Extremism
Extremism encompasses beliefs and actions that deviate significantly from societal norms, often characterized by a rigid, absolutist worldview. Individuals identified as extremists may resort to violence to impose their visions of how the world should be. A common motivation for extremism is religious conviction, where extremists may feel compelled to defend their faith and often prioritize beliefs about the afterlife over the value of current life. Islamic extremism, a notable variant, seeks to implement a strict interpretation of Islamic law globally, frequently resulting in terroristic acts and violations of human rights.
Extremists typically display unwillingness to engage with differing viewpoints, dehumanizing those who oppose them. This mentality can lead to actions aimed at enforcing traditional roles, particularly concerning women, who may face restrictions on their freedoms and rights. Countering this violence is a priority for entities like the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which works to understand and mitigate the threats posed by extremism through community support, law enforcement collaboration, and international partnerships.
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Extremism
Extremism refers to views and actions that are far from the norm. Individuals who hold such views and carry out these actions are called extremists. Extremists have a vision of how the world should be and often use violence to achieve their goals. Extremists believe that their views are absolute and universal, are unwilling to compromise with people who do not share their views, focus strongly on life after death, and dehumanize other people. Islamic extremism is a common form of extremism. Islamic extremists seek to spread their governance throughout the world and often commit terroristic acts and human rights abuses. The United States Department of Homeland Security has taken many steps to combat extremism, including assessing the threat of violence, lending support to local communities and law enforcement, and establishing international partnerships.
Overview
Extremism is often based on religion. Extremists commit hurtful, violent, or destructive acts to promote their religious beliefs. Extremists seek to defend their deity, or god, and usually focus on life after death because they do not believe life is important or fulfilling. Many extremists worship a particular religious leader. Some also idealize figures and stories from the past and want the present and future to be as it was in this past.
Extremists often have a vision of how they think the world should be. Many possess a sense of absolutism, which means that they believe their values and views are certain and universal. They have a distorted way of thinking—they believe they are completely correct and only they know the truth, even though that "truth" may be biased and outdated. Extremists disregard information that conflicts with their views, even if this information is historically, scientifically, or logically valid.
Extremists become violent when they come into contact with individuals who do not believe as they do. They are unwilling to compromise with such individuals and condemn and dehumanize them, believing that they have the right to harm, or even kill, these people. Similarly, extremists often seek to force women into traditional, subordinate roles. By using force and intimidation, they restrict women's freedom and require them to adhere to a strict dress code. Some women are denied an education; some are not allowed to leave their home without a male chaperone.
Islamic extremism is perhaps the best example of extremism. In general, Islamic extremism involves the belief that Islamic law is the all-inclusive religious and political system. Islamic extremists believe that the Islamic law must be enforced and seek to spread their governance throughout the world, but especially in Muslim-dominated regions. Furthermore, Islamic extremists condemn democracy and human rights. As is the case with many extremists, Islamic extremists often use violence to advance their beliefs. Many are terrorists. Some common Islamic extremist groups include the Muslim Brotherhood, the Taliban, and Hezbollah.
The United States has been very active in combating extremism and the violence it often brings about. Specifically, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) focuses much of its attention on fighting extremism and preventing terrorist attacks through a countering violent extremism (CVE) approach. DHS has three main objectives: (1) to better understand violent extremism; (2) to support local communities; and (3) to support local law enforcement. To achieve the first objective, the department coordinates efforts to determine the motives of extremists and also assesses the threat of violent extremism in the United States. For the second objective, DHS supports community-based programs and fortifies relationships with communities that may have violent extremists who are attempting to recruit. To further support the second objective, the department has implemented several initiatives, including the following: DHS outreach, in which the department hosts conferences, workshops, and online forums to share information on CVE; training initiatives, through which thousands of front-line officers, first responders, and community leaders have been trained; grant initiatives, which support state and local partners and outreach efforts; and analysis and research efforts, which produce trends in violent extremism and also help identify and diminish threats. For the department’s third objective, DHS supports local law enforcement programs and attempts to prevent violent extremist recruitment and individual mobilization. In addition to these objectives, DHS supports the National Strategy on Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States, the Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) for Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States, and the strategy for Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007.
The department also has international partnerships to create programs to counter violent extremism. DHS has teamed up with foreign governments, US embassies, international law enforcement organizations, including the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) , Europol, the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF), and the Hedayah Center, as well as other international organizations. DHS also implemented the CVE Exchange Program, which pairs up two US cities with two European cities to promote CVE. In 2012, DHS and Australia signed the US-Australia Joint Statement on Countering Transnational Crime, Terrorism, and Violent Extremism.
Bibliography
Department of Homeland Security. “Countering Violent Extremism.” Department of Homeland Security. Department of Homeland Security. Web. 4 Nov. 2014. <http://www.dhs.gov/topic/countering-violent-extremism>
Kressel, Neil J. “The Mind of the Religious Extremist.” Global: The International Briefing. Nexus Strategic Partnerships Limited. Web. 4 Nov. 2014. <http://www.global-briefing.org/2012/01/the-mind-of-the-religious-extremist/>
Mauro, Ryan. “Understanding Islamic Extremism.” Clarion Project. Clarion Project, Inc. 26 Jan. 2014. Web. 4 Nov. 2014. <http://www.clarionproject.org/understanding-islamism/islamic-extremism>
Merriam-Webster. “Extremism.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Web. 4 Nov. 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extremism>
Rad, Roya R. “What Turns Ordinary People into Religious Extremists?.” Huffington Post. Huffington Post. 6 Jun. 2013. Web. 4 Nov. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roya-r-rad-ma-psyd/what-turns-ordinary-people-into-religious-extremists‗b‗3375890.html>