As the tempo of radical Islamism is accelerating in the West, the agents and their means of Islamic radicalization irrefutably pose an existential threat to the core liberal values of western civilization. It is in this context – the increase and spread of Islamic radicalization in the West – that the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) is proud to present the Islamic Radicalization Index (IRI).
The IRI includes articles, essays, opinion pieces and briefing notes, written by ICT Staff, Fellows and Interns dealing both with theory and empiricism of Islamic radicalization. The IRI will also offer country-by-country analyses of trends in Islamic radicalization. These reports seek to demonstrate, within the confines of national borders, how, why and by whom Islamic radicalization is proliferating in each nation-state. Ultimately, it is the purpose of the ICT to offer the international community a new outlet that seeks to discuss and educate the growing issue of Islamic radicalization in the West.
This paper examines the phenomenon of Islamic radicalization in Russia, analyzing the causes, dynamics and implications of the increasing radicalization of Russia’s Muslim community. The paper argues that in the last few years Islam has increased its physical presence in Russia, for example through the construction of new mosques and of educational structures, but it has also increased its online presence.
Belgium has become a major hotbed for radicalization in Europe. At least 380 Belgians have travelled to Syria as foreign fighters, giving Belgium the largest number of jihadists per capita at 33.9 fighters per one million residents. Radicalized Belgian Muslims are significantly involved not only in terrorist attacks in Belgium, but throughout Europe. What has caused Belgium to become this fertile a ground for Islamic radicalization?
This paper is designed to provide an overview of Islamic radicalization in the state of New Jersey. It is part of ICT’s Islamic Radicalization Index (IRI) and follows a similar structure to other papers in the index. This report is part of a larger project on Islamic Radicalization in the United States.
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the process of radicalization of Muslims in Norway. The paper begins by outlining the Muslim population, demographics, mosques, organizations, as well as political participation. The paper further presents a theoretical approach to radicalization while looking at the issue of radicalization in Norway. After this section, follows some case studies of Norwegian foreign fighters in Syria and supporters of terrorist attacks in Africa. At last, the government´s response to radicalization in Norway is outlined, with a following conclusion that explains the increase of among Norway´s population.
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