Home-Grown Terrorism : Understanding and Addressing the Root Causes of Radicalisation among Groups with an Immigrant Heritage in Europe

This book is part of the NATO Science for Peace and Security Series - E: Human and Societal Dynamics and is based upon the presentations of a NATO Research Workshop by the same title. There are many recent examples of terrorist acts committed by radicalised Europeans with an immigrant heritage: in 2004 the Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh was assassinated, by a Dutch citizen from Morocco origins, because he produced a movie portraying Islam in an unconventional manner. The same year in the United Kingdom, the police foiled a potential terrorist attack and arrested eight men, all of whom were British citizens of Pakistani descent. Why some individuals with a migrant background become radicalised? Issues about marginalisation, societal exclusion, lack of integration, feelings of isolation, powerlessness and humiliation are all part of the problem. No amount of military or other coercive action will, in itself, do the trick of countering terrorism effectively without remedial action based upon a thorough knowledge of the underlying processes involved. This book is meant to be a small but significant step in that direction. With this purpose, it gathers the views of a wide range of multidisciplinary experts about how to prevent home grown terrorism and what strategies should be developed to hinder its development. It includes recommendations on how to counteract processes that provide a fertile subsoil for terrorism to develop, how to interfere in the recruitment of potential terrorists and specific research recommendations, with a special focus on young Muslims in Europe. This publication is of interest to all international relations and security and defence specialists, with a special relevance to those involved in the study of terrorism as a global threat.