Homegrown Terror: The United Kingdom as a Case Study

Abstract

The overall objective of this thesis is to shed light on the causes for and recurrence of such terrorist phenomena as the London transit bombings. The thesis makes three central claims: that a British policy of multiculturalism enables the actions of a new generation of "homegrown" jihadis; that the evolution of jihadi thought through the ages has resulted in a situation in which Islamic extremists find justification for indiscriminate targeting such as occurred in the London transit bombings; and that various socioeconomic factors may at least indicate likely problems, if they aren't actually the cause. This focus on the United Kingdom is based on the occurrence of three high profile attacks or plots within a significantly short period of time. The authors see the London transit bombings of July 7, 2005; the July 21, 2005 attempted bombings; and the August 2006 airline bomb plot as a trend that is a clear warning that Western governments must address key policies and grievances concerning their growing Muslim populations. Failure to do so will only result in increasing discontent, disparity, and isolation of this population. To understand the ideology of the modern jihadi, it is necessary to analyze the development of jihadi thought throughout Islam's history (Chapter II). The purpose of Chapters III, IV, and V is to analyze the basis for jihadist recruiting of Westerners. Specifically, the authors wanted to determine what factors could be useful in predicting who might attack the country in which they were born or in which they were raised for a significant portion of their lives. Chapter III elaborates on the socioeconomic underpinnings of Muslim unrest in the United Kingdom. Chapter IV details the British government's contribution to Muslim dissatisfaction through its implementation of multiculturalist policies. The three case studies developed in Chapter VI are meant to validate the salience of the concepts in the preceding chapters.

Replacement for ADA469933. The original document contains color images.