Radicalization can be described as the process that involves use of ideologies to encourage and support an individual or a group of people to adopt an extremist opinion in a certain belief. Radicalization has been witnessed in many parts of the world and the numbers is increasing. This has been a potential threat to global security as more members are being recruited. On average, the groups targets youths between the age of 12 and 30 years for new recruitments although older members exist mainly in leadership or training positions. There are frequent terrorist attacks conducted by such groups like ISIS and Al-Shabab. This essay evaluates why there is higher radicalization rate of Muslims in Europe than the Muslims in America.
Need help with your paper ASAP?
GradeMiners certified writers can write it for you.
Referring to the war that happened in Syria in 2011, there were tens of hundreds of Muslims that were killed mainly as rebels while others were normal civilians. Due to the brotherhood involved in radicalized groups, this triggered a lot of the jihadis in America and European nations to move in to Syria with an aim to provide humanitarian support. Their numbers however differed because there was a high number from Europe (about 4000) compared to the low number in US (about 100) (Taub, 2015). The geographical location among the three places plays an important role. The distance from America to Syria or Middle East countries that are commonly known for radicalization and formation of terrorist groups is relatively longer because the two are on the extreme sides of the globe far west and far east, respectively. This therefore creates a natural barrier that discourages Muslims in America from travelling for radicalization and engagement in terrorism activities. Similarly, it also becomes hard for the radicals to travel to US to for recruitment or training (Browne, 2016). The distance between Europe and the said countries is relatively smaller and hence offers quick crossing out and in to Europe due to the short distance covered.
Besides, America is very strict in controlling their boarders as well as the entry points in to their country. This makes it hard for the foreigners to illegally step in to American soil. Furthermore, there is more aggressive security control of the non-native Americans especially for the Muslim community. The tight and continuous control makes it hard for the formation of such illegal radicalization groups within America. Contrastingly, the boarders of accessing Europe are looser and that gives easier access or entry by the radical groups in to European countries (Hay, 2017).
Stuck on a paper?
Order an original, fully referenced and formatted paper.
There is the problem of alienation in Europe where the Muslims who live there are segregated from the rest and therefore feel desperate. As a reaction against this discrimination, they are more likely to join the radical groups where they feel absorbed and also tend to revenge against the European countries. Besides, the countries in Europe fail to collaborate in fighting crime together (like sharing intelligence information and crucial data) but each country does it independently and conveniently (when attacked). This makes it easy for terrorists to attack different countries at different times. On the other hand, Americans have adopted an integration strategy with Muslims living in US (Byman, 2016). This makes them feel as real Americas and in return help the American government by sharing information of the terrorist groups across the world.
The above facts between America and Europe reveals why the former has less radicalization and minimal terrorism attacks (hence safer) compared to the latter which has higher radicalization rate and more frequent terrorist attacks. The European countries should therefore adopt better strategies of dealing with radicals.
Boost your grades with a new guide on A+ writing
Learn everything you need about academic writing for free!
Browne, B (2016). Why Europe has a bigger terror problem than the US. CNN politics, retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/24/politics/europe-terror-ash-carter-isis/index.html
Byman, D.L (2016). Europe Vs America: Comparing the terrorism threat. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2016/04/05/europe-vs-america-comparing-the-terrorism-threat/
Hay, M (2017). Why aren’t there more terrorist attacks in America? Retrieved from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vbgvb3/why-arent-there-more-terrorist-attacks-in-america
Taub, B (2015). Journey to jihad: Why are teen-agers joining ISIS? The New Yorker, retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/01/journey-to-jihad