Radicalisation means different things to diverse groups

Just what does the term radicalisation mean, in relation to the war on terrorism? We use it quite often but we all attach a different meaning to it, and its causes. The typical dictionary definition is that radicalisation is a process by which an individual or group comes to adopt increasingly extreme political, social or religious ideals and aspirations that reject or undermine the status quo, or reject and/or undermine contemporary ideas and expressions of freedom of choice. Radicalisation can be both violent and non-violent, meaning an individual or group may be radical without necessarily being engaged in violent extremism or terrorism. The convenient definition by our security authorities is that radicalisation is the indoctrination of a young Muslim by a radical Imam!

Many institutions in Western countries have undertaken research in recent years to understand the causes of radicalisation among the youth. In 2007, the New York Police Department published a report that concluded that ‘there is no single pathway to extremism, and that all cases take different paths of radicalisation’. They noted that ‘if an individual goes through all or even some of the steps of radicalisation that does not mean that they will commit an act of terrorism. Several cases exist where an individual radicalised (wholly or partially) and never committed any acts of terrorism’.