FUUSE FORUM

Fuuse Forum the human face of radicalisation
 

FUUSE FORUM: THE HUMAN FACE OF RADICALISATION

18th September 2015  9.30- 16.30 at Felix Konferansesenter in Oslo, Norway.

 

ABOUT FUUSE

Fuuse is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning company founded by Norwegian artist and activist Deeyah Khan. Fuuse works to bring about urgently needed dialogue and social change towards a culture of human rights, gender equality, freedom of expression, social justice, inclusion and peace.

Starting from September of 2015, Fuuse launches Fuuse Forum, its series of dialogue events. Fuuse Forum is a platform for open exchange on the most demanding issues that our society faces today. Fuuse Forum encourages the interchange of various vantage points through bringing forward hidden, alternative and excluded perspectives in an atmosphere of plurality and respect. Fuuse Forum cultivates this multiplicity of opinions to develop rounded understandings and practical recommendations on crucial current issues. The Human Face of Radicalisation is the first forum of this series.

 
 

FUUSE FORUM: THE HUMAN FACE OF RADICALISATION

 

We must ask why the personal and emotional needs of a minority have been unfulfilled in such a way as so to leave them vulnerable to radicalisation and extremism – Deeyah Khan

This first FUUSE FORUM event addresses the identification of factors that make young people vulnerable to the messages of extremism and jihadism, and suggests practical methods to address these, in order to generate long-term primary prevention solutions to radicalisation in Europe. This event is valuable for policy makers, scholars of radicalisation, and anyone involved in working with populations at risk of radicalisation. The Human Face of Radicalisation explores some of the drivers leading to radicalisation in which scholars, activists and former radicals share their understandings and discuss how to counter radicalisation. The event takes an interdisciplinary, social science approach, combining anthropological, psychological and sociological factors which affect the susceptibility of Muslims living in the West to radicalisation. FUUSE FORUM speaks with former extremists who provide an intimate account of how they themselves became drawn to radical Islam, their experiences within extremist groups, and how they came to leave.

Current discourse around radicalisation revolves around the most spectacular instances: runaway brides, the organised brutality of the so-called Islamic State, young men leaving comfortable lives to kill and die in Iraq and Syria. The role of ideology, foreign policy and the internet have been debated at length in scholarly and popular circles. FUUSE FORUM will take a different approach. In filming Fuuse’s documentary Jihad, we spent over two years working with men and women who had been part of extremist organisations and found their personal journeys into violent extremism were often tirggered by vulnerabilities, such as life crises, disengagement, disagreements with family, unfulfilled ambitions. Just as cults and gangs provide a sense of purpose and camaraderie, so can religious extremism address the psychological and emotional needs of young people.

 

EVENT SPEAKERS

PROGRAMME

The event moderator will be Nazir Afzal OBE, a senior figure in the British legal establishment, who has worked as Director of the Crown Prosecution Service and Chief Crown Prosecutor.

MORNING SESSIONS: ECOLOGIES OF RADICALISATION
Each morning session will start with a presentation followed by an interview and audience Q & A session hosted by Nazir Afzal.

Time Fuuse Forum: The Human Face of Radicalisation
9:30 OPENING BY MUNIR ZAMIR (Spoken Word artist and former extremist)
9:35 INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME BY NAZIR AFZAL AND DEEYAH KHAN
9:45 RADICALISATION AND GROUP DYNAMICS
Speaker: Professor Scott Atran

Scott Atran is an anthropologist who has studied terrorism, violence and religion from Indonesia to Morocco. He is the author of Talking to the Enemy: Violent extremism, sacred values, and what it means to be human.

  • What is the attraction of jihadi organisations?
  • How does entry into jihadi organisations operate?
  • How do organisations recruit?
  • How do individuals become radicalised?
  • What are the challenges of leaving an extremist group?
10:45 FAMILY DYNAMICS
Speaker: Alyas Karmani

Alyas Karmani is an imam and psychologist who works with young people considered at risk of extremism.

  • How are Muslim family roles affected by globalisation?
  • Are there connections between ‘honour’ culture and radicalisation?
  • How might parenting styles affect radicalisation?
11:45 COFFEE BREAK
12:00 MASCULINITY AND JIHAD
Speaker: Dr. Maleeha Aslam

Maleeha Aslam is a research scholar of social and political sciences trained at Cambridge University, and the author of Gender-Based Explosions.

  • What factors are currently shaping masculinities in Muslim contexts?
  • To what extent gender considerations influence men and make jihadism meaningful to them
  • How do militant and terrorist organizations harness gender sentiments to meet their objectives?
13:00
ONE HOUR LUNCHBREAK
Lunch buffet is included in the event ticket for conference guests who have booked their ticket at least 48 hours in advance.

AFTERNOON SESSIONS: ENCOUNTERS WITH EXTREMISM
The afternoon sessions will take a group discussion format.

Time Fuuse Forum: The Human Face of Radicalisation
14:00 DYNAMICS OF RADICALISATION 

This group, composed of former extremists from the 1980s and 90s who were involved in the making of the Jihad documentary, will discuss the dynamics outlined in the morning sessions, drawing on their own experiences of radical Islam. This group will be hosted by Gabrielle Rifkind.

Participants are:

  • Alyas Karmani: Former extremist, Alyas is currently an imam and scholar.
  • Yasmin Mulbocus: A former recruiter for a group now banned in the UK, Yasmin now works in delivering workshops and training to increase individuals’ resilience to radicalisation.
  • Munir Zamir: Munir is now a spoken word artist, but was formerly a follower of multiple radical clerics, now working within the NGO sector as a trainer, facilitator and creator of counter-extremism expertise.
  • Gabrielle Rifkind: (Moderator) Gabrielle is the Director of the Middle East programme at the Oxford Research Group. She is a group analyst and specialist in conflict resolution with psychoanalytic training. She is the co-author of Fog of Peace: The human face of conflict resolution and Making Terrorism History.
15:00 EXPLORING SOLUTIONS 
Moderator: Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini
This panel, composed of all the day’s participants, will discuss methods to propose lasting solutions to the problem of radicalisation.

Together, we will build from the experience of the day, and the combined experience and expertise of the participants, to develop social and political responses which act as primary prevention against radicalisation, and which create a more inclusive society which decreases individual vulnerabilities to radicalisation.

16:30 CLOSING COMMENTS


For further inquiries contact: info@fuuse.net 

With the support of

                        Fritt Ord