Recently, I have been watching Chai Jing's documentary series "Strangers" about dialogues with terrorists. I have discovered that this is actually a universal problem, not just limited to the Muslim communities in Europe.
The so-called issue of jihadist extremism is a result of various social problems and expressions of human nature. It is not an independent political or religious demand, nor does it conform to our stereotypical impression of extreme Muslim fundamentalists. Most participants are second-generation European immigrants who have enjoyed free education and various social welfare benefits, growing up in modern countries far from conflict. Many recruiters in Europe have received higher education, even obtaining doctoral degrees, and have modern secular professions and lifestyles.
Participants:
The majority of jihadists who return to conflict areas in Europe are young second-generation Muslim immigrants. Like many other second-generation immigrants in the world, they face serious issues of cultural integration and self-identity. Participating in jihad allows them to escape these real problems and integrate into a circle with a strong sense of identity. Young people in every place do foolish things to fit in with their peers, such as smoking, drinking, fighting, and drug use. They are just going further under greater pressure to conform.
Recruiters have created a community atmosphere for young candidates, where they do not need to think independently or face complex social and personal problems. They only need to obey the recruiters as the sole source of truth in order to achieve redemption in this world. For these young people, recruiters fulfill the roles of parents, teachers, governments, and preachers, which is very attractive to Muslim immigrant youth who lack discipline and guidance and grow up in a fragmented environment. Once they accept all of this, they can abandon all other social identities and no longer have to face the struggles and conflicts of the secular world or bear any family and social responsibilities.
"Jihad is an excellent escape route, and it is really comfortable to stay in this ideology."
Recruiters:
In interviews, many recruiters express another extreme, which is the ability to construct and reflect on the fanatic atmosphere. They admit that it is foolish and unattainable to try to build the world described in the Quran from 1500 years ago in today's world. They also believe that many aspects of jihadist extremism, such as strict religious laws and discrimination against women and sexual minorities, do not align with their own values. They have had doubts about jihadist extremism, but in the fanatic community they have constructed, these doubts are not in line with expectations and should not be expressed. They cover their humanity with divinity, sitting on a self-deceptive throne, giving orders and guiding one confused young person after another to devote themselves to that empty religious vision - a heavenly kingdom on earth.
The power of religion largely comes from the simplest and most brutal explanations for everything. Recruiters tell young people that all the mistakes and suffering come from non-believers, which is a very attractive explanation because those people do not have to study complex social science theories or go through the pain of repeated contemplation. They can use a theory of "us versus them" to explain everything they encounter, avoiding admitting their own ignorance and incompetence.
"So many people, but only one brain."
Us:
But we know that in human history, similar attempts to construct a heavenly kingdom on earth under the guidance of divine mentors have often led to hell on earth - the Nazis, the Great Purge, the Cultural Revolution, the Khmer Rouge, ISIS.
These movements easily attract the general public as supporters because giving up thinking and conforming is the simplest and most rewarding path to collective honor and a sense of mission. From blindly idolizing celebrities, to everyone hunting for spies, to populism and jihadist extremism, they are not so far apart. These are all poisonous fruits that grow from the same soil.
We come together to do crazy things simply because we refuse to accept our own ignorance and incompetence.