The radicalisation process (Essay Sample)

The Radicalisation Process Students’ Name Department, School Course Professors’ Name Date The Radicalisation Process NYPD Conveyor Belt Model: Appraisal of Each Stage of Rahma’s Radicalisation Trajectory. Identify Missing Information in the Story and Provide an Informed Deduction on the Catalysts, Inhibitors and Drivers of Radicalisation Related to Her Case. The process through which individuals enter violent extremism is a major concern worldwide, and this process often undermines the rights of various individuals, particularly young children and young women. According to Lyall (2017), individuals who are radicalised support and are involved in extremist ideologies that make them be drawn into terrorism. As a result, a radicalisation is a form of harm that makes individuals to be involved in violent extremism and terrorism activities. Rahma's story is an epitome of radicalisation where young women or girls are subjected to extreme environments, making them more extreme and do extreme actions. According to the UNDP (n.d.), Rahma, a 34-year-old woman with three children, had seen a caliphate declaration online, which made her and her 26 family members move to Syria through Turkey. The radicalisation process exhibits four major stages based on the New York City Police Department (NYPD), and the four stages have incubators such as the internet that enhance and promote the process. The four radicalisation stages include pre-radicalisation, self-identification, indoctrination, and Jihadisation (Bailey & Edwards, 2017). Firstly, the pre-radicalisation phase defines an individual's life situation before being subjected to extremism and before being exposed to Jihadi-Salafi Islam ideologies (Board, 2013). The pre-radicalisation stage involves all vulnerable individuals or groups who are not involved in violent acts but offer tacit support to those who are at the apex of the pyramid. Silber, Bhatt and Analysts (2017) state that the pre-radicalisation stage defines the life of individuals, including their social status, religion, or education, before beginning the journey of getting radicalised. The pre-radicalisation factors that make people vulnerable to the radical message have some commonalities, including the environment and the candidates. Silber, Bhatt and Analysts (2017) postulate that the environmental factor of pre-radicalisation includes elements such as the town or country an individual is living. Living in the diaspora or isolated areas increases the desire to connect with others. Also, the environments where other individuals have been radicalised promote the radicalisation of other members of society. On the other hand, there are commonalities in the candidates who are attracted to radicalisation. According to Silber, Bhatt and Analysts (2017), individuals attracted to extremist groups live, work and pray within the enclaves of ethnic Muslim communities commonly dominant in South Asian cultures. The gender, age, stage of life and the family’s social status also impact the risk of radicalisation. Male Muslims from 15 to 35 years are the most vulnerable to radicalisation because they are always eager to find meaning in life (Silber, Bhatt & Analysts, 2017). Also, candidates from middle-class families are vulnerable to radicalisation because they have numerous socio-economic factors that influence them to join extremist groups. The pre-radicalisation stage is manifested in Rahma’s story because the environment increased her risk of radicalisation. Rahma is from Indonesia, and the country has a Muslim majority of approximately 231 million (Lyall, 2017). The larger population of Indonesia are Sunni Muslims; hence, Rahma came from an environment of a Muslim community. Considering the candidate commonality, Rahma lived in the enclaves of ethnic Muslim communities in South-East Asia. Rahma was within the target age bracket of 15-35 years because she was 34 years when she decided to go to Syria (UNDP, n.d.). Rahma was also the candidate vulnerable to radicalisation because she came from a middle-class family because her husband had a company that went bankrupt. Rahma was also frustrated with life because she had two children with autism, she was also ill, and she had no economic solution to address her healthcare concerns. Hence, she was a vulnerable candidate to radicalisation. The other stage of radicalisation is self-identification or the detachment stage, which allows vulnerable candidates to spend much of their time online with extremist groups and peers. Individuals in the self-identification phase develop continuous gravitation from their old identity and begin to associate themselves with individuals with extremist ideas (Board, 2013). One of the catalysts of being radicalised is religious seeking, which allows a person to change previously held beliefs and perceptions about the world. The individuals in the detachment stage often seek to get closer to new authority figures and begin experiencing the revelation of changing their lives. Rahma's story reveals that Rahma began entering the detachment phase when she saw a caliphate declaration online. Besides, Rahma had a close friend in Syria who told her that the healthcare facilities were credible and offered exceptional services. As a result, Rahma and her husband began planning how to move to Syria by selling property and picking loans. In indoctrination, a person begins to adopt the ideologies of the extremist groups. Besides, individuals leave their homes to stay closer to like-minded. According to Board (2013), the individual or a group becomes increasingly involved and begins reinforcing and encouraging extremist perceptions. The indoctrination phase is manifested in Rahma's story when she decided to move closer to the ISIS group in Syria through the Raqqa border. The extremist groups became part of Rahma's new world because she lived with a neighbour who was the wife of the Syrian fighters. Rahma's indoctrination also came out when she was told that women are 'baby factories' and they are transferred from one ISIS fighter to the other to give birth to more children who will later become terrorists (UNDP, n.d.). The final stage of radicalisation is Jihadisation, whereby individuals or group members accept and pursue Jihad duties. According to Board (2013), individuals in the Jihadisation phase designate themselves as holy worriers; hence, they conduct terrorism activities such as planning, preparation and execution. This stage is missing in Rahma’s case study because no information has been provided about her being involved in planning or attempting to enact a violent action. The Socio-Political Climate in Indonesia. Identify the Ongoing Drivers of Radicalisation in both the Real World and Online. Analyse the Challenges Faced by Indonesian Agencies in Trying to Prevent Radicalisation. Radicalism is mainly driven by pull and push factors that make individuals engage in terrorism and extreme activities. According to Nuraniyah (2018), some push factors that promote radicalisation in Indonesia include lack of socio-economic activities, poor governance, discrimination and marginalisation and gross violation of human rights. Consequently, other factors that drive radicalisation in the online and the real world include individual motivations and background, foreign intervention or subjugation, victimisation that stem from domination, social media networks and ethnic and cultural differences (Kruglanski et al., 2015). Various studies indicate that lack of socio-economic opportunities is a major driver of radicalisation because limited job opportunities and employment make vulnerable groups feel alienated and separated from other classes of people; hence, most of these groups or people opt to join extremist groups. Also, non-inclusive and unstained economic growth make vulnerable groups such as young men and women involved in radicalisation. According to Arifin (2016), low literacy levels among individuals makes them more frustrated because they do not have jobs and this issue fuels feelings of disfranchisement. Undeniably, studies have documented a strong connection between economic inequality and radicalisation. A study by Moir (2017) argues that unemployment and poor economic status harbour the recruitment by violent extremist organisations because young people are promised better economic opportunities after joining the groups. Also, marginalisation and discrimination are major drivers of radicalisation because marginalised groups feel that they can be represented well after joining radical groups. Marginalised communities and groups fall easily into the traps of extremist groups because such individuals lose interest in maintaining a better community. Ethnically or culturally separated communities feel separated and opt to work with extremist groups to defend their communities and join groups where they can be appreciated and involved economically and socially. As a result, such individuals end up joining extremist groups. Arifin (2016) indicates that discriminated and marginalised groups feel that they share values with radical organisations; thus, joining them becomes easier. On the other hand, poor governance, violations of human rights and the laws intensify radicalisation in the real world and the online world. While human rights violations are an international crime, some state leaders and governments violate human rights and the rule of law, making it difficult for people to tolerate. As a result, individuals decide to engage in radicalisation and join violent extremist groups to defend themselves and their freedoms. According to Kruglanski et al. (2015), radicalisation thrives best when there is poor governance in a state and when a country has deficits in democracy. Unlawful and impunity behaviour accelerates radicalisation alongside repressive practices and policies. Additionally, long history of conflict i...