Jihadi brides
As seen in the modern religious wave of terrorism, religion is a characteristc of many terrorist organizations today. Recruitment is done on many platforms by appealing to the allure of a group-based identity, one rooted in religion. Along with many other pathways into violent extremist groups, a religious obligation is one that recruiters frequently play into. In young females, this religious duty is known as the “Jihadi brides”. Forced marriages are common traits of many terrorist organizations including al Qaeda, Boko Haram and al Shabaab. These women are religiously converted and simultaneously radicalized to provide for these organizations and carry their ideologies. Many young men are recruited to be expendable suicide bombers or fighters of the sort. These organizations push the idea of their Holy War and insist it is their religious duty to fight for Islam.
Many of these organizations guilt youth by using their religious duties to recruit them. However, there are some organizations that recruit Westerners due to their lack of religious knowledge. Recruiters will combine their religion with a sense of belonging within the organization and in turn recruit those with no religious background. In this sense, the radicalization process is much easier as the recruits do not know enough to challenge any ideologies. They chase the sense of purpose that is given to them when they are fed an ideology, told to harm anyone who disagrees and are backed by an entire terrorist organization.
References:
- If you were to advise the National Security Council, what would be your recommendation on how to respond to right-wing terrorism in the United States?
Right-Wing terrorism has grown to be a greater threat day by day to the national security of the United States in the last few decades. The current political climate has acted as a more accommodating platform for domestic terrorists who believe in the following ideologies; white nationalists, white supremacy, neo-nazi groups, and anti-government organizations. In handling growing grievous threats such as these, a national baseline definition for what constitutes domestic terrorism, especially in hate crimes performed by white nationalists, is needed first. Each agency on the national Security Council has a major part to play once a definition is established and the legal ramifications are set into law.
To address right-terrorism specifically, motivation is a serious factor and needs to be taken into account when charging hate crime violence. If a far right-wing group’s actions are able to be charged as domestic terrorism that has a serious offence rather than just property damage or assault for example which only results in a 2-3 year sentence then releases them back into society. On the global stage for example, if a organization is designated as a terrorists by the state department, far fewer countries will have anything to do with them and thereby reduce the spread of ideology and influence. The secretary of state who acts on the national Security Council, has the power to set a more serious punishment for actions that promote ultra-conservative traditions, authoritarianism, or dominant culture.
Reference:
Hoffman, B. (2017) Inside Terrorism New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
