Countering The Radical Narrative

Dr Adil Rasheed

Terrorist groups are driven by extremist political ideologies or distorted religious discourses, which they then propagate through traditional and modern means of communication to wean more recruits to their diabolic designs.

The indoctrination of these extremist ideologies lead to transformation of law-abiding citizens into violent extremists, a process known as radicalisation. This book proposes ways and techniques for reversing this process of radicalisation by taking the fight to the terrorists in the ideological domain. It proposes ways for developing and launching counter-narrative campaigns against radicalisation in order to drain the ideological swamp from which terrorist organisations continue to rear their ugly heads. This book specifically provides conceptual insights into developing counter-narratives against jihadist organisations, like Al Qaeda, ISIS and Pakistan-based terror groups.

Countering the Radical Narrative is meant for readers interested in understanding techniques of radical indoctrination, specifically those of contemporary jihadist groups. It could be particularly useful for counter-terrorism experts, military and security agencies operating in terrorism-infested regions and media organisations covering news about radical groups and their ideologies.

Dr Adil Rasheed is Research Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) and is Coordinator of the Centre for Counter-Terrorism at the Institute. Author of the book ISIS: Race to Armageddon (2015), he is one of India’s noted scholars in the field of counter-radicalisation. His research papers, namely ‘Jihadist Radicalisation in India: Internal Challenges, External Threats’ and ‘Countering the Threat of Radicalisation: Theories, Programmes and Challenges’ are being widely read and referred to in the Indian strategic community. A student of Islamic theology and history, Dr Rasheed writes extensively for Indian and international media organisations.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

1. Introduction: The War of Narratives
2. Psychological Messaging to Counter Terrorism
3. Narrative: The Construct of Consciousness
4. Common Themes of Radical Ideologies
5. The Art of Developing Counter-Narratives
6. An Islamic Counter to Terrorism
7. Doctrinal Deviance of Modern Jihadism
8. The Counter-Narrative Campaign
9. Afterword: Confronting Winds of Radical Change
Index