DEMOS

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Since 9/11, we face a new type of security challenge - violent radicalism associated with Islam. The al-Qaeda (inspired) network has challenged received wisdom: it is a global terror network with the unswerving aim to deliver maximum destruction to the West, one that understands the importance of symbolism and ideas. Since 2002, the threat to Europe has been apparent.

The dynamics of al-Qaeda and inspired groups make it especially challenging; authorities must move seamlessly from the global to the local (Briggs et al, 2006), must fill large gaps in their knowledge about Islam and the Islamic world, and maintain a delicate balance between operational interventions and long-term relationship-building. The task is difficult because al-Qaeda's growth coincides with a wider but very diverse movement of Muslim mobilisation in Europe, some highly radical (some violent, some non-violent), and anxiety has been heightened by unease about the growing visibility of Islam in Europe. But research shows that terrorism can only flourish when it echoes the frustrations of the wider community (Wiktorowicz, 2005).

Some commentators (for example, Klausen, 2005) welcome the emergence of radical mobilisation as a positive sign of Muslim integration. Others view it as a danger to the stability of Europe (Keppel, 2005) or a trend towards separatism. Most agree that factors including socio-economic, crises of identity, international travel and communication, integration, immigration, foreign policy, and media portrayal are key to this phenomenon.

It is critical that counter-terrorism strategies address these broader concerns, as well as the specific challenges posed by the terrorists. Despite European experience of terrorism, there is insufficient understanding of how different factions and types of mobilisations relate to one another for Al Qaida, which this project addresses. The project will consider these issues in the UK, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

The project will:

- Map and document the full range of Muslim community infrastructure (formal and informal) in the UK, France, Netherlands and Denmark, including violent, non-violent radical, representative bodies and local community organisations;

- Explore the flow of ideas, people, and money between these groups and networks, especially focusing on links between violent groups and non-violent radical groups;

- Understand the links that exist between these groups and their corresponding counterparts in the countries of origin for Muslim diasporas in UK, France, Netherlands and Denmark;

- Compare and contrast the ways in which local dynamics and factors / including socio-economic, nature/extent of integration, length of settlement, political discourse, media portrayal of Muslims, and government strategies for engagement with Muslim communities / impact on the types of mobilisation taking place within Muslim communities in the UK, France, Netherlands and Denmark, especially the balance between political, radical and violent radical mobilisation;

- Provide insights into the implications for policy makers in the UK, France, Netherlands and Denmark, that will also have relevance for other countries, especially European and North American ones. These observations and recommendations will be especially beneficial for policy makers working in the following areas: counter-terrorism, policing, tackling violent extremism, deradicalisation, immigration, and community cohesion.

The project will run between September 2007 and July 2009, with a number of interim reports and workshops in-between. If you would like to learn more about this project, please contact Rachel Briggs, Head of Identity, who is leading the project.