Defining Radical Extremism within the context of Social Movement Studies: A case on Egypt`s Viol

Radical extremism nowadays becomes visible through numerous pathways and strategic mechanisms. The process leads inevitably to different interpretations within social and academic groups and inspires intensive debates regarding the clear meaning of radicalisation, extremism and how they are both related to terrorism.

Defining Radical Extremism – breaking Misconceptions and explaining the Reasons for Public Engagement related to the Movement

To create a fair definition of radical extremism appears to be an onerous task. One reason for this hardship is the fact that there is no single model which to serve as a structural or psychological framework for specifying the conditions which cause the appearance of this social phenomenon and another that there is a little discussion and even less consensus about what the terms radicalism and extremism even convey. Whether the public or academic focus simply falls on the notion of radicalization, then there is a possibility to claim that radical beliefs are prime factors for developing and spreading terrorism which cannot be validated as a completely correct statement, i. e. from one side, people who support radical ideas do not necessarily engage themselves in terrorism and from other side, terrorists can be not entirely devoted to a certain radical ideology.

First of all, if we truly want to find a universal and objective explanation of the radical extremism concept, it is important to determine the difference between radicalism and extremism. According to Borum, the term radicalization describes the process of developing extremist ideologies and creating of extremist public standpoint among citizens until extremism represents the already established act of deviation from social standards and political norms in a certain state but which cannot exist independently so to become a sufficient basis for national or international security threats.

Second, we need to be aware that there are various pathways of both public and political expressions which are not directly attached and which should not be mistaken with radical ideology, e.g. sympathizing to religious leaders and following ancient customs and traditions. This is the case of Egypt which demonstrates a strong national willingness to combat against the emergence of radical ideological propaganda on its territory but which extremely violent administrative practices which can be easily compared with terrorism.

The Egyptian Violent Model of Combating Radical Extremism

Egyptian institutions accepted numerous regulative measures to act against radical extremism and to keep a stable religious rhetoric after the national army intervened to expel the previous President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. At the beginning of 2015, the state performed its first death sentence with the execution of Mahmoud Ramadan in Cairo since he was hanged for an incident where children were thrown from a building during protests against the present Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. Some official sources have stated Ramadan as a radical Islamist who was not a formal member of the Muslim Brotherhood, i.e. a transnational Islamist organization which was founded in Egypt in 1928.

Moreover, in February 2015, the Egyptian administrative court upheld the Ministry of Religious Endowments` decision to close 27 000 local places of worship which do not have a legal standing to hold Friday prayers with the aim to prevent the spread of violent and extremist propaganda among young people. Meanwhile, the same ministry awarded 400 preaching certificates to the Salafists, i.e. adherents of the largest religious party - Salafi al-Nour which also represents the biggest social movement in Egypt. The documents were provided to those members who pledged not to use Friday prayers for political agitation.

The serial of institutional procedures opened a big stage for intensive public debates. According to Mohamed Elmessiry, a researcher for Amnesty International Egypt, the execution of Mahmoud Ramadan should not have been performed and a retrial should have been ordered since not all the testimonies were included and the conviction depended on very frail evidences. Besides, some citizens consider the replacement of small existing mosques with larger ones as not sufficiently effective plan of action to prevent radicalism until others believe that this anti - radical practice will lead to successful results against the expansion of extremist ideologies.

Explaining the Egyptian Nature of Imposing Violent Administrative Practices

Similarly to the concept of radical extremism, the violent character of Egyptian administration leaves us doubtful and confused regarding its drastic methods of operating against political and religious opposition. In contrast to terrorism and security studies which lay a particular academic stress on the tactical use of violence as a straightforward strategy of changing an existing political, social or religious order, the social movement researchers express more broad vision towards the subject.

According to Donatella della Porta, each process of radicalization which emerges in certain country should be recognized as a result of a complex interconnection between several actors, organizations and events instead of observing this activity as a consequence of strategic performance which comes from a single ideological unit. The specific communal environment should be also comprehended as a precondition the politicization of particular religious struggles on national level. In this sense, the analysis of radical extremism within the context of social movement research needs to take into account all opportunities for interpretation the political and public actions which can prevail.

In other words, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has a longstanding and extremely strong religious impact over the nation long before the appearance of other public representatives in the country. The organization was following the model of formation previous Islamic reformist movements during the 18th and 19th century and still supports the idea of implementing the Islamic religion and Mohammed`s prophecies into each aspect of Egyptian common life including politics. This essential vision of Muslim Brotherhood and its self-determination as a keeper of national religious order stimulate the creation of highly radical regulative measures and governmental management oriented towards other political and ideological competitors such as Mohamed Morsi.

Furthermore, the severe administration procedures imposed by the organization over the citizens and its current collaboration with the Salafists should not be understood as a strategy to combat the Brotherhood`s opponents but as a method to encourage a fusion of civil, religious and social national affairs. After all, the strong impact which the Muslim Brotherhood has on spiritual and public level should not be necessarily recognised as a sufficient condition for an absolute political leadership in the state.

To remain Alert towards the Evolution of Radical Extremism

Explaining the evolution of contemporary radical extremism through the perspective of anti-terror and defence studies is only one way to put more light on the topic. Certainly, the recent activation of different militant networks around the globe facilitated the emergence of numerous fundamentalist bodies and radical structures but the academic discussion concerning radical extremism involves wider range of activities, including cultural and identity matters.

Hence, the social movement scholar perspective provides us a better understanding as regards different forms of governing and reasons for establishment certain political and cultural practices in autocratic countries. By remaining alert towards the work of radical extremist organizational structures and their effect over societies, it can be achieved more neutral and effective analysis regarding both political and ideological processes which constantly emerge nowadays in our world.

References:

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Borum, R. ‘’Radicalization into Violent Extremism I: A Review of Social Science Theories.’’, Journal of Strategic Security, Vol. 4, No. 4 (2011): pp. 7-36

Della Porta, D. (2009), Social Movement Studies and Political Violence. Firenze: European University Institute

Dubruelh, C. ‘’L’islam reste bien éloigné des problèmes quotidiens’’, Le monde des religions, Décembre 2010, http://www.lemondedesreligions.fr/actualite/l-islam-reste-bien-eloigne-des-problemes-quotidiens-06-12-2010-988_118.php (19.03.2015)

Gamal, R. ‘’Egypt closes 27, 000 Mosques to protect young people from extremism’’, The Muslim Issue, March 2015, https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2015/03/04/egypt-closes-27000-mosques-to-protect-young-people-from-extremism/ (07.03.2015)

Gregg, S. H. (2014) ‘’Defining and Distinguishing Secular and Religious Terrorism’’, in Perspectives on Terrorism, Vol. 8, No 2 <http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/336/html>

Kingsley, P. ‘’Egypt carries out first death sentence after mass trials of Morsi supporter’’, The Guardian, March 2015, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/07/egypt-death-sentence-morsi-supporters-mahmoud-ramadan-cairo-muslim-brotherhood (07.03.2015)

Mayer, M. (2009), Political Geography of the Middle East. Sofia: New Bulgarian University

Zeghal, M. ‘’Un modèle politique pour les islamistes’’, Le monde des religions, Aout 2010, http://www.lemondedesreligions.fr/mensuel/2010/43/un-modele-politique-pour-les-islamistes-26-08-2010-651_163.php (19.03.2015)

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