European converts to Islam: Mechanisms of radicalization

Journal abstracts

While European converts to Islam represent only a tiny percentage of Europe's Muslim population, members of that group have participated in major Islamist terrorist plots and attacks on European soil. Although the radicalization process has not been the same for all individuals, it could be still possible to understand the circumstances under which some European converts turned to violence. Therefore, the article focuses on a number of mechanisms that may have contributed to the radicalization of European jihadi converts, including personal victimization, political grievance, the slippery slope effect, the power of love and the inspirational preaching.