Roundtable: Religiously Motivated Terrorism and the Case of ISIS

Session Submission Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract

Religious extremism has become the main driver of terrorism in recent years according to the Global Terrorism Index Report (2014) that 18,000 deaths in 2013, a rise of 60% on the previous year. The majority (66%) of these were attributable to just four groups: Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, Boko Haram in Nigeria, the Taliban in Afghanistan and al-Qaida. In this roundtable, “Religiously Motivated Terrorism” will be discussed in general and the case of ISIS in specific in four sections and each participant will cover a different perspective. First, the root of Islamic religious sects and the underlying factors will be discussed. Second, radicalism and how they justify their wrong doing according to religion will be covered. Third, how ISIS interprets the ideology/ phycology and becomes a radical terrorist organization will be analyzed with reasons. Fourth, the ISIS cadres’ interviews and how they join and why they join the terrorist organization will be discussed along with their cyberspace (Facebook and Twitter) activities to reveal their discourses and perception of its brutal acts. The results, policy implications, and limitations of the study will be indicated at the roundtable.

Sub Unit

• Area XIII: Roundtable Sessions

Chair

• Ekrem Mus, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey

Discussants

• Serkan Tasgin, Oakland University, Michigan, USA

• Namik Kemal Karabiber, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey

• Salih Oz, Bozok University, Yozgat, Turkey

• Hamza Tosun, Ercincan University, Erzincan, Turkey