Secularism and Radical Islamic Terrorism in France

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorHauth, Carson Gerald
dc.date.accessioned2019-11-07T16:11:09Z
dc.date.available2019-11-07T16:11:09Z
dc.date.issued2019
dc.description68 pages
dc.description.abstractIn the past twenty years France has seen a sharp increase in radical Islamic terrorist attacks committed by its own citizens unparalleled by its neighbors in Western Europe. This study aims to address reasons for which French Muslims are radicalized at a significantly greater rate than Muslim citizens of other European nations. Three dominant theories exist to explain the phenomenon of radicalization: low socioeconomic status, external radicalization by existing terrorist and extremist cells, and secular identity politics which exclude French Muslims from French identities. Drawing from secondary sources regarding key features of the life histories of fourteen French Muslim terrorists between 1985 and 2018, we may address the extent to which these three theories explain the increased radicalization in France, and what sets France apart from other European nations. Founded on staunch republican values, the unique structure of French laïcité creates a French identity which conflicts with religious identities amongst Muslim communities. Through tacit and explicit secular laws- supported by the cultural acceptance of laïcité- which unequally target Muslims, Islam is externalized from French society thus increasing feelings of isolation and anger among French Muslims and facilitating radicalization by external catalysts. This study works towards furthering understanding the underlying causes of radicalization and the recent rise in radical Islamic terrorism.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1794/25025
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Oregon
dc.rightsCreative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-US
dc.subjectFrenchen_US
dc.subjectFranceen_US
dc.subjectIslamen_US
dc.subjectTerrorismen_US
dc.subjectRadicalizationen_US
dc.subjectIdentity Politicsen_US
dc.titleSecularism and Radical Islamic Terrorism in France
dc.typeThesis/Dissertation

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Final_Thesis-Hauth_C.pdf
Size:
1000.78 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

Clark Honors College Theses