Book Review: Engaging with Violent Islamic Extremism

• Published date: 01 December 2013
• DOI: 10.1177/1057567713501515
• Date: 01 December 2013
• Author: Richard R. E. Kania
• Subject Matter: Book Reviews

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Criminology,29, 851–866.

Vermeulen, Floris, & Bovenkerk, Frank. (2012).

Engaging with Violent Islamic Extremism. The Hague, The Netherlands: Eleven International Publishing, ISBS

Distributors. 206 pp. $37.00, ISBN 978-9-490-94757-6.

Reviewed by: Richard R. E. Kania, LindRich Associates and Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL, USA

DOI: 10.1177/1057567713501515

Islamic extremism is a threat facing cities all over the world, and this book examines the situation in

London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Antwerp, and Paris, and what each city is doing to deal with it. The

book is the product of research conducted on behalf of FORUM, the Dutch Institute of Multicultural

Affairs.

The authors quickly identify one of the primary problems in confronting Islamic extremism,

knowing who the violent extremists are before they act. They note that some of the popular assump-

tions about extremists in general do not seem to apply. In particular, those who have led or carried

out attacks often are not marginalized in society, but frequently have been, on the surface, well

assimilated and integrated into Western societies. Those who have joined radical cells have done

so for a variety of reasons beyond just an allegiance to Islam. With no common denominators, iden-

tifying who the next violent terrorist will be is barely more than guesswork. They agree with Martha

Crenshaw who has observed that normality is the most frequently encountered characteristic of those

who have gone on to commit or attempt acts of terror.

This is a well-done, scholarly collection of case studies on the manner in which the civil author-

ities of London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Antwerp, and Paris are now dealing with the issues involved

with Islamic extremism. It is devoid of the usual political correctness and goes right to the heart

of the matter. The various authors face the reality that Islamic terrorism does have a basis in the

religious orthodoxy of Islam, even if that terrorism misapplies the principles of Islam.

They also acknowledge one of the stumbling blocks of dealing with the Islamic communities in

their cities is that our western, liberal values call for a clear separation of church and state. The fact

that Islam holdsthe completely opposite view complicates dealingwith Islamists, both the radical and

truly nonviolent. Negotiating with and providing resources to Islamic clerics who are the community

leaders is problematic for western administrations which do insist upon the church–state separation.

Among the strategies attempted are advancing Islamic assimilation but that runs counter to

Islamic orthodoxy as well. Neither Jihadist nor nonviolent orthodox Muslims seek to be assimilated

into Western values. Community-building efforts seem to achieve the opposite result, further isolat-

ing the Muslims from mainstream European culture.

It is refreshing to read in these pages that the unrest among radicalized Muslims seems to have

less to do with their economic situation or sense of exclusion and more to do with their own

ideology. While large numbers of Muslims in Europe still face economic and social discrimination,

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