PAVE Training Module 2

Section outline

• Extremist narratives can come in all forms ranging from bias, hate speech, marginalization and polarization. They can also build upon geo-political and ethno-religious conflicts embedded in a society or region. For example, online extremist propaganda in the Western Balkans exploits and draws on regional narratives and demographics. Many Western Balkans extremist ideologies, have followings across the region that correspond largely with linguistic lines—ethnic Albanian Salafi jihadist clerics from Kosovo also have an influence in Albanian language communities in Albania and North Macedonia, while supremacist Serbian nationalist narratives target Serb populations across Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Montenegro. Such regionalized extremist narratives cannot be detached from legacies of conflict and longstanding interethnic tension within the region.

  Extremist messages mix ideological, political, moral, religious and social narratives, based on narratives and stories conveyed with one dimensional interpretations of the world and seek to dehumanize the ‘enemy’ by diminishing human rights. 

  What themes could extremists’ narratives center around look like? 

  • Duty: You have a duty to protect, avenge, stand up for, defend those ‘on your side’, whether on humanitarian or religious grounds. 
  • Victimhood: You, your family and friends are the victims of an aggressor or wider conspiracy, and you need to do something to stand up to it.  
  • Religious Reward: God rewards those who fulfill their obligation to defend their religion and fellow believers. 
  • Identity: You need to join the group to find where you really belong. You can become a part of our family.   
  • Creating Purpose: Your day-to-day life is meaningless, so you need to find that meaning by joining our group. 
  • Adventure: Joining up is fun, you will have access to weapons you can’t get and have exciting opportunities you want in your life. 

  
  

  When selecting a counter narrative message, it is important to understand the messaging tactics of an extremist group. 

  For example, a consultation hosted by Hedayah and the International Center for Counter Terrorism explored narratives of extremism.  The Al-Qaeda narrative tends to include messaging that:

  1. That a cherished world is under threat;
  2. It is obligatory to defend that world from contamination;
  3. That the threat has reached a critical point or crisis;
  4. That violence is the only way to overcome the threat/contamination;
  5. That action is obligatory according to Islam; and
  6. That those fighting for the cherished world will receive a heavenly reward for doing so.

  
  

  We can also look at the ISIS narrative, which uses strong emotional messages, carried out through posting photos on Twitter and in Dabiq of their perceived successes and the atrocities of its enemies. ISIS has also developed a strategy for responding quickly to current events and using social media to recruit and radicalize. ISIS uses the Twitter app called the “Dawn of Glad Tidings” to inform its followers on the latest news of the group, and more importantly, create a synchronized Twitter counter narrative includes a framework for CVE in which designs counter and positive narrative campaigns through user accounts that are capable of sending thousands of tweets controlled by one or two media managers into cyberspace in an instant. This means that ISIS has mastered the ability to get the message out quickly, and with very little effort. 

  To inspire and radicalize, extremists draw on common propaganda techniques, including: 

  • Bandwagon: Encouraging their targets to fit in with the crowd; 
  • Scapegoating: Blaming problems on a particular group; 
  • Offering a “Choice”: Convincing targets that the “choice” being offered is the only rational one; 
  • Affirmation: Presenting information as a fact when it is really open to interpretation;
  • Transference: Applying feelings or views about one issue to another issue; and 
  • Omission: Leaving out facts that would otherwise radically change the meaning of the message.

  
  

Session 2: Objectives and Expected Results

Jump to... Main learning site Session 1: Objectives and Expected Results How Does the Internet Support and Create Opportunities for Extremist Narratives and Radicalization? Digital Recruitment in Today's Society What Tactics Do Violent Extremists Use to Radicalize Individuals? Who Do Violent Extremists Target in Radicalization and Recruitment Online? How and Why Do Youth Become Key Targets for Radicalization and Recruitment? Gendered Lens: How and Why Do Women Become Key Targets for Radicalization and Recruitment? How Does Religion Influence Online Recruitment and Radicalization? What About Policymakers? How do They Support Radicalization and Resilience Factors? Additional Resources for Session 1 Session 2: Objectives and Expected Results How Can We Address Online Radicalization and Recruitment? What is Counter or Alternative Messaging and How Can it Be Used to Prevent Radicalization? Building a Strategic Campaign Guidelines for Creating an Effective Campaign Mapping Your Target Audience How is Our Target Audience Currently Interacting with Extremist Content? How to Craft Your Counter or Alternative Message Tactics to Disseminate Your Campaign Messages Your Counter or Alternative Narrative Campaign is Launched - Now What? Evaluating Your Counter or Alternative Narrative Campaign Now It’s Your Turn to Make a Counter Narrative Campaign! Additional Resources for Session 2 Session 3: Objectives and Expected Results Being Safe When Using Online Spaces Safety Through An Inclusive Lens What if Someone I know is Talking to an Unsafe Person? Key Considerations for Building Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration and Trust to Prevent Online Radicalization and Recruitment Additional Resources for Session 3 Print Your Course Certificate

How Can We Address Online Radicalization and Recruitment?