Radicalization and De-Radicalization between National and Global Jihadism: From the First Egyptian National Jihadists to al-Qaeda

At the turn of the Twenty-first century, a number of violent jihadi groups laid down their arms, as in the case of Egypt and Libya. Many of those former fighters ceased actual violence, and some of them took a step forward, initiating processes of ideological de-radicalization and doctrinal changes that deeply transformed their stance towards the State and active confrontation. How was it possible for those groups to disengage and de-radicalize? Why doesn’t this happen again, among other contemporary jihadists? Sara Brzuszkiewicz argues that the answer is simple, yet quite pessimistic: those who de-radicalized were national jihadists. Once jihad goes global it is no longer possible for an organic process of collective and political de-radicalization to happen. Radicalization and de-radicalization between national and global jihadism. From the first Egyptian national jihadists to Al Qaeda retraces the trajectory of the jihadists who de-radicalized and of those who went global, and measures the role of national jihadism and its characteristics in making de-radicalization a viable option.

About the Author :
Sara Brzuszkiewicz is Research Fellow at the Italian Team for Security, Terroristic Issues and Managing Emergencies (Milan).

Review :
"Is the path toward violence and radicalization a 'one way only', or can jihadist movements disengage and de-radicalize, giving up violence? And how can those processes of de-radicalization be implemented? This much-needed book provides a convincing, though pessimistic, answer, focusing on the differences between 'ideological shift' and 'behavioral shift', as well as between 'global' and 'national' jihad. Sara Brzuszkiewicz's scholarly yet accessible analysis of specific case studies in the Egypt of the 20th century offers clear arguments in order to understand why collective disengagement and de-radicalization of jihadi movements are effective only for 'national' jihadism, and why this approach cannot work for 'global jihad' groups." "Sara Brzuszkiewicz painstakingly reconstructed a key episode in the early history of jihadism: how and why Egypt's two main terrorist groups laid down arms. She draws key lessons that, decades later, are still applicable to all terrorist groups, making this a much-needed addition to the field." "This book presents an in-depth analysis of the disengagement and de-radicalization process of violent extremist groups. Innovatively focusing on collective actors rather than individuals, this book offers new perspectives on the political and socio-economic factors as well as on group-internal dynamics that led to a progressive de-legitimization of violence as a viable means to achieve political goals. Taking al-Ğamāʹa al-Islāmiya and al-Ğihād al-Islāmy in Egypt as case-studies, this monograph sheds light on the steps undertaken by these groups collectively as well as the incentives towards their rejection of violence over the decades. This contribution portrays an interesting historical trajectory towards collective de-radicalisation mechanisms that can be meaningful not just for Egypt and its national context but to the wider MENA region." Brzuszkiewicz focuses on defining nationalist jihad--which might be termed local or country-based jihad--as opposed to global jihad. She argues that deradicalization of this nationalist jihad was possible at an organizational level in Egypt and Libya. The book presents very useful case studies of the Takfir wal-Hijrah, the Gihad Islami, and Gama'at al-Islamiyya and a briefer description of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group. Brzuszkiewicz admits that lone wolves and--one could add--non-jihadist terrorists complicate the analysis. Since nationalist jihadists like Hamas have just shocked the near and far enemies with continuing resistance (and not deradicalization), it appears that other factors, like local governments' repression, continue to fuel jihad. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduates through faculty; professionals.