Radical Islam Rising: Muslim Extremism in the West

Unlike many of the books available today, Wiktorowicz has written a book that is based on social science, not the faddish headlines of the day. The book will invariably divide readers into two camps; those who are interested in extremism and those who truly want to understand the recruitment and radicalization process. The book is best summarized by looking at his three central questions: 1. How are individuals drawn into the socialization process where they can be exposed to radical, religious education? 2. How do individuals come to accept and adopt the radical Islamic ideology as their own world view? 3. How does socialization overcome "the free rider dilemma?" In other words, convince individuals to do things that are not in their own self interest, and participate in high risk behavior that could lead to arrest, jail or death? In the end, the author shows how terrorists capitalize, or if necessary create, "cognitive openings," which are periods in which individuals are willing to question their own long held personal beliefs and consider radical new ideas. Once an individual is convinced that the group's radical goals or the rewards for participation in the group's activities (e.g. eternal paradise) are MORE IMPORTANT than their well beings, you have yourself an operative. This is a great read for those who seriously want to understand the recruitment and radicalization problem, as well as those who are charged to slow the spread of radicalism.

I read this book carefully for a class on crime, immigration and ethnicity. Basically, his whole point can be summed up in one sentence: people who join radical groups are not wide-eyed lunatics, but rational actors operating out of spiritual self-interest. They sacrifice jobs, families and assimilation in the West because they buy into a specific ideology's pathway to heaven. Dude, they want the virgins and this group can offer you the only sure way to get 'em. That's the point of this very academic book. (Seems obvious to me.) However, it takes you through the sort of the eerie way people come to believe this, which turns out to be interesting. It's very case specific, but also highly applicable to the recruiting methods of all social movements and high-risk activism groups.