Jihadism
Dounia Bouzar chairs the Centre for prevention of sectarian drifts linked to Islam. Families with a radicalised family member turn to her and to her team of experts for help. The phenomenon is widespread in France, according to figures released by the Interior Ministry. Some 1.800 people are involved in Jihadist organizations. It is estimated that 7thousand cases are at risk.
Against whom are we fighting in Europe? What and who is hiding behind the network of Jihadism in Europe? How does it manage to have a grip on youths’ minds? The perpetrators of the Paris attacks were all young. The international masterminds conceal the faces of youths in their late teens in photographs with Kalashnikovs in their hands. But they were all born in Europe. They were raised in European schools, formed in the wake of Western history and culture. France and Jihadism. Since 2014, the Centre for the prevention of sectarian drifts linked to Islam has been studying the phenomenon providing psychological support to families who have experienced the radicalization process of family members. The Centre was created in the wake of numerous calls for help received by Dounia Bouzar, author of the book “Désamorcer l’islam Radical. Ces dérives sectaires qui défigurent l’islam”. Figures released by the Interior Ministry reported by Reuters show that France is deeply affected by the phenomenon of radicalization: some 1800 people are involved in jihadist organizations. The number includes those who have already left for Syria and Iraq, those who returned, those who intend to join the Jihadists. It is also estimated that there are 7 thousand at-risk situations.
The phenomenon of radicalization touches all walks of life. It involves not only the Muslim world: it has a firm grip on all environments, including those without any particular religious affiliation.
The most vulnerable to grooming are young people aged 18-21.
The Centre provides differentiated psychological support to families and youths, with dedicated training for teachers and social workers. It also produced a series of clips to explain and prevent the phenomenon, that can be viewed on their website.
In the clip “Endoctrinement mode d’emploi”, Dounia Bouzar explains how and why indoctrination can make a hold on the youths.
Priming takes place over the Internet and on social networks. The conversation always starts with a negative analysis of society, thereby acting on the feeling of discomfort, loneliness and search for meaning that pervades young people’s world.
Harsh images of tortured, wounded, agonizing children are shown as proof of a ruthless, violent world. Starting from this picture of gloom, the youths are told: “God has chosen you to save the world from decline.” The next step is a complete rupture with the family, school, and old friends. The clip shows a segment of a video used by the Jihadis: a man, speaking in French, shows the foam released by a boat’s engine. He states that the “chosen ones” are like the white foam emerging from the sea, that is the Muslim community as a whole. The chosen are described as “the heart” of the community, “the pure”, “the fighters”, “the blessed”, those who “are not afraid to die.” Everything is permeated by the myth of martyrdom, by the promise of Paradise and the imminent end of the world. The sentences are repeated several times according to the technique of indoctrination of the “repetition.”
The Centre has also released a clip: “Ils te diront”, with the testimony of the protagonists of these stories. There is Foad, brother of Norah, a 15-year-old girl, who at present is still in Syria. There’s a young mother whose husband “kidnapped” her 24-month toddler Assia and brought her with him to Syria. “He lived in his own world – she said – and after only two months he gave in to radical Islam. He never returned. They conditioned him against everyone else.” Dominique’s story is very touching: her son Nicolas died in Syria on January 2 2014. She was informed of his death with a text message from Syria. Dominique describes her son as a “sensitive”, “kind” person. “He used to tell me: ‘mother, I am not happy here. I’m not myself. I would like to live in a Muslim country.’ I told him that if he felt happier in a Muslim country he could leave France, but I never could have imagined that he was thinking of Syria.” From Syria, Nicolas called her once informing her of his intentions to fight and die. She implored him not to: “You still have so many things to live for. You are too young to die.” But it was too late.
