This project aims to provide a better understanding of the dynamics of violent radicalisation. The researchers will collect detailed information about radicalised actors (including primary-source data through structured interviews) in order to identify factors that drive groups and individuals toward extreme types of activism, including terrorism.

Focusing on Muslim communities in Europe and the United States, the interview data will be supplemented by detailed case studies from distinct contexts (Europe and North America) to expand our understanding about both the universality and variability of radicalization processes over time and space.

Finally, the research team will carry out surveys in Muslim communities designed to measure levels of support for terrorism as well as connections between beliefs and actions, both legal and illegal.

Together, this project will help scholars and policy-makers in North America and Europe to better understand how radicalization occurs and who might be most susceptible to this phenomenon.

The project was launched in August 2008 and is expected to conclude in July 2010. It is carried out in collaboration with the University of Maryland and the Swedish National Defence College, and is funded by the U.S Department of Homeland Security.