"Militant Islamism Becomes Hip"

The attacks in London indicate a disturbing development. An Islamist youth scene is forming in Europe with its own subculture – an ideal milieu to recruit young suicide bombers. An interview with Christopher Daase, expert in war and conflict studies

photo: AP
According to Christopher Daase, religion is often secondary for young British radicalized Islamists - in many cases it is the appeal to masculinity that stands in the foreground

​​Mr. Daase, the London bombs were set off by native suicide bombers. Has terrorism in Europe gained a new quality?

Christopher Daase: It has certainly escalated to a new level. It will now be more difficult to prevent attacks in Europe. We have to live with the fear that a suicide bomber is sitting somewhere in the subway with a small amount of explosives. They only have to be willing to risk their lives. This will have an effect on our sense of security.

How do you explain that a seemingly well integrated young British citizen could become a suicide bomber?

Daase: I believe that we are dealing with a new youth cultural phenomenon. In certain circles it has apparently become hip to be a radical Islamist. Suicide bombers can be recruited from this milieu.

What makes you come to this conclusion?

Daase: Their recruiting videos are very revealing. Religion or political appeals to take up the fight against the West are secondary. More important is the call to live a correct, heroic manly life. The appeal to masculinity stands in the foreground. Moreover, these appeals are packaged in a particular way. Appropriate jihad music conveys the message.

Is it possible to compare Islamist youth culture with radical right-wing youth culture?

Daase: Yes, I see an amazing parallel here. It's cool to be for the jihad. It's cool to listen to this kind of music. It's cool to rail against America and to rejoice over fallen soldiers in Iraq. Content packaging and clique formation play an important role in both scenes. I consider this development to be very dangerous.

Is militant Islamism then more or less a post-adolescent phenomenon?

Daase: No, this view sounds much too harmless. By the way, we have to differentiate between those who execute the attacks and those pulling the strings. The masterminds in the background obviously have clear political motives – for example, the withdrawal of the Americans and allied troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. The fact that the attacks are connected with concrete demands on the West is frequently suppressed here.

What do the London attacks reveal about al Qaeda's ability to act?

Daase: That's hard to say. I consider two interpretations to be plausible. The first: Al Qaeda has changed its strategy. The manhunt has placed its leadership under extreme pressure. As a result they are focusing on local groups and are trying to make waves in the West with suicide bomb attacks. The second: These local groups are now largely acting autonomously and have, if at all, only a very loose connection to al Qaeda. That's why I believe the assertion that al Qaeda is again capable of functioning as a global organization is premature.

Bavaria's Interior Minister Beckstein is now calling for the government to monitor mosques more closely. Is this the correct path?

Daase: Monitoring certain Muslim communities makes just as much sense as the practice of observing radical right-wing groups. Wherever groups preach hate and call for violence, the intelligence service needs to be active. I would not draw much of a distinction between the groups we visit and observe.

Wouldn't that reinforce the general suspicion against Muslim communities?

Daase: No, I believe that systematic monitoring can make it clear that the intent is to prevent crimes and that it has nothing to do with a general suspicion or accusation.

But what would monitoring accomplish? The British secret service was not watching any of the suicide bombers.

Daase: We would never be able to keep track of all militants. But that is no argument to not monitor these groups in general. We should at least try to detect the agitators and to prevent them from acting.

But shouldn't we place more emphasis on social prevention?

Daase: Of course, but it is not a question of alternatives. We have to be honest. If we are dealing with an Islamist youth culture, then prevention is going to be extremely difficult.

So an end of the terror is not in sight?

Daase: Not yet. But the latest events could also indicate a positive development. We are currently observing a trend towards a trivialization of Islamist terrorism. Local groups are executing the attacks; the influence of the leading group al Qaeda has obviously become weaker. In the event that this trend continues – we would still have local terrorist attacks, but their effects are less dramatic or at least are perceived to be less dramatic – then the wave of terrorism could someday simply peter out.

Interview: Astrid Geissler

© TAZ/Qantara.de 2005

Translation from German: Nancy Joyce

This article was previously published by the German daily TAZ.

photo: Gmh.dgb.de

​​Christopher Daase is Full Professor and holds the Chair in International Relations at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Prior to this position he was Senior Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Kent at Canterbury and Director of the Programme in International Conflict Analysis at its Brussels School of International Studies. He has published widely on International Relations Theory, Peacekeeping, International Security, Terrorism and Guerrilla Warfare and on the Emerging Risks in International Politics.

Qantara.de

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