Signs of Concern about Islamic and Right-Wing Extremism on a Helpline against Radicalization
Keywords:
Radicalization, Islamic Extremism, Right-wing extremism, Support, HelplineAbstract
Few initiatives and actions for dealing with and countering violent extremism and preventing terrorism focus on offering support to individuals who know people who are at risk of becoming involved in a violent extremist milieu. In Sweden, the non-governmental organization (NGO) Save the Children was commissioned to set up a support helpline specifically for these individuals. This study analyzed 98 documented helpline cases dealing with Islamic and right-wing extremist milieus, and explored what causes concern about radicalization as well as the similarities and differences in the causes of concern for these two milieus. The analysis reveals a somewhat normative radicalization discourse as a concern in Islamic extremism focused on religious practice and potential cognitive factors, while concern in right-wing extremism primarily occurs when a youth has joined an organization or practiced activism.
References
Andersson Malmros, R. & Mattsson, C. (2017). Från ord till handlingsplan. En rapport om kommunala handlingsplaner mot våldsbejakande extremism. [From words to action plans. A report on municipal action plans against violent extremism]. Sveriges Kommuner och Landsting.
Aasgard, A: (2017). Scandinavia’s Daughters in the Syrian Civil War: What can we Learn från their Family Members’ Lived Experiences? Journal for Deradicalization. Winter 2017/18, Nr.13, 243-274.
Alava, S., Frau-Meigs, D., & Hassan, G. (2017). Youth and violent extremism on social media. Mapping the research. UNESCO.
Awan, I. (2014). Operation ‘Trojan Horse’: Islamophobia or extremism? Political Insight, 5(2), 38–39.
Bjørgo, T. (2005). Conflict processes between youth groups in a Norwegian city: Polarisation and revenge. European Journal of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, 13(1), 44–74.
Bjørgo, T. (2013). Strategies for preventing terrorism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Bjørgo, T., & Horgan, J. (Eds). (2009). Leaving terrorism behind. Individual and collective disengagement. New York: Routledge
Borum, R. (2011). Radicalization into violent extremism II: A review of conceptual models and empirical research. Journal of Strategic Security, 4(4), 37-62.
Brittain, V. (2009). Besieged in Britain. Race & Class, 50(3), 1–29.
Burgess, N., Christensen, H., Leach, L. S., Farrer, L., & Griffiths, K. (2008). Mental health profile of callers to a telephone counselling service. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 14, 42–47.
Carlsson, C. (2016). Att lämna våldsbejakande extremism. En kunskapsöversikt. [Leaving violent extremism. A knowledge overview]. Institutet för Framtidsstudier. Forskningsrapport 2016/1. Stockholm: Elanders.
Coppock, V., & McGovern, M. (2014). ‘Dangerous minds’? Counter-terrorism discourse, radicalization and the ‘psychological vulnerability’ of Muslim children and young people in Britain. Children & Society, 28, 242–256.
Desmarais, S., Simons-Rudolph, J., Brugh, C., Schilling, E. & Hoggan, C. (2017). The State of Scientific Knowledge Regarding Factors Associated With Terrorism. Journal of Threat Assessment and Management, Vol. 4, 180-209.
Eriksson, E., Beckman, U., & Sager, M. (2018). Att förebygga våldsbejakande extremism. En systematisk kartläggning av insatser. [To prevent violent extremism. A systematic mapping of interventions]. Göteborgs universitet: Segerstedtinstitutet.
Feddes, A.R., & Gallucci, M. (2015). A literature review on methodology used in avaluating effects of preventive and de-radicalisation interventions. Journal of Deradicalization, 5(4), 1-27.
Foucault, M. (1971). Diskursens ordning. [The order of discourse] Brutus Östlings förlag. Symposion.
Fukkink, G. R., Bruns, S., & Ligtvoet, R. (2017). Voices of children from around the globe; An international analysis of children’s issues at child helplines. Children & Society, 30, 510–519.
Fukkink G. R., & Hermanns, J. M. A. (2009). Counselling children at a hotline: Chatting or calling? Journal of Communication Psychology, 37, 939–948.
Gill, P., Horgan, J., & Deckert, P. (2014). Bombing alone: Tracing the motivations and antecedent behaviors of lone actor terrorists. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 59(2), 425–435.
Guru, S. (2012). Under siege: Families of counter-terrorism. British Journal of Social Work, 42, 1151–1173.
Gurwitch, R., Kees, M., & Becker, S. (2002). In the face of tragedy: Placing children’s reactions to trauma in a new context. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 9, 286–295.
Hafez, M., & Mullins, C. (2015). The radicalization puzzle: A theoretical synthesis of empirical approaches to homegrown extremism. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 38(11), 958–975.
Heath-Kelly, C. (2013). Counter-terrorism and the counterfactual: Producing the ‘radicalization’ discourse and the UK PREVENT strategy. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 15, 394–415.
Hedlund, D. (2018). Ensamkommande barn och ungdomar, en introduktion till samhällskontext, forskning och ramverk. [unaccompanied children and youth, an introduction to society context, research and frameworks]. Malmö: Gleerups.
Herz, M. (2016). Socialt arbete, pedagogik och arbete mot så kallad våldsbejakande extremism. [Social work, pedagogy and the struggle against so called violent extremism]. Göteborg: Segerstedtinstitutet.
Hodges, A. (2011). The “War on Terror” narrative. Discourse and intertextuality in the construction and contestation of sociopolitical reality. Oxford: University Press.
Human Rights Watch (UK). (2016). Preventing education! Human rights and UK counter-terrorism policy in school. Human Rights Watch (UK). Retrieved, 2019-03-13, from http://rwuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/preventing-education-final-to-print-3.compressed-1.pdf
Ingram, S., Ringle, J. L., Hallstrom, K., Schill, D. E., Gohr, V. M., & Thompson, R. W. (2008). Coping with crisis across the lifespan: The role of a telephone hotline. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 17, 663–674.
Jensen, T., Fjermstad, K., Granly, L., & Wilhelmsen, N. (2015). Stressful life experiences and mental health problems among unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 20(1), 106–116.
Kaati, L. (2017a). Datorstödda analyser av digitala miljöer och fenomen. I SOU 2017:67. (2017). Våldsbejakande extremism. En forskarantologi. [Computer supported analysis of digital milieus and phenomena]. In official investigation SOU 2017:67. Violent extremism a research anthology] Stockholm: Wolters Kluwers.
Kimmel, M. (2007). Racism as adolescent male rite of passage. Ex-Nazis in Scandinavia. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 36(2), 202–218.
Knudsen, R.A. (2018). Measuring radicalization: risk assessment conceptualisations and practice in England and Wales. Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression. Retrieved, 2019-03-12, from https://www.tandfonline.com/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1080/19434472.2018.1509105
Koehler, D. (2015). Family counselling, de-radicalization and counter terrorism: The Danish and German programs in context. In S. Zieger & A. Aly (Eds). Countering violent extremism: Developing evidence-base for policy and practice. Perth: Hedayah & Curtin University.
Koehler, D. (2017). Understanding deradicalization. Methods, tools and programs for countering violent extremism. New York: Routledge.
Koehler, D., & Ehrt, T. (2018). Parents’ associations, support group interventions and countering violent extremism: An important step forward in combating violent extremism. International Annals of Criminology, 56(1–2), 178–197.
Kühler, L., & Lindekilde, L. (2012). Radicalisation and the limits of tolerance: A Danish case-study. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 38(10), 1607–1623.
Kundnani, A. (2015). The Muslims are coming! Islamophobia, extremism and the domestic war on terror. New York: Verso.
Lindekilde, L. (2012). Neo-liberal governing of ‘radicals’: Danish radicalization prevention policies and potential iatrogenic effects. International Journal of Conflict and Violence. 6(1), 109–125.
Lööw, H. (2016). Nasizmen i Sverige 2000–2014. [Nazism in Sweden 2000–2014]. Stockholm: Ordfront Förlag.
Mattsson, C. (2018). Extremisten i klassrummet. Perspektiv på skolans förväntade ansvara att förhindra framtida terrorism. [The extremist in the classroom. Perspectives on the expected responsibility of the school to prevent future terrorism]. [Doctoral thesis]. Gothenburg Studies in Education, 413. Göteborg: Göteborgs Universitet.
Mattsson, C., Hammarén, N., & Odenbring, Y. (2016). ‘Youth at risk’: A critical discourse analysis of the European Commission’s Radicalization Awareness Network Collection of Approaches and Practices used in Education. Power & Education, 8(3): 251–265.
Mattsson, C., & Johansson, T. (2018). Becoming, belonging and leaving – Exit processes among young neo-Nazis in Sweden. Journal of Deradicalization, 16, 34–69.
McCauley, C., & Moskalenko, S. (2011). Friction: How radicalization happens to them and us. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Moghaddam, F. M. (2005). The staircase to terrorism. A psychological exploration. American Psychologist, 60(2), 161–169.
Monahan, J. (2015). The individual risk assessment of terrorism: recent developments. Virginia Public Law and Legal Theory Research Paper, 57.
Nationella samordnaren mot våldsbejakande extremism. (2014). Samtalskompassen: metodstöd |conversational compass: method support]. Swedish Government.
O’Donnell, A. (2015). Securitisation, counterterrorism and the silencing of dissent: The educational implications of Prevent. British Journal of Educational Studies, 64(1), 53–67.
Polisen. (2017). Våldsbejakande extremism. Ett stöd i det förebyggande arbetet. [Violent extremism. A support for the preventive work]. Stockholm: Polisens tryckeri.
Potter, J., & Wetherell, M. (1987). Discourse and social psychology: Beyond attitudes and behavior. London: Sage.
Rädda Barnen. (2017). Orostelefonen 2017. Lärdomar från ett pilotprojekt. [The worry phone teachings from a pilot project]. Stockholm: Åtta45.
Ragazzi, F. (2017). Students as suspects. The challenges of counter radicalisation policies in education in the Council of Europe member states. Strasbourg: Council of Europe.
Rieger, D., Frischlich, L. & Bente, G. (2017). Propaganda in an insecure, unstructured world: How psychological uncertainty and autohritatian attitudes shape the evaluation of right-wing extremist Internet propaganda. Journal for deradicalization. Spring/2017 Nr. 10. 203-229.
Romaniuk, P. (2015). Does CVE work? Lessons learned from the global effort to counter violent extremism. Global centre on cooperative Security. Retrieved, 2019-03-12 from, [http://www.globalcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Does-CVE-Work_2015.pdf]
Rosseau, C., Ellis, H. & Lantos, J. (2017). The Dilemma of Predicting Violent Radicalization. Pediatrics, Vol 140, nr. 4, 1-6.
Roy, O. (2017). Jihad and death. The global appeal of Islamic State. London: Hurst & Company.
Saltman, E. & Smith, M. (2015). ’Til Martyrdom Do Us Part’ Gender and the ISIS Phenomenon. London: ICSR.
Sarma, K. (2017). Risk Assessment and the prevention of Radicalization from Nonviolence into Terrorism. American Psychologist, Vol.72, No.3, 278-288.
Sedgwick, M. (2010). The concept of radicalization as a source of confusion. Terrorism and Political Violence, 22(4), 479-494.
Simi, P., Sporer, K., & Bubolz, B. (2016). Narratives of childhood adversity and adolescent misconduct as precursors to violent extremism: A life-course criminological approach. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 53(4), 536–563.
Sivenbring, J. (2017). Demokratiseringens dilemman i de nordiska handlingsplanerna mot våldsbejakande extremism. [Dilemmas with democracy in the Nordic action plans against violent extremism]. Göteborgs Universitet: Segerstedtinstitutet.
Skeggs, Beverly. (1999). Att bli respektabel. Konstruktioner av klass och kön. [Formations of class and gender: Becoming respectable]. Göteborg: Daidalos.
Socialstyrelsen. (2018). Våldsbejakande extremism, stöd till socialtjänstens arbete med återvändare och andra personer involverade i våldsbejakande extremistiska miljöer. [Violent extremism, support for social services work with returnees and other persons involved in violent extremist milieus].
SOU 2013:81. (2013). När vi bryr oss – förslag om samverkan och utbildning för att effektivare förebygga våldsbejakande extremism [When we care, suggestions for cooperation and education for more efficient prevention of violent extremism].
SOU 2017:110. (2017). Värna demokratin mot våldsbejakande extremism. Hinder och möjligheter. [Safeguard democracy against violent extremism. Obstacles and opportunities]. Kulturdepartementet. Stockholm: Fritzes
Spalek, B. (2016). Radicalistion, de-radicalisation and counter-radicalisation in relation to families: Key challenges for research, policy and practice. Security Journal, 29, 39–52.
Stretmo, L. (2014). Governing the unaccompanied child - media, policy and practice. [Doctoral thesis]. Faculty of Social Science. Göteborg: Göteborgs Universitet.
Stretmo, L. (2018). Ungdomstid i (oviss) väntan. Mottagande av ensamkommande barn i Nacka kommun. [Youth in (uncertain) waiting. Reception of unaccompanied children in Nacka municipality]. FoU skriftserie 163/18.
Thomas, P. (2016). Youth, terrorism and education: Britain’s Prevent program. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 35(2), 171–187.
Williams, M., Bélanger, J., Horgan, J., & Evans, W. (2018). Experimental effects of a call-center disclaimer regarding confidentiality on callers’ willingness to make disclosures related to terrorism. Terrorism and Political Violence, 1–15. doi:10.1080/09546553.2018.1476347
Williams, M., Horgan, J., Evans, W. & Bélanger, J., (2018). Expansion and replication of the theory of vicarious help-seeking. Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression. doi:10.1080/19434472.2018.1546217
Williams, M., Horgan, J., & Evans, W. (2015). Research Summary: Lessons from a U.S. Study revealing the critical role of “gatekeepers” in public safety networks for countering violent extremism. In S. Zieger & A. Aly (Eds). Countering violent extremism: Developing evidence-base for policy and practice. Perth: Hedayah & Curtin University.
Williams, M., Horgan, J., & Evans, W. (2015). The critical role of friends in networks for countering violent extremism: Toward a theory of vicarious help-seeking. Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression, 8(1), 45–65. doi:10.1080/19434472.2015.1101147
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
The JD Journal for Deradicalization uses a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND) Licence. You are free to share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format under the following conditions:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, andindicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
