Podcast: Wicked Jihad
by Jamie Bartlett
Counter terrorism policy in Western Europe is increasingly about preventing violent extremism before it arises, by lessening the appeal of groups like al-Qaeda. Most work tends to focus on the structural factors such as foriegn policy, societal discrimination, and a lack of local leadership.
This tends to ignore another vital aspect: that for many young people, al-Qaeda and al-Qaeda inspired groups are glamourous and exciting. The appeal of such movements needs to be placed within a far deeper sociological and psychological understanding of why violent action of any type can be an attractive means of action.
Jamie has a think-piece online which lays out the idea in more detail. You can download it here.
He also has some articles online. There is one at Comment is Free here, and a piece in Prospect here.
There are five ways to get hold of Jamie's podcast:
1. Via iTunes
2. By subscribing via feedburner
3. Listening via the Internet Archive
4. Downloading the mp3 file (8MB)
5. Listening below on the embedded player (you need quicktime)
ibn Daud
This is nonsense and not original either. Marc Sageman argues the same thing. Both patronsise us by pointing to the glory aspect of radical Islam -- itself inseparable from pious belief in the tenets of classical Islam and in the example of Muhammad as the perfect man, a man who initiated jihad -- as a "a far deeper sociological and psychological understanding of [..] violent action." You are calling this a "deep" explanation? Come on. Glory and machismo, yes, but in the specific context of a particular set of religious beliefs that lead toward dominating the kufr system of national secular states. Diverting us to these phoney explanations without any reference to jihad doctrine and its specific appeal is not only misleading, it it downright dishonest.
C Read
I come to this post lately, looking for something else on the Demos site, but thought it was particularly insightful.
This seems a much more useful approach than those which fetishise the 'Muslim' aspect of the violence here, as it usefully de-exoticises it. It potentially opens up space to ask what it is that attracts people to a cause in general, and particularly to ask what pushes people over the edge from holding strong views - into violent action. Oskar Verkaaik's book 'Migrants and Militants: 'Fun' and Urban Violence in Pakistan' (Princeton University Press 2004) might be interesting from this perspective. He has a really interesting take which situates 'essentialist' understandings of identity, in conjunction with arguements about the structural positions - and as you and he touch on - 'fun'. I look forward to reading a fuller working out of this project.