Grappling with Terror: How France Can Tackle Radicalisation

Radicalisation - A Conundrum

The attacks have spurred scholars and observers to address the root causes of the terrorist scourge in France. One may argue that what motivated the attackers to commit such atrocities was due to the blasphemous cartoons.

Although many Muslim leaders and scholars have denounced the gruesome attacks, there are those who view that blasphemy is still punishable by death under the norms of medieval Islamic period⁴. Here is where contemporary Muslim scholars must directly address the fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) texts related to blasphemy.

Many French Muslim youth also fall prey to radicalisation due to factors like socio-economic marginalisation and “ghettoization” – a term used by Macron himself to describe the plight of Muslims living in the ghettos. Experts have pointed out that social conditions in these ghettos are the primary reason why Muslim youths there favour extremism and become vulnerable to radicalisation.

In one of his studies, Matthew Moran, a Professor of International Security and Co-Director of the Centre for Science and Security Studies at King’s College London, argued that the experience of Muslims living in ghettos “fosters confusion and frustration, and contributes to an identity crisis, which, in turn, creates space for the cognitive openings that can open the door to radicalisation and ultimately violent extremism.” ⁵

Battle for The Hearts and Minds

In the event of an adversity especially after a terror attack, the responsible approach for governments would be to rally the population together and stand firm against any threat. But it was different for France. Its government seemed to shift the blame and direct its rhetoric towards stigmatising its own Muslim population.

France’s hard-line Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, indirectly referred to Muslims as “enemies from within” ⁶. He was also quoted to instruct police raids on Muslim individuals and organisations, who “were not linked to the investigation but to whom [they] are clearly willing to send a message.”⁷ Such statements show that the French government has failed to protect its own citizens and have made Muslims scapegoats.

By stoking the flames of Islamophobia, radicalisation will continue and escalate. This fans ISIS and other like-minded groups’ rhetoric – that the ‘infidels’ are waging a crusade against Muslims. And France has inexplicably fed to the same radical narratives championed by ISIS who had praised Anzorov’s action as an act of martyrdom – no less than in its editorial, Al-Naba’⁸.

An excerpt from the article reads that the killing of the “crusader criminal gladdened the hearts of Muslims by protecting the honour of the Prophet.”⁹ ISIS also calls for its supporters to attack Western entities in their countries of residence.

By now, France should have realised that apart from hard power tactics, countering radicalism is ultimately a battle for the hearts and minds. The ability to understand how radicalisation processes work is paramount to effectively find solutions to the problems that they are facing now.

Proposals for Tackling Radicalisation

Eradicating radicalism and extremism has proven to be very difficult, and a long-term fight that requires continuous efforts from governments and the local communities. Apart from addressing the socio-cultural divide that separates those living in the ghettos from the mainstream society, there are other key steps that the French government should consider.

The first is to understand the pathway of radicalisation in France’s context. What are the root causes and why are people engaging in violence? This way, policymakers can work with the religious communities – especially the scholars – to make informed decisions to counter extremism and radicalism.

France also needs to avoid disaggregating acts, appearances and practices in assessing radicalism. This was the case when its former Home Affairs Minister, Christophe Castaner, while speaking at a hearing before the Law Committee of the National Assembly, listed some indicators that should trigger a thorough investigation by the police such as the growing of beard, rigid religious practices particularly during Ramadan and the wearing of full-face veil¹⁰. Contrary to countering radicalism, such ‘indicators’ may even encourage the marginalisation of Muslims and make them vulnerable to radicalisation.

Second, when discussing about identifying vulnerable individuals, French Muslims must be assured that they are not being targeted at or viewed in constant suspicion by the government. They can focus on building capacity and strengthening social resilience to improve general conditions on the individual and societal levels. The government should also provide credible alternatives for disenfranchised Muslims to voice their grievances.

And third, France needs to create social conditions that are conducive for harmonious multi-religious living where treatment of religions and positive civic relations among its societies are equal. As the world changes with modernisation and globalisation, the political system and system of governance need to evolve. While secularism has been accepted as a system of governance for centuries in France, it is important to relook at the understanding and reinterpret secularism based on today’s socio-political context.

Take Singapore, for instance; it is a secular state and it is obliged to treat all individuals as equal citizens regardless of religion. The freedom to practice religion is protected.

Sea of Change

It is clear that the task at hand for France will require a sea of change in how the government addresses these issues. It will no longer be viable to craft a national counter-radicalisation policy when the issues of marginalisation and Islamophobia have not been addressed thoroughly.

Winning the battle against extremism and radicalism will require revolutionary thinking on reforming the very French idea of secularism, and creating an environment that will dissuade disgruntled French Muslims to reconsider their position on supporting radical or extreme narratives espoused by terror groups.