Belief, belonging and the role of schools in reducing the risk of home-grown extremism

Recent world events have led to an increased sense of collective fear directed to those perceived as outside the mainstream. This chapter posits that much of that fear is generated by beliefs about others, often stirred by a negative media and political interests. This is also true of those who engage in terrorism – their acts are driven by beliefs that comprise not so much religious faith but as a way of making sense of the world. There is much evidence to suggest that military responses to terrorism are counter-productive as are programs aimed at identifying at risk individuals (Byrne, 2017). It has been suggested that more effective anti-terrorism strategies need to focus on the ‘normality’ of people who commit atrocities and intervene early. This includes both community engagement and building an educational climate that breaks down stereotypes and addresses both values and compassion (Singer & Bolz, 2013). There has been much debate across the world about the radicalisation of young men and women, some of them committing horrific acts of violence in the name of religion. Because this is their stated purpose, millions of peace-loving people become erroneously associated with these acts, compounding a negative cycle of mistrust and blame. This chapter explores alternative constructions of motivation and how important a sense of belonging and purpose may be. It may not make sense to most of us, but when young people come to believe that they can achieve ‘significance’ and belonging by acts of terror we need to consider what is happening that makes them more open to adopting this stance and what might be done to reduce their vulnerability to persuasion. We make links with those who have committed acts of mass murder in schools in the US and what the research has to say about this. As many acts of terrorism are perpetrated by ‘home-grown’ terrorists most of whom have been educated in the country in which these acts take place, we suggest what schools might do to reduce the risk – especially in promoting a culture of inclusive belonging.