy,” the country’s main anti-radical- passive radicalism is still problematic, but, in ization program, stated unequivocally that terms of terror prevention efforts, it is cooperation with radical preachers is out fanciful to think that adherents of radical of the question,9 and German security ideologies will choose mainstream ideologies if their radical bases are closed down; they may become angrier and go underground. Finally, the needs of the intelligence community should be considered. As long as the “breeding grounds” of which Cameron 5 See, for example, Abdur Rahman Mahdi, spoke exist, security agencies have, at the Martyrdom in Jihad versus Suicide Bombing very least, settings upon which to focus some (London: Islamic Knowledge, 2010), pp. 48-9. of their work. When radical individuals 6 See, for example, “Combating 21st Century Violent center in one location, intelligence is more Extremist Terrorism: ISIS, al-Qaeda in Iraq and effective and easier to gather than when they Syria—A Must Read: The Islamic Salafi Position disperse. towards Extremist Insurgencies in Light of Quranic and Prophetic Teachings,” Salafi Publications (Birmingham, Eng.: The Salafi Bookstore, n.d.); Abdul Adhim Kamouss, “Wer sind die ISIS?” Sept. 28, 2014, accessed Sept. 15, 2015. 7 Authors’ interview, Imam Nur ad-Din Abu 10 Authors’ interview with Katrin Strunk and Gordon Abdullah, Masjid Daar us Sunnah Islamic Centre, Jensen, Interior Ministry of Nord Rhine- London, Oct. 7, 2015. Westphalia, Düsseldorf, Oct. 13, 2015. 8 Author interview, Imam Nasir Isa at an-Nur 11 Robert Lambert, “Empowering Salafis and Islamists Mosque, Berlin, Aug. 1, 2013. against al-Qaeda: A London Counterterrorism Case- 9 “Prevent Strategy,” Home Department, presentation, study,” Political Science and Politics, Jan. 2008, pp. U.K. Parliament, June 2011, pp. 34-5. 31-5. MIDDLE EAST QUARTERLY Fall 2016 Shavit and Andresen: De-radicalizing Western Muslims / 3 cases, bring loved ones home who have gone off to wage jihad.12 The federal program Demokratie leben (Live Democ- racy) supports dozens of anti- radicalization initiatives, includ- ing seminars held at youth centers in which radicalized young Germans learn to embrace a pluralistic view of Islam taught by state-hired educators, includ- Silvio K (above), a convert to Islam, is a German jihadist who ing Muslims.13 One criticism has threatened to bomb a U.S. nuclear weapons storage facility against the program is that, by located in Germany.
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