Ideological Extremism

• Ideological extremism and electronic confrontation are examined.

Comprehensive Definition of Extremism

• Extremism is a pressing topic, examined due to increasing acts of terrorism that instill fear and disrupt public safety.
• It involves researching its origins, causes, and consequences for effective solutions.

Meaning of Extremism

• Extremism is a complex concept to define due to its varied interpretations.
  • The linguistic meaning involves exceeding moderation, which is relative and varies across societies based on values.
• What one society considers extreme, another can view as normal due to differing environmental, cultural, religious, and political factors.
• The perception of extremism shifts over time due to societal evolution.

Linguistic Origin

• According to Ibn Faris, the term "طرف" ( طرف) in Arabic relates to the edge or boundary of something and movement in a body part.
  • It signifies the limit of something, the movement of eyelids or the edge of an object.
• Al-Jassas defines "طرف الشيء" as the beginning or end of something, distant from the middle.
• In language, extremism means standing on the edge, far from the middle ground.
  • Initially used for physical actions like standing or walking, it extended to abstract concepts like religion or thought.
• Extremism leads to peril, distancing individuals from security, as illustrated by the poet's lament of losing safety by venturing too far.

Extremism in Terminology

• Extremism is defined as excessive devotion to a belief, idea, or doctrine by a group or party.
• It stems from a person's conviction of possessing complete truth, leading to attempts to correct and convince others, according to some.
• Others define it as a form of intolerance with exaggerated tendencies
  • Can incite violent behavior in particular settings.
• Extremism involves exceeding limits, whether in thought, behavior, or both, and transgressing accepted social norms.
  • It signifies a destructive inclination that distorts values.
• From psychological and social perspectives, extremism is a "violation of established social and political values, ranging from mere divergence of thought and ideology to concrete actions of violence by extremist groups."
• Extremism is a closed-minded approach that rejects differing beliefs, maintaining absolute, timeless truth, resisting debate or evidence.
  • It imposes beliefs on others, resorting to violence to counteract differing opinions and interpretations.
• Extremism is a shift in personality, expressing anger towards the prevailing status quo.

Characteristics of an extremist

• Domineering
• Contrarian tendencies that drive them towards extreme behaviors.
• It is a state of clinging to one's opinion, rejecting dialogue, interpreting events according to controlling ideologies.
• It is an intolerance of opinions, causing extremists to disregard legal objectives, current circumstances, and openness to dialogue, favoring their views dogmatically.
• Extremism entails violating community's socio-political values, resulting from personal disturbances from pressures faced, according to some psychologists.
• Larson states that extremists reject societal norms through extremist behaviors of dogmatism, rigidity, intellectual stagnation, and rejection of others.
• Bloder defines extremism as a firm stance with decisive reactions to societal situations.
• Extremism is being "far from what is logical, sensible, or acceptable," according to Webster's dictionary.
• Extreme signifies contrasting extremes in the interval, like pain or pleasure.
• Extremism means suppressing differing views.
• Extremism goes beyond moderation, as the sense of moderation is subjective.
• Extremists are often figures ahead of their time.

Social Concept of Extremism

• Defined by social scientists and psychologists as:
  • Intolerance of others' views.
  • Rigidity in understanding, preventing clear views of public interest or legal goals.
  • Closed-mindedness rejecting differing views.
  • Exceeding limits with rigidity, intellectual confinement.

Extremism as a Social Phenomenon:

• Manifests in forms like political, social, intellectual, artistic, or religious kinds.
• Religious extremism involves strictness, aggression
  • Key component of extremist groups.
  • Accomplished through violence.
• It is a challenge to authority.
  • Religious movements are social and cultural groups that want to overthrow current leaders to establish a state based on religious beliefs.
• Those with extreme ideas violate social and political values, as they breach common societal morals.

Interpretations through a Social Lens:

• It involves scientists providing sociological explanations for its existence. Key concepts include:
• Reality vs. Expectations Gap: Individuals often aspire beyond what society can offer.
  • A manageable gap is accepted, but a widening gap causes despair.
    • This can lead to blaming oneself and becoming self-motivated or simply giving up.
      • If it blamed on the economic and political environment, then it can lead to civil unrest
• Unequal Wealth Distribution: Unhappiness may not instigate dissent if equality in shared hardships exists.
  • Unequal share increases anger, resulting in antisocial behavior.
• The absence of wealth leads to discontent in society, that lead to extremism

Psychological Definitions of Extremism:

• Extremism is a revolution or escape from an unbearable present, according to some psychologists.
  • Can stem from character issues.
• A gauge of general level of mental duress, which means active response that goes beyond threat
  • The person faces some issues and engages with religious views
• Extremism reflects an aversion to the world as it is, highlighting traits like power, difference, and weakness.
• Extremists adopt strong behaviors, such as tenacity, stiffness, intellectual stagnation, and aversion to ambiguity.
• It is diverging from norms, exceeding moral standards, according to some
• Attitude is positive
• Individual whose opinions vary greatly
• Extremism is a revolution to fulfill needs.
• Apathy leads to terrorist groups

Directions toward Extremism via the Social viewpoint:

• It is a global problem.
• This issue negatively affects young Muslim teens by diminishing values
• Extremism is used to describe ideas or acts that are not required and unusual.
  • For ideas: relates as an ideology that removes the political system from its citizens.
  • May include violence

Causes of Extremism

• Differing causes and origins, but can be classified into three main groups:
  • Biological reasons
    • Mistreatment
    • Shock due to parental loss
  • Psychological reasons
    • Feeling isolated, anxiety leads to fear
      • Form groups and exclude those in authority
        • Lack of learning ability

Reasons, continued

• Extremists are under poverty
  • Not learning
  • lack of communication skills.
• Religion
  • Conflicting views

Historical Terrorist Movements

• Seen as the cause of terrorist acts
• Includes the Nazi movements

Nazism

• National Socialism, a political movement, flourished in Germany following World War I, characterized by antisemitism, racism, and ultranationalism.
  • Under Adolf Hitler, it dominated Germany from 1933.
  • These ideas continued to impact organizations labeled Neo-Nazis, and expression faced legal bans in some nations due to severity.

Origin

• Events resulted in the creation of new groups
  • Failure of Germany
  • Crisis caused from WW1.

Beginning of Nazism

• The party increased
  • Became the power in Germany,
• It was eventually stopped
• 1945 caused German to ban activity
• Belief was to destroy those who are non-aryans by use of violence

Holocaust

• The massacre caused by the Aryans
• Killed anyone who was not ideal to their way of life.

Fascism

• It is an antidemocratic
• Revolved on intervention
• Believed the only way to get things done was due to combat and fighting

Crusades

• Series of religious wars
• Main reason was the invasion into the business world

Extremist Movements & Fundamentalism

• Include
  • Zionism
  • Islamic doctrine
  • Discrimination between Black and White people

Fundamentalism & extremism

• Appeared in current movements.
• Fundamentalist, meaning the Islam that moves and acts, and extremity means talking about Islam and imposing on it
• And that the starting point of fundamentalism is the text, the Qur’an and Sunnah, while the starting point of extremism is the hadiths of people, from the heads of sects and the opinions of its scholars.

Confronting Extremism Electronically:

• Electronic media allows individuals to create their own media, easily shared and affordable, with diverse forms like text, audio, visuals.
• Used to promote hate and violence and spread news instead of support
• Platforms provide tools for both sides on opinions
• Some believe the future is technology

Digital Media

• It is an important part
• It spreads throughout many groups of terrorist
• Media has allowed the group to influence more
• Able to find others instead
• Social websites were used
• More ways were found by hate groups to spread their agenda

Extremism’s success compared to digital media:

• More chances to attack targeted areas.
• Chance connect the team as whole
• The most valuable is that it gives them what they need locally.

Terrorist groups started to bring communities by:

• Expressing
• Sharing information
  • They did thing like this for those one way Transforming thinking into thoughts
• Created 3 steps
  • First step- cause the feelings
  • Second step- impact in other areas
  • Third step- switch information to behavior

The dangerous approach

• Switching ideas to violence
• Participating in actual combat after brainwashing
• Promote speech
• Working with platforms
• Support of social media.