How important is education? What role does it play in preventing radicalization and terrorism? Well, although the correlation between the educational system and jihadist prevention and recruitment beforehand does not show a close link, it is noteworthy that all the individuals who are included in the seekers of jihadist terrorism, and in particular, al-Qaeda (the seeker of revenge, status, identity and emotions), mentioned in the study by Colonel John M. ”Matt” Venhaus, “Why Youth Join al-Qaeda” lack certain needs, which the individual eventually seeks and which the educational system could effectively cover. Addressing these needs is a key element to prevent radicalization of these young people and avoid being victims of terrorist organization recruitment plans.
To do this, first of all, we will briefly address what the needs of the individuals who fall into the four aforementioned search engines consist of, and which the study explains in depth.
The individual who seeks revenge He feels angry with himself and society, he is usually “full of anger” and dissatisfaction and, therefore, he looks for someone to blame or to remedy an evil. The status seeker, perhaps one of the most frequent, is made up of individuals who want to succeed and fulfill their dreams, whether it be getting a good job or pursuing higher education. The Thrill Seeker, minimally present, but not absent, seeks new adventures, adrenaline or overcoming a high-risk challenge. Finally, the identity finder He longs to be part of a group, to create a group identity with which to identify and define himself. This search engine is closely related to the educational system and the individual's trajectory in their first academic years.
At the end of this article, we will present the possible alternatives that the educational system could offer to these four search engines to meet their needs, although we will first discuss the characteristics of the current educational system. On the one hand, it is necessary to highlight the importance of a increasingly intercultural and interreligious character in educational centers to avoid rejection and accentuate the identity uncertainty that some people suffer. In turn, the disparate and asymmetrical teaching about Islam that these individuals may receive in the educational center, which on certain occasions is null, could enter into conflict and accelerate an identity crisis caused by external factors such as a mosque. This is why The limited training that the individual usually receives in educational centers makes him or her more vulnerable to manipulation by external factors.
This explains the need for educational centers to take measures and adapt to the situation by introducing reforms that address the cultural and religious needs of all students. With this, on the one hand, individuals become familiar with this culture, adopt the foundations of Islam that are contrary to jihadism and can build a solid identity and, on the other hand, reduce discrimination and racism by other individuals, promoting social ties and greater intercultural integration.
On the other hand, educational centers must establish “intervention and coordination protocols between Security Forces and Corps and educational centers” in order of identify students who could be susceptible to participating in or supporting terrorist activities. This intervention protocol must act and function in the same way as drug addiction and bullying prevention programs.
The ultimate goal of these measures is to provide identity and a sense of belonging to the individual since, as shown in the study of King's College of London (2007): Recruitment and Mobilization for the Islamist Militant Movement in Europe el social integration deficit could become a variable to take into account in individuals who decided to join terrorist groups. This deficit could become an element of social polarization that leads to a situation of conflict and social rejection. Great progress in this regard has gone hand in hand with the British government with the plausible initiative Radical Middle Way, a website with a wealth of content and activities aimed at young Muslims to allow them to connect with their faith.
In this sense, and returning to the four search engines, the possible alternatives For each of them, they could be, for revenge seekers, offering music, poetry and sports activities workshops with the aim of channeling anger and frustration. The status seeker must have the opportunity to display his or her gifts and aptitudes, therefore, accessible academic opportunities, debates, and political-religious discourse must be encouraged. Religious education and the promotion of activities that can offer the individual to define himself and identify with himself is crucial for the identity seeker, since being part of a sports league, a student society, a choir satisfies the need for feel accepted and part of a group. Finally, the main alternative for the thrill seeker is to delegitimize jihadist groups as a focus of “extreme adventure” and encourage the practice of sports that can satisfy those cravings for adrenaline.
Finally, and to address the role of education in the prevention of radicalization from another point of view, education is framed as the key tool to delegitimize recruitment messages. terrorist organizations on social networks and counter extremist thinking. In this aspect comes into play the quality of education beyond pure knowledge, providing students with a education of values such as human rights, peace, sustainable development and solidarity. It is the teachers who capture the behavior of the students first-hand and who can identify an abnormal change or signs of a violent attitude in said behavior, thus being able to intervene and identify its origin. The important role of teachers in this dissemination of values was revealed in 2015 with the collection of 90 signatures from the Manifesto for Education-Empowering Educators and Schools by the European Union to involve and remind both educational entities and teachers of the responsibility they have in the early prevention of radicalization.
To conclude, it could be stated that today the educational system lacks a globalized vision that can face the new challenges of an increasingly diverse world in terms of religion and culture. The fight against radicalization and terrorism should not only take place externally and through force, but it is necessary to go to the root of said problem; the recruitment and reclamation of individuals, mostly young people who have had previous negative experiences. Change this vision and promote social inclusion Creating strong identities may be the key to preventing jihadist radicalization.
Internationalist. Passionate about languages, history and cultural interaction. Among my main interests are all those related to human rights, refugees and the European Union.
