"It is not possible to provide a simple formula on how to make terrorists withdraw from violent activism and/or develop and implement a deradicalisation programme, applicable to any terrorist group in the world"

Is it possible to encourage the deradicalisation of jihadist terrorists?

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Jihadist terrorism is once again putting Western societies to the test, in this case with regard to the resocialisation of those who joined and were part of the ranks of some kind of organisation aligned with this ideology. Why is this a challenge? If we analyse the basis of the "old" terrorism, such as ETA or the IRA guided by purely political ends, the tactics employed for the deradicalisation or abandonment of violence of their followers, it was a more objective challenge than in the case of jihadism, where the counter-narrative must confront a thinking that goes far beyond the mere desire for political change, it is confronted with a divine connotation. 

There are different, varied and innumerable factors that lead an individual to become involved in jihadism, which is why it is essential to know them and counteract them at a preventive level before radicalisation and at a reconstructive level, once the individual is already immersed in it and we want to curb and stop it.  

Doubts also arise about their penitentiary treatment, calling into question the dispersal of prisoners, as happened with ETA prisoners and the problematic Parot Doctrine. Is it preferable to regroup prisoners for jihadist terrorism and thus prevent the spread of their ideology among the rest of the inmates, or is it better to disperse them? In addition to the uncertainty that comes with the release of these individuals, how can one assess and ensure that the individual has truly abandoned jihadist thought? In the case of former ETA members, as observed in Fernando Reinares' book, 'Patriotas de la muerte' (Patriots of Death), abandoning and ceasing to belong to the gang does not imply repentance or a change of opinion about the ideology that prompted their participation. These are some of the problems involved in dealing with subjective elements that affect and are conceived of differently on the basis of the individual and his or her specific personal and social situation. 

Atalayar_Terrorismo Violent radicalisation, deradicalisation and jihadi disengagement 

The immersion of an individual in a process of radicalisation may or may not result in the final inclusion or participation of the individual in terrorist activities, as well as being a reversible process1, with deradicalisation being understood as "the reversal of the cognitive processes of radicalisation with the aim of achieving dissociation from extremist ideologies " 2. On the other hand, we find disengagement, which is not necessarily linked to deradicalisation, understood as "renouncing violent or terrorist behaviour while maintaining certain ideological beliefs. " 3

As can be seen, the process of radicalisation is influenced by a variety of factors and rationales for its support, as well as the profile of the individual4; the same is true for the antagonistic process of deradicalisation. Therefore, as Bjørgo and Horgan concluded, "it is not possible to provide a simple formula on how to make terrorists withdraw from violent activism and/or develop and implement a deradicalisation programme, applicable to any terrorist group in the world". 5

Knowledge of static risk factors (those elements that are invariant to the individual, e.g., nationality or criminal record) and dynamic (those characteristics that can be modified through psycho-socio-educational intervention), which have driven the individual to radicalisation, their inclusion in a terrorist organisation or their mere commitment to it and its members, is essential in order to develop an action plan that counteracts and cancels them, contributing to the individual's abandonment of the group, of violence, of jihadist ideology, and finally serves as a guide towards their socialisation and social reintegration. 

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Taking into account past experiences in radicalisation processes and having studied the jihadist case, we can obtain a series of parameters and principles to be taken into account so that disengagement and deradicalisation are effective: 

Firstly, the programme must generate trust, respect, commitment, credibility and authenticity; 6 the second point to be taken into account, and more focused on each individual, is the carrying out of a biographical study in addition to their voluntary participation in the programme. 7 Since, as has already been mentioned, radicalisation is guided by spiritual and completely subjective and irrational elements, it is necessary for the treatment to focus on emotional and social learning, instead of focusing on cognitive aspects, as in the case of extremist ideologies of a political nature. "Arguments tend to polarise whereas narrative approaches as an expression of personal experiences have a more unifying effect". 8 In cases of jihadist radicalisation, and therefore deradicalisation, it is important to structure the programme based on the gender of the subject, as depending on this, the programme will need to vary. 9/10

One of the advisable points to carry out is group learning, promoting the emotional development of the individual in a social environment. This is an important factor for re-socialisation, not least political discourse or media coverage of influential issues in this area. 

The role of Imams and other Muslim scholars point out that radicalised prisoners seek answers about their religious beliefs and expected behaviour. "Is emigration (hidschra) to a Muslim country or caliphate compulsory?", "Do Muslims who do not pray deserve to be killed? Should we kill them?", "Was the caliphate conquered because it was not strict enough?". Answering these questions requires Islamic teaching that encourages a positive Muslim identity and is immune to the proselytising attempts of jihadists. 11 

However, as mentioned above, it is imperative to address social factors, addressing the feelings of discrimination, social injustice and identity crisis prevalent among insiders, especially among second and third generation migrants; calling it "anger prophylaxis". 12 Such spiritual counselling or Muslim chaplaincy must address dimensions such as identity issues, general Islamic education, global political education, and individual counselling. 

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"However, spiritual counselling is not a substitute for disengagement programmes, as it only reaches those who seek it. Rather, spiritual counselling and disengagement programmes should work in tandem, especially with regard to staffing requirements and team composition". 13

2019 National Counter-Terrorism Strategy 

The 2019 National Counter-Terrorism Strategy establishes the lines of action to be developed in the fight against terrorism based on the four essential pillars: prevent, protect, prosecute and prepare the response. 14 

De-radicalisation treatments must be planned and designed based on the characteristics of each individual, i.e., they are individual treatments, detecting the pull and push factors that have influenced the subject in question. 15

On the one hand, there are the models of response to risks and needs, which base their line of action on the principle of risk, establishing a level of treatment based on the dangerousness of the subject, adapting progressively to changes in this level of risk; on the other hand, the VERA-2 model (Violent Extremist Risk Assessment), created with the aim of evaluating risks associated with violent radicalism, making use of other measures such as the HCR-20 (Historical Clinical Risk Management-20) or the SAVRY protocol (Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth) 16. This tool details 25 possible risk factors, grouped into four groups: beliefs and attitudes, contextual risk factors, historical risk factors and protective factors. 17 In addition, a new version, the VERA-2R, extends the list to 34, including dynamic indicators, i.e. a model that is open to the subject's change during the deradicalisation process. 

Amanda Pérez Gómez /Criminologist specialized in international terrorism.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND FOOTNOTES:
  1. Altier, T. H. (2014). Turning away from terrorism: lessons from psychology, sociology, and criminology.
  2. Íbidem.
  3. Glaser, M., Greuel, F., Herding, D., Hohnstein, S., & Langner, J. (2017). Young and radical. Political violence during adolescence. (D. Jugendinstitut, Ed.) Munich. Pág. 12-17.
  4. Bjørgo, T. y. (2009). Leaving terrorism behind: Individual and collective. Routledge, 245-255.
  5. Unity Initiative. (s.f.). Unity Initiative. Obtenido de Unity Initiative: https://www.theunityinitiative.com
  6. Active Change Foundation. (s.f.). Active Change Foundation. Obtenido de Active Change Foundation: https://www.activechangefoundation.org
  7. MSB Medical School Berlin. (s.f.). DENK ZEIT. Obtenido de DENK ZEIT: https://www.denkzeit.info/trainingsprogramme/
  8. Women Without Border. (s.f.). Women Without Border. Obtenido de Women Without Border: http://www.women-withoutborders.org/
  9. MATES (Multi Agency Training Exit Strategies for radicalized youth. (2018). Estrategias de salida. Formas de salir de la Radicalización. Estrategia Europea, Directorate-general migration and home affairs. Págs. 10-12.
  10. Íbidem. Pág. 38.
  11. Íbidem. Pág. 38.
  12. Meyer, H. (2017). Gefängnisse als Orte der Radikalisierung – und der Prävention? Jana Kärge.
  13. Membrives, M. T. (2019). ¿Cómo se puede estimular la desradicalización de los terroristas yihadistas? Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos (ieee). Pág. 5.
  14. Íbidem. Pág. 11-12.
  15. Echaniz, R. (2019). VERA-2R: aproximación a la evaluación de riesgos asociados a la radicalización. OIET: Observatorio Internacional de Estudios sobre Terrorismo.
  16. Membrives, M. T. (2019). ¿Cómo se puede estimular la desradicalización de los terroristas yihadistas? Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos (ieee). Pág. 9-10.
  17. Echaniz, R. (2019). VERA-2R: aproximación a la evaluación de riesgos asociados a la radicalización. OIET: Observatorio Internacional de Estudios sobre Terrorismo.

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