Journal for Deradicalization (Mar 2024)
Influences of Discrimination and Stigmatization on Secondary and Tertiary Level P/CVE Efforts – Insights from German Practitioners into Countering Islamist Extremism
Abstract
This article uses a qualitative analysis of 25 interviews with experts from German secondary and tertiary level P/CVE programs countering Islamist Extremism to examine the influences of discrimination and stigmatization on deradicalization and disengagement efforts. Drawing on the experiential and interpretative knowledge of the interviewees, we found that both discrimination and stigmatization may have an obstructing influence on the clients’ social and socio-economic stabilization. Discrimination, whether manifested in labor market disadvantages, within the education system, or individual racist acts of devaluation, can impede progress in deradicalization and disengagement processes. Further, stigmatization due to a prior association with Islamist groups and ideologies may result in similar experiences of rejection and devaluation across various areas of social life. In this context, most interviewees warn of the consequences of security authority investigations and caution against the dangers of disclosure and exposure to the public, particularly the press. Our findings show that P/CVE programs strive to address the issues of discrimination and stigmatization with multi-layered interventions designed to prevent setbacks in deradicalization and disengagement processes. Common strategies are to raise awareness in the personal reference system as well as on an institutional level to reduce discriminatory and stigmatizing actions. Client-centered approaches encompass counseling methods on the one hand aiming to overcome prejudices against state institutions and respective actors, and on the other hand empowerment measures and help in dealing with challenging situations, such as social grievances that potentially derive from discrimination and stigmatization. Further to this, the article discusses our findings against the backdrop of empirical studies, evaluation reports, and gray literature and analyzes the P/CVE strategies within theoretic process models of deradicalization and disengagement.
