How Do They Radicalize Others?

By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Today I have a column in the Washington Times discussing recent homegrown terrorist events in Arkansas and the Bronx. I explore the overarching question of how some Americans, like Arkansas shooter Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, decide to take up arms against the society where they were born and raised. An excerpt:

There has been debate among those who study terrorism over the extent to which ideology -- such as al Qaeda's dark worldview -- helps make a terrorist. Some observers think it is an important factor, while others argue that the feeling of grievance (legitimate or not) is critical and ideology provides only a veneer of pretext.

Interestingly, the Arkansas case provides fuel for both sides at first glance. Little Rock's police chief told the media that investigators think the shooting had "political and religious motives" (in other words, an ideology) but also mentioned that Mr. Muhammad told police he had acted out of anger at the United States killing Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan (in other words, a grievance).

In an attempt to better understand the radicalization process, my colleague Laura Grossman and I released a study in late April, "Homegrown Terrorists in the U.S. and U.K.: An Empirical Examination of the Radicalization Process," that explores external manifestations of radicalization of 117 homegrown "jihadist" terrorists from the United States and Great Britain.

The study examines several specific manifestations. These include adopting a legalistic interpretation of Islam, coming to trust only select and ideologically rigid religious authorities, perceiving Islam and the West as irreconcilably opposed, manifesting a low tolerance for perceived theological deviance and attempting to impose one's religious beliefs on others. We found that all of these steps occurred frequently enough among the sample to be significant.

The prevalence of these factors suggests the importance of religio-political ideology as individuals become radicalized (an ideology that cannot be described as Islam itself, but rather a rigid and non-mainstream understanding of that faith). Underscoring this finding, more than a quarter of the homegrown terrorists examined had a spiritual sanctioner in their plot, an individual with perceived religious authority who provided theological approval for the violent activity. About 20 percent had a spiritual mentor, a more experienced Muslim who gave instruction and direction during the radicalization process.

You can read the full Washington Times column here. The study on homegrown terrorism in the U.S. and U.K. that my column discusses can be downloaded here.