In recent years there have been a series of terrorist attacks linked to the terrorist group of the Islamic State or Daesh, as the Arabic acronym is known to refer to them or, ISIS from the English acronym (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). These attacks, mostly perpetrated in Muslim countries themselves, are having a special impact in Europe.
And Daesh has militants at a transnational level, especially Westerners who have converted to Islam, or from second or third generation European citizens with Muslim roots. Let us remember that Arabic is not synonymous with Muslim. So any ethnic group can belong to Daesh.
Daesh or Islamic State is a terrorist group that was formed in 2014 following the Syrian crisis and the endless war in Iraq, where the supreme leader of the formation Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi declared the establishment of the “Islamic Caliphate” in Mosul, Iraq.
For other academics, the concept of a terrorist group is misused, since they are an organization with a social, religious, administrative and territorial identity. Although these extremists are currently being eliminated, they created a corridor between Syria and Iraq to expand throughout the world, controlling important areas of both countries.
Returning to how Daesh is formed, its members share the same profile: inhabitants of Western and Eastern Europe are radicalized through a false interpretation of Islam and taking up the precepts of “Holy War” that were used in the Crusades. Thus, Can the radicalization process be interrupted? Are individuals who have been terrorists reformable? In this article we analyze it.
Taking into account the complexity of the issue, the main problem is how to detect the aforementioned radicalization process, as the authorities and security forces call it.
The Muslim community is integrated into Western societies, and outside their homes the majority appears to have cultural assimilation. The complexity lies in the moments of “inside doors”. That is, in their most intimate environments and far from any type of surveillance.
The recent terrorist attacks carried out by Daesh link this integration with radicalization, based in some cases on dissimulation and false appearance. Thus, According to expert sociologists, it is much easier to tackle the problem through education and prevention
Is it possible to reeducate a member of Daesh?
A difficult question to resolve. How do you know if you can re-educate an individual from Daesh? Luckily, there are some possibilities with extensive experience but with effective results. We are referring to cultural associations and many other integration organizations, whose mission is to get lost people back on their path.
Currently There are several Muslim associations dedicated especially to reintegrating these individuals into society To mention some examples, the Banr Islamic Foundation and the Ibn Battuta Foundation, where the first was established by two brothers who wanted to join Daesh to fight in Syria.
The second is of a cultural nature, forming part of the socialization process of young people and Muslim families, although its objective is to serve any community outside the European Community and thus guarantee its adaptation to avoid discriminatory, racist or humiliating acts.
The Ibn Battuta Foundation works closely with local security forces, administrations and at a national level it has great recognition, thus working side by side with justice and social services.
Can a Daesh terrorist be re-educated? The tools have recently been put into practice in countries such as Australia or England, where several fundamentalists who fought on the side of Daesh have been arrested, but for legal purposes they are still considered nationals with civil rights.
The last case with the most media coverage was that of a 16-year-old German teenager who was arrested in Iraq by special anti-terrorist units in a raid against Daesh. She had recently converted to Islam and her name has been withheld for security reasons. The German authorities do not want to give up on the victim and psychological processes have already been initiated to return to normal life.
