Section outline
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The PAVE project had several findings related to the many impacts of violent extremism on marginalized communities. In Serbia for example, the PAVE project found that while far-right actors do not often organize or participate in violent activities, the narratives that they utilize legitimize violence used against minority groups, framing them as either a physical threat to the Serbian nation or a threat to the social order. By spreading this type of misinformation and far-right propaganda, it normalizes extreme and violent attitudes. The nationalistic interpretations of past historical events, along with stereotypes about ethnic and minority groups in the country and the region, further adds to the exclusionary mindset among young people and the broader population.
While this is a vulnerability factor for minority groups, the legal system in Serbia recognizes national minorities and guarantees their rights. For example, minority parties do not have to reach a threshold of three percent to be represented in the national parliament. This positive political expression to reintegrate and renounce the division of politics into majority/minorities by the State was found to be a driver of community resilience. However, as also observed in the field research in Serbia, the lack of legitimacy and the state's inability to provide services to its citizens, especially minorities, allows dissatisfied individuals and groups to meet their needs through informal, often clientelist networks.
While Serbia may have a legal system recognizing national minorities and their rights, other Western Balkans countries do not have this legislation and as a result, discourage minority rights and political participation. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the unequal representation of minority groups in local and state institutions is a large issue of concern. The population ratio in Novi Pazar is 80-20% in favor of Bosniaks, whereas representation in local institutions (police, judiciary, fire department, health service, etc.) is approximately 80-20% in favor of the minority Serbian population. Similarly, in the National Assembly, national minorities, which comprise approximately 20% of the total population in Serbia, have only 7% of seats. In North Macedonia at the community level, especially in multi-ethnic communities such as Tetovo and Kumanovo, ethnic Macedonians sometimes feel threatened by ethnic Albanians, and the question of minority rights is seen as a “zero-sum” game: more rights for one community are perceived to be detrimental to the other community/communities.
Similarly in the MENA region, the exclusion of minority groups from political power has helped to fuel violent extremism. For example, the lack of political freedom and exclusion of minority groups from political participation has made Tunisia and Lebanon both more vulnerable to radicalization because it has generated political frustrations. The issue with the alignment of religion and state was also not received positively by minorities because of their feeling of insecurity having been at the root of violent extremism. Security has been given to those privileged in power. Similarly in Iraq, the politicization of sectarian identities has led to the Sunni minority being alienated.
Watch this video on, ‘’What is Privilege?’ when thinking about what level of power you may have within P/CVE efforts.
Source: As/Is. ‘’What is Privilege?’’ 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD5f8GuNuGQ.