The Language of Radicalization: Female Internet Recruitment to Participation in ISIS Activities Leah Windsor Institute for Intelligent Systems The University of Memphis leah.windsor@memphis.edu
Research Question Why do young Muslim women radicalize and undertake high-risk political behaviors, and what factors influence their sociopolitical transformation?
Puzzles Most transnational recruitment of individuals to high-risk behavior involves men. New phenomenon: transnational recruitment of women to high-risk political activities Who is vulnerable? What role does mental status play? What role does age-appropriate developmental behavior play?
Privileged upbringing in Scotland Attended elite schools Enjoyed secular pastimes Documents radicalization process on Tumblr blog Emigrates to Syria in Nov. 2013 Father was the first Pakistani cricket player in Scotland Studied radiology at university Described by her family s lawyer as very intelligent, very liked, very bubbly, kind, [and] caring. Aqsa Mahmood http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scots-jihadi-bride-aqsa-mahmood-5965388
Factors of Radicalization Individual Factors Youth Privilege Gender Recruiter Power Social Forces Social mobility Strong and weak ties Computer mediated communication International Relations 9/11 Arab Spring Syrian Civil War
Individual Factors of Radicalization Provides a sense of purpose and meaning Joining social movements can fill a perceived void (Hoffer, 2011) Apolitical upbringing In the absence of clear, strong political cues from family members, impressionable individuals may attach to radical political beliefs purveyed by outside actors. (Jennings & Niemi, 1968) (Jennings & Beck,1991) Personal reasons (retribution or reclamation of dignity) (Bloom, 2005) (Bloom, 2005, 2007) Ambition and opportunity toward a position of power (Bloom & Horgan, 2015) (Browne & Finkelhor, 1986) (Ost, 2004)
Social Factors of Radicalization Personal crisis of identity in relation to society Lack of legitimate opportunities available to young women (Britto & Amer, 2007; Dwyer, 1999; Franz, 2007; Hamel, 2002; Modood & Werbner, 1997). Vulnerable to persuasive recruitment to high-risk political activities (Hairgrove & Mcleod, 2008; Von Knop, 2007). Social ties and connections Individuals are more likely to be persuaded to high-risk activity by someone they know (McAdam, 1986, 1989; Meyer & Minkoff, 2004; Meyer & Tarrow, 1998; Tarrow, 1996; Tilly, 2004)
Political Factors of Radicalization Political Factors of Radicalization Political instability facilitating regional instability War in Afghanistan and Iraq Arab Spring Tunisia, Libya, Bahrain Tensions deepening global ideological divides about interventions, solutions, and peace process attempts Israel and Palestine Spreading of conflict and lack of foreign intervention Syria Resistance Factions ISIS
Internet-related Factors of Radicalization Computer mediated-communication (CMC) produces strong ties (Burgoon, Stoner, Bonito, & Dunbar, 2003; Jiang, Bazarova, & Hancock, 2013; Tidwell & Walther, 2002) CMC leads to more intimate self-disclosures and reciprocation than face-to-face interactions (Jiang et al., 2013) It is harder to detect deceit in CMC (Burgoon, Stoner, Bonito, Dunbar, 2003) Internet only needs to be the strongest tie in a vulnerable individual s life
Expectations Individual Factors Social Factors International Factors Home Others Risks Rewards Power Self Work Religion Netspeak International Events
Data & Methods Blog entries (n=326) Discourse analysis Descriptive statistics from blog Computational linguistics analysis Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) Topic Modeling (LDA) Most commonly used words
Topics LDA (LDA) Topic 1 Topic 2 Topic 3 Topic 4 Topic 5 Topic 6 Topic 7 Topic 8 Topic 9 Topic 10 Roles in Ramadan Islam Jihad Scholarshi Mother Benefits of Hijrah Homemaking Internet Islam p Islam people day allah allah allaah mother people allah allah smellthedee n imam man muslims jihad ibn things allah sisters love twitter woman night people bin knowledge good muslims hijrah life abu mujahideen people life messenger mercy love knowledge time don sin world abu religion path shaykh person brothers brothers children prophet today ibn state wealth sunnah heart scholars making time shia alayhi pray fear person death allaah sheikh find husband umm religion allaah muslim fighting leave feel prison dont people ali muslim umar islam narrated asked left quran women person friend men qur war enemy children don time back made hate father reported sake fight authority bring evil heart didn alaihi prophet replied land man heart light book wallahi make tumblr hadith lord earth mujahid muhammad remember truth make dunya salaam sallam ramadan lands muslim women forget great give home dont wasallam soul islamic killed ummah time group part years heard love prayer prophet good truth thing call life death watch enemy give support day imaam face ibn sincere put follow companions fast ummah peace righteous stop benefit people give man nation days peace prophet entered jannah ahmad family patience army palestine water blood islam silent tears blessings bring sister back
Topics Over Time 1/1/2013 7/1/2013 1/1/2014 7/1/2014 1/1/2015 7/1/2015 1/1/2013 7/1/2013 1/1/2014 7/1/2014 1/1/2015 7/1/2015 1/1/2013 7/1/2013 1/1/2014 7/1/2014 1/1/2015 7/1/2015 1/1/2013 7/1/2013 1/1/2014 7/1/2014 1/1/2015 7/1/2015 Topic 1: Roles in Islam.06.07.08.09.1 Topic 2: Ramadan.08.09.1.11.12 Topic 3: Islam.05.1.15.2 Topic 4: Jihad.04.06.08.1.12 Date Date Date Date 1/1/2013 7/1/2013 1/1/2014 7/1/2014 1/1/2015 7/1/2015 1/1/2013 7/1/2013 1/1/2014 7/1/2014 1/1/2015 7/1/2015 1/1/2013 7/1/2013 1/1/2014 7/1/2014 1/1/2015 7/1/2015 1/1/2013 7/1/2013 1/1/2014 7/1/2014 1/1/2015 7/1/2015 Topic 5: Scholarship.08.1.12.14.16 Topic 6: Mother.08.09.1.11.12 Topic 7: Benefits of Islam.09.095.1.105.11 Topic 8: Hijrah.06.08.1.12.14 Date Date Date Date 1/1/2013 7/1/2013 1/1/2014 7/1/2014 1/1/2015 7/1/2015 1/1/2013 7/1/2013 1/1/2014 7/1/2014 1/1/2015 7/1/2015 Topic 9: Home-making.09.1.11.12.13 Topic 10: Internet.05.1.15.2 Date Date
Date January 22, 2013 January 27, 2013 February 27, 2013 March 12, 2013 March 16, 2013 April 9, 2013 April 11, 2013 July 31, 2013 August 30, 2013 October 26, 2013 November 14, 2013 December 5, 2013 March 12, 2014 June 3, 2014 Initial blog post Significance Justification for onset of radicalization Purchased first abaya Initial mention of intent to emigrate Tensions with family Intent to find a job Declaration of emigration timeline Admiration of others for hijrah Acceptance of strict religious doctrine Further admiration of others for hijrah Analytical and contemplative blog post about hijrah; final post before emigrating First post after emigrating; strong feminist overtones Next subsequent post (three months later); realistic advice for new recruits Soliciting other young women
Self lowess self date 6 7 8 9 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 lowess other date Other 01jan2013 01jul2013 01jan2014 01jul2014 01jan2015 01jul2015 date lowess self date lowess other date
Risk lowess risk date.5.6.7.8.9 1.6.8 1 1.2 1.4 lowess reward date Reward 01jan2013 01jul2013 01jan2014 01jul2014 01jan2015 01jul2015 date lowess risk date lowess reward date
Work lowess work date.5 1 1.5.15.2.25.3 lowess home date Home 01jan2013 01jul2013 01jan2014 01jul2014 01jan2015 01jul2015 date lowess work date lowess home date
lowess power date 2 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.8 Power 01jan2013 01jul2013 01jan2014 01jul2014 01jan2015 01jul2015 date
Conclusions Political radicalization can transpire within normal developmental processes. Parental or caregiver influence is critical during the radicalization phase. ISIS influence extends into remote, safe, and unlikely environments. ISIS influence exploits the natural developmental process associated with the teenage years.
Thank you! Leah Windsor, Ph.D. Institute for Intelligent Systems The University of Memphis leah.windsor@memphis.edu http://polx.weebly.com