Topic outline
General
Theoretical Background
Module 1: Introduction to Radicalisation
”Radicalisation refers to a short- or long-term process where persons subscribe to extremist views or legitimize their actions on the basis of extremist ideologies.”(Danish Government, 2016: “Preventing and countering extremism and radicalization . National Action Plan”)
The concept of radicalisation has been developed to understand why young men, who were born and raised in Western democratic countries, perform actions of terror in Europe as so-called home-grown terrorists – and also what has driven young people to go to Syria and Iraq to fight for Jihad as so called foreign fighters.
In terms of a clear conceptualisation, there is no commonly agreed definition of radicalization and extremism among researchers and policymakers. Thus, it is not merely a question of real or online-based radicalizers/groomers seducing vulnerable individuals into a process leading to violent extremism. However, there is generally agreement of the fact that no one becomes radicalized over-night, and no one is motivated by a single trigger factor. On the contrary, radicalization is perceived as a process, where individuals gradually develop beliefs and attitudes that depart radically from the mainstream in society. Some individuals transgress the boundary between radical thoughts and violent action. But radical thoughts do not necessarily result in violent behavior. Consequently, some experts distinguish between cognitive and behavioural radicalization.
Furthermore, radicalisation and extremism are relative and context-dependent concepts. This implies that their significance depends on what is considered as “mainstream”, “normal” and “legal” in a given society: “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”.
Module 2: Critical Thinking
Module 3: Digital Awareness
Module 4: Active Listening and Open Communication
Module 5: Open-Mindedness & Creative Thinking
Module 6: Intercultural Awareness
Module 7: Conflict Management