Debunking Modern Myths About Terrorism’s Roots
UNIPATH STAFF
Many myths surround popular beliefs about what contributes to extremism. Global experts dismiss explanations such as poverty, illiteracy and troubled childhoods and agree that generalizations should be avoided. There is no single underlying cause for the emergence of extremism, experts say.
Myth No. 1
Extremists are Crazy or Mentally Ill
Despite the emotionalism inherent in much violent extremism, few adherents are mentally debilitated. Within their own oftentimes fanatical worldviews, terrorists see their violent exploits as reasonable.
Experts caution that efforts to treat violent extremism as a mental illness can simply create well-adjusted terrorists.
Dr. Marc Sageman, a clinical and forensic psychiatrist, said he identified fewer than five sociopaths or psychopaths in a landmark study of the biographical information of more than 400 captured militant jihadists.
Myth No. 2
Extremists Possess a Specific Mindset or Personality
This is patently false. No one-size-fits-all trait identifies a future extremist nor does a unique path or process cause radicalization and violence. “When studying things like consumption patterns, voting patterns, etc., we seldom delve into [individual personality traits] like that, so why does it happen in the case of religiously inspired extremism?” asks Noor.
Such questions haven’t stopped experts from trying to get to the root of extremism. The debate continues over which factors or combinations of factors may be the most important and in which environments. Noor contends that if there is a micro-biographical angle to explore, “it has more to do with how individuals selectively and subjectively generate a sense of absolute certainty in their thought and behavioral patterns. This is what is called cognitive certainty, or even cognitive arrogance. And one can and should focus on that, too, to demonstrate that here is where the problem lies, be it in the case of racial supremacists, neo-Nazis or religious extremists — all of whom are certain that they, and only they, are right in their thoughts and actions.”
Myth No. 3
Extremists Come From Financially Disadvantaged Backgrounds
Probably the biggest myth of all is that only the poor are vulnerable to extremism. Dr. Sageman, in his study of 400 captured terrorists, determined that three-quarters came from upper- or middle-class homes in which intact marriages were the rule. Nearly two-thirds had attended college. Before they turned to violence, many militants had been models of integration, seemingly comfortable with Western culture. The presence of millionaires’ sons and physicians among the leadership of al-Qaida is further evidence minimalizing poverty’s role in radicalization. Case in point: Osama bin Laden was heir to a multimillion-dollar construction fortune.
However, researchers have found a statistically significant correlation between national poverty and a country’s likelihood of becoming a source of terrorism. The fact that poorer countries are also correlated with weakly functioning political states further complicates the matter and reinforces the need for extremism to be studied in its broader context, experts say.
Myth No. 4
Extremists Generally Lack Education
This is statistically not true, yet recruits as a whole are susceptible to a gradual indoctrination. Rather than a lack of education, there is an ingrained intolerance for democratic dissent and social differences, which can breed extremism.
Terrorist actors can exploit these feelings, but they can also exploit openness. Although open societies permit radical thought and free expression, they also make citizens aware of deprivation, experts say. Closed societies, meanwhile, give the appearance of having a better grip on internal stability and radicalism than democratic ones.
To be sure, a pluralistic education is not a cure-all. There are plenty of examples of terrorists and extremists who came from a tolerant background, experts point out. Sometimes a pluralistic education drives an individual to seek a more black-and-white worldview.
Myth No. 5
Extremists Typically Have No Family or Lack Meaningful Relationships
This perception has proven untrue as well. In fact, entry into terrorist groups is often paved by friends and family. Often individual recruits, to sustain the need to belong to a group, will follow friends, kin and even spouses into violence.
The social bonds of radicalism are clearly stronger than the ideological drivers, experts emphasize. Furthermore, socialization in prison and on the Internet that leads to entry into violent groups appears to be rising, studies show.