Research indicates that specific socioeconomic and political factors, such as poverty, oppression, and corruption, can explain the rise of terrorism. For example, Okafor and Piesse (2018) found that the fragility of government, youth unemployment, and the number of refugees are significant determinants of terrorism. In other words, the risk of terrorist activity is greater in countries unable to meet the residents’ basic needs and expectations. Wealthy and internally stable states usually face a lower risk of the terrorist threat. However, the impact of terrorism can differ between countries with equally unfavorable political and socioeconomic situations. The most plausible explanation lies in the cultural and religious influence which acts as a local driver of terrorism.
In particular, religious fundamentalist groups commonly associated with terrorism demonstrate exceptional resilience to crackdown attempts. According to Gaibulloev and Sandler (2019), Islamic extremist groups have mastered the use of kinship, long-term friendship, and worship to organize effective resistance against state-sponsored counter-terrorist activities. In this regard, countries with large, oppressed, and poorly integrated Muslim communities are more susceptible to the rise of terrorism. The extremists use the sense of religious solidarity to find and mobilize potential supporters within the community. In the end, terrorists create a well-developed recruitment network, exploiting Islam to their advantage.
However, one cannot consider Muslim communities and believers the root cause of terrorism. The actual root cause lies in the concept of jihad, an idea of the struggle against injustice and sin. According to Cherney and Murphy (2019), Islamic extremists portray jihad as an exclusively violent fight for a noble cause, slowly imprinting this idea into the minds of potential recruits. The perception of jihad as a violent struggle against injustice was common among passive supporters of terrorism (Cherney & Murphy, 2019). With time and potential exposure to extremist influence, these passive supporters may realistically join the terrorist ranks. Therefore, counter-terrorism in the shape of Islamophobic policies benefits the extremists by giving them actual examples of injustice. Governments of countries with large Muslim communities should understand that causal relationship and disrupt terrorist recruitment campaigns by collaborating with Muslim religious authorities and integrating Muslim communities into society. In countries with a predominantly Muslim population, governments should cooperate with religious institutions to prevent terrorists from exploiting the idea of jihad. Neglect of religious and cultural aspects or Islamophobic response would only contribute to the rise of the terrorism.
References
Cherney, A., & Murphy, K. (2019). Support for terrorism: The role of beliefs in jihad and institutional responses to terrorism. Terrorism and Political Violence, 31(5), 1049-1069. Web.
Gaibulloev, K., & Sandler, T. (2019). What we have learned about terrorism since 9/11. Journal of Economic Literature, 57(2), 275-328. Web.
Okafor, G., & Piesse, J. (2018). Empirical investigation into the determinants of terrorism: Evidence from fragile states. Defence and Peace Economics, 29(6), 697-711. Web.