Javier Jordán & Fernando M. Mañas of the University of Granada have written an academic analysis of "External Signs of Radicalization and Jihadist Militancy", and posted a link at Jihad Monitor. It seems like pretty common-sensical stuff, but most of it falls into the category of "profiling", and therefore the politically correct amongst us will cry foul.

It should be noted that most of these "signs" would be better understood as "changes". For example, a young Muslim male who seemed assimilated but then suddenly began to change his appearance and behavior. Also, none of these "changes" would be a definitive indicator of impending jihad. Like all "profiling", they are simple shortcuts to help put likely suspects on the radar screen. A much more careful look at an individual would be needed before one could conclude that they were a threat.

You'll note that one of the signs is "it is frequent that they spend dozens of hours each week visiting and reading websites, forums and downloadable files (text, audio, and video) of an openly jihadist nature."

Here is a summary of the report's key findings.

Physical Appearances:

*Growing of the beard--at times shaving only the moustache
*Cutting the hair very close to the head
*Very short fingernails
*Traditional Islamic dress like turban, hat, or jelaba--wide pants
*Pants don't reach to feet, or pinning of the pants up.
*Refusing to wear shorts, even for sports
*Small callous on forehead (sign of devotion)
*Sudden weight loss

*MOST DANGEROUS: After a considerable length of "devoutness" in appearance, a sudden switch to Western style dress and look.

Behavioral Changes:

*Scrupulous attention to that which is permitted (halal) and that which is forbidden (harem)
--often accompanied by frequent inquiries to religious leaders on what is permitted
*Tensions with family over new-found religious purity
*Withdrawal and social polarization, especially from the non-believer (kafir)
*Increase use of religious rhetoric when speaking of political events
--often using Quranic quotes, and especially telling would be frequent quotes from the hadiths and sunna (sayings of the Prophet and stories of his life)
*Selective exposure to media
--especially visits to Islamist websites and forums
*Interest in early years of Islam
*Increasingly aggressive nature

In addition to these individual behaviors, the paper also recognizes that certain group behaviors might also indicate impending acts of terrorism. Read the rest. Thanks to Nancy for the tip.

Posted by: Rusty at 01:13 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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