Presenter(s): Carson Hauth
Faculty Mentor(s): Craig Parsons & Angela Joya
Poster 154
Session: Social Sciences & Humanities
In the past twenty years France has seen a sharp increase in radical Islamic terrorist attacks committed by its own citizens unparalleled by its neighbors in Western Europe. This study aims to address reasons for which French Muslims are radicalized at a significantly greater rate than Muslim citizens of other European nations. Three dominant theories exist to explain the phenomenon of radicalization: low socioeconomic status, external radicalization by existing terrorist and extremist cells, and secular identity politics which exclude French Muslims from French identities. Drawing from secondary sources regarding key features of the life histories of fourteen French Muslim terrorists between 1985 and 2018, we may address the extent to which these three theories explain the increased radicalization in France, and what sets France apart from other European nations. Founded on staunch republican values, the unique structure of French laïcité creates a French identity which conflicts with religious identities amongst Muslim communities. Through tacit and explicit secular laws- supported by the cultural acceptance of laïcité- which unequally target Muslims, Islam is externalized from French society thus increasing feelings of isolation and anger among French Muslims and facilitating radicalization by external catalysts. This study works towards furthering understanding the underlying causes of radicalization and the recent rise in radical Islamic terrorism.