Stories from jihadists: Significance, identity, and radicalization through the call for jihad.

Abstract

The present study aims to explore how narratives, stories, and memories are planted in the Jihadists' mind. In particular, the primary concern of this study is the interests of Indonesian Muslims to join Jihadist groups and their willingness to sacrifice possessions, families, and even lives. Five main informants who are members of Jihadi groups in Indonesia and 18 additional informants who have been linked with key informants participated in this study. The findings revealed the motivation of personal significance through 4 steps of radicalization. We found that the narratives of the Jihadists were an expression of the self-worth that is motivated by the need to increase the quest for significance in God's eyes. This study highlights the importance of alternatives to meaning in societies that are available and accessible by Jihadists to facilitate their reaching a self-fulfilled identity. This self-fulfillment may prevent the Jihadists from being manipulated by leaders from radical groups to perform a radical collective action. Public Significance StatementComprehensive understanding about terrorist motivation is the core of counter-terrorism programs as well as deradicalization programs. The knowledge is also instrumental in educating public about radicalism propensity.

Group membership and radicalization: A cross-national investigation of collective self-esteem underlying extremism

“…Indeed, data from convicted terrorists suggest that enhancement of a collective identity emerged as a central aspect of radicalization by way of reacting to a collective threat or mistreatment (Porter & Kebbell, 2011). Hence, empirical investigations indicate that part of radicalization processes include a change in identity configuration—where the personal identity is de-emphasized and replaced by a group identity that can offer greater significance in the fight against perceived injustice and humiliation (Milla, Putra, & Umam, 2019). Interestingly, our results from the correlation analyses for the Danish and the UK samples did not reflect group membership as a risk factor for radicalization per se.…”

Recent advances, misconceptions, untested assumptions, and future research agenda for identity fusion theory

“…The most common inaccuracy is to assume that fusion and group identification are one and the same thing. Babinska and Bilewick (2018) presume that being fused with an extended group is identical to being identified with it, and Milla, Putra, and Umam (2019) seem to use both terms indistinctly. Vignoles (2019) suggests that fusion is subsumed within the conceptual sphere of identification, whereas some characteristics that are conventionally considered as the essential qualities of group identification (e.g., collective self‐esteem, ingroup homogeneity) are mere correlates of it.…”

Exploring the pathways between transformative group experiences and identity fusion.

“…It is theorized that when these autobiographical experiences are perceived as being shared with other group members they can produce a fusion of personal and group identities generating the synergistic bonds of identity fusion. One example of the consequences of fusion within an Indonesian context is recounted by Putra & Sukabdi (2013) who describe how members of an Indonesian terrorist group reported personal indignation when their group was attacked or mocked (see also Milla et al, 2019).…”