Details
Authors: Marius Linge, Sveinung Sandberg and Sebastien Tutenges
Date of Publication: March 22nd, 2022
Journal/Publisher: Terrorism and Political Violence
Purpose of Study
Key Questions Addressed
Assesses the crime-terror nexus by applying criminological theory and analysing interviews with Muslim men who have been exposed to jihadism and have a background in street life and crime.
Design of Study
The data for this study were drawn from twenty-five semi-structured, qualitative biographical interviews with men who identified as Muslims, but who also had a background in street culture and crime. The selection criteria were that they identified as practicing Muslims and that they had a background in street culture. All the participants had been involved with street crime such as robbery, drug dealing, trafficking, and violent assault. Twelve had been part of notorious Norwegian street gangs or were still part of such gangs. Four of the interviews were conducted in prison and the majority of the participants had spent time in custody or served long prison sentences. Some of the participants were still involved in criminal activities.
Key Findings
The authors propose that the connection between street crime and jihadism can be seen in three decisive points of confluence: places, bodies, and narratives. They show how specific places (e.g. prisons) enable the encounter between particular bodies (e.g. violently competent bodies) and the engagement or disengagement with certain extremist narratives (e.g. stories of redemption through violence).
Key Recommendations
The crime-terror literature emphasizes that these points of confluence are sources of radicalization. The authors expand upon this by arguing that they may also serve as venues for resisting or rejecting politico-religious extremism. The study demonstrates that radicalization is only one possible outcome of the confluences between street culture and jihadism.