On the Trail of Counter Radicalisation: An Examination of Strategies to Prevent the Threat of Islamist Extremism

Abstract

The problem of Islamist inspired terrorism is a challenge that states around the world are struggling to deal with. This thesis focuses on the process of Islamist radicalisation that leads to this form of terrorism. It analyses strategies and programs that seek to counter or reverse the process of Islamist radicalisation. This thesis provides an explanatory model of radicalisation, a key component for first understanding how this process emerges and for analysing policies and programs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to solicit best practices, lessons learned and challenges from key practitioners and policy makers in the area of counter radicalisation and deradicalisation in the United Kingdom, The Netherlands and Morocco. Also, this thesis provides new data concerning Australian Islamist terrorists and their educational status. These data show an overrepresentation of Australian terrorists in the STEM fields, particularly engineering. One of the key findings of this thesis is that radicalised individuals tend to lack particular epistemic skills, which have implications for pedagogy in general, and particularly counter radicalisation and deradicalisation programs. This thesis concludes with recommendations for counter radicalisation and deradicalisation policies and practice in Australia, drawn from broader contexts.