Fighting Terror

Today's fourth episode of our series on blasphemy will focus on the worldwide protests against the Danish cartoons of the Muslim Prophet, also known as the case of Jyllands-Posten. Lucinda speaks with author of The Cartoons that Shook the World,  Dr. Jytte Klausen, who will be able to offer a distinct perspective and unique insight into her experience of freedom of expression. Together they explore her book in more detail and discuss the parallels between the current trend of Quran burnings in Denmark and the Jyllands-Posten affair from 2005. Dr. Jytte Klausen is the Lawrence A. Wien Professor of International Cooperation at Brandeis University and an Affiliate at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University. She is the author of The Cartoons That Shook the World, The Islamic Challenge: Politics and Religion in Western Europe, and Western Jihadism: A Thirty-Year History . In 2006, Klausen founded the Western Jihadism Project, which studies Western violent extremists associated with Al Qaeda. Klausen has written for Foreign Affairs, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, and other national and international outlets, and she is a regular commentator on the BBC, Voice of America, and other U.S. and international media.

Today's third episode of our series on blasphemy will focus on the Quran burning incidents that have occurred in Scandinavia recently. Lucinda speaks with distinguished counterterrorism expert Dr. Magnus Ranstorp to try to understand the reactions as well as the political and social impact the incidents have had thus far. Magnus has been researching counterterrorism and CVE issues for almost thirty years. He was the first author to seriously map out the Lebanese Hizbollah movement and its connection to international terrorism and relationship with Iran and Syria. Currently, he is the Research Director at the Centre for Asymmetric Threat Studies at the Swedish Defense University and Special Adviser of the EU Radicalization Awareness Network (RAN). Magnus guided the process of establishing RAN in September 2011 and has been an instrumental operational part of it since then. 

Today's second episode of Fighting Terror's new series will shed light on the concept of blasphemy in Islamic theology and its significance within the religion. Lucinda speaks with Professor Jocelyne Cesari who will offer insights into the concept of blasphemy and its historical roots and how some Islamist extremist groups use blasphemy to further their agendas and mobilise followers, as well as the implications for societal cohesion. Professor Jocelyne Cesari holds the Chair of Religion and Politics at the University of Birmingham (UK) and is a Senior Fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University. She has written extensively on Islam in Europe, focusing on issues of integration, radicalisation, and religious freedom. 

What is blasphemy and blasmphemy violence and what drives violence against perceived blasmphemers? Who are the main victims and perpetrators of blasmphemy violence? How did the Salman Rushdie affair shape perceptions and discussions around blasphemy in the Western world and are there risks associated with curtailing freedom of expression? The first episode of Fighting Terror’s new series on blasphemy will aim to provide our listeners with a deeper understanding of free speech and blasphemy affairs in Western Europe. Lucinda speaks with Liam Duffy, Strategic Advisor to CEP and together they discuss Liam's recent CEP report on Violence against perceived blasphemers in the West: From Khamenei's Fatwa To The Present and the current state of play in the United Kingdom. Liam is a regular contributor for UnHerd on extremism, and has written on the subject for The Spectator, The Times Educational Supplement, The Jewish Chronicle, and CapX, among others. Liam is also a Fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar. To read Liam Duffy's recent CEP report on Violence against perceived blasphemers in the West: From Khamenei's Fatwa To The Present, please click here.

In today's final episode of CEP’s Eye on Antisemitism, Lucinda turns to the EU and looks at what they are currently doing to combat antisemitism. She speaks with Katharina von Schnurbein who is the European Commission Coordinator for the EU strategy on combatting antisemitism and fostering Jewish life.Katharina was appointed the first European Commission Coordinator on combating antisemitism in December 2015. Her mandate includes liaising closely with the Jewish community on behalf of the European Commission, proposing and implementing European Commission policy to prevent and fight antisemitism. Prior, she worked for five years as advisor to European Commission President José Manuel Barroso on the dialogue with churches, religions and non-confessional organisations. Katharina started working for the Commission in 2002, serving as press officer for the EU Delegation in Prague. With enlargement in 2004, she moved to Brussels as spokesperson on employment, social affairs and equal opportunities for the Czech EU Commissioner Vladimir Špidla.

Today marks the two-year anniversary of the Taliban takeover and the fall of Kabul. In this episode, Lucinda and CEP Senior Director Hans-Jakob Schindler discuss the past, present and future of Afghanistan, the Taliban takeover, women's rights, and EU recommendations.From 2001 until 2005, Hans headed the federal government of Germany's team investigating al-Qaida in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia. Between 2005 and 2011, Hans held the position of First Secretary Political Affairs and Liaison to the Security Forces at the German Embassy in Tehran. Acting as a special advisor to the ambassador, he led the embassy's crisis management team during the 2006 and 2009/10 disturbances in Iran. Hans then worked as an associated partner for West Sands and an associated consultant for Stirling Assynt, while he also advised several companies in Europe. He also served as Program Director for the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) in London, leading and increasing its work in its foreign policy-centred program area. 

What are some of the key factors contributing to the rise of antisemitism in France? How is the dynamic between the Jewish and Muslim communities in Toulouse, and what efforts have been made to address and bridge these divides? Why are Jews leaving France and does that have an impact on the Jewish community and the broader society?In today’s fifth episode of CEP’s Eye on Antisemitism series, Lucinda explores the resurgence of antisemitism in France with Deputy Mayor Nicole Yardeni from Toulouse. Nicole's previous position as President of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), a national Jewish representative organisation, coincided with the horrific attack against Jewish schoolchildren and a Rabbi in 2012, conducted by Mohamed Merah. Together, they discuss how this event impacted Nicole personally and professionally, and how it shaped her approach to combatting antisemitism.

In today's fourth episode of CEP's Eye on Antisemitism series, Lucinda speaks with Fiyaz Mughal about antisemitism among native-born immigrant communities in the United Kingdom. They discuss Fiyaz's work in the field of preventing extremism and working towards racial equality and Fiyaz shares his expert insights into how to create meaningful connections between Muslim and Jewish communities.Fiyaz is the founder of Faith Matters and Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks), focusing on social cohesion and work on anti-extremism projects.  Working on faith related issues in the two organisations has become a core theme, particularly in supporting integration, countering extremism and tackling hate crime work. Today, Fiyaz continues to be an active member of society, serving as an advocate and expert on community cohesion and anti-extremism projects with a particularly strong understanding of the Muslim community and a passion for Muslim and Jewish dialogue projects.

In today’s third episode of CEP’s Eye on Antisemitism series, Lucinda will delve into how antisemitism manifests among right-wing extremists in Germany with guest Marina Chernivsky. How does the growth of right-wing political movements in Germany influence the prevalence of antisemitic sentiments? Are there any connections between antisemitism and broader issues like nationalism, xenophobia, or Islamophobia? What kind of support or resources do mental health professionals need to effectively combat antisemitism?Marina is the initiator and director of the Competence Center for Prevention and Empowerment, which is supported by the Central Welfare Board of Jews in Germany. She also founded and directs the Counselling Centre for Antisemitic Violence and Discrimination (OFEK), a Germany-based non-profit organisation and counselling centre specialised in antisemitic violence and discrimination.

In today's second episode of the Eye on Antisemitism, Lucinda delves into the complex issue of antisemitism among the left-wing extremists in the United Kingdom (UK), specifically looking at the UK political landscape. How has the Labour Party, which is historically associated with left-wing politics in the UK, addressed or failed to address the issue of left-wing antisemitism within its ranks? And how does it affect Jewish communities, both in terms of their safety and sense of belonging? What steps can be taken to effectively combat and counter left-wing antisemitism in the UK?Lucinda speaks with Dave Rich who is a leading expert on left-wing antisemitism. He is currently the Head of Policy at the Community Security Trust, a UK-based charity that protects British Jews from antisemitism and related threats. Dave is also the author of the recently published book ‘Everyday Hate: How Antisemitism Is Built Into Our World – and How You Can Change It’,  in which he provides a wide examination of antisemitism among different social groups in the UK.

How is antisemitism defined? What is the current state of antisemitism in Europe and the United States (U.S.)? How have recent global events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, contributed to the popularity of antisemitic conspiracy theories among extremists? The first podcast episode in our new series on antisemitism will provide our listeners with a deeper understanding of antisemitism and current trends on both sides of the Atlantic. With the threat landscape indicating that antisemitic incidents are on the rise in both Europe and the U.S., thereby influencing a variety of violent and non-violent extremists across the political spectrum, there is a need to combat this pervasive challenge. In today’s episode, Lucinda speaks with Mitch Silber, who is a former Director of Intelligence at NYPD, where he oversaw research, collection, and analysis for the department’s Intelligence Division. Now, he’s the Executive Director of the Community Security Initiative, a small team dedicated to securing the Jewish institutions of New York from antisemitic violence.

In today’s episode, Lucinda is joined by CEP Senior Advisor Alexander Ritzmann. He leads the work of CEP Berlin on violent far-right extremist or terrorist (transnational) networks, both offline and online. Together they take a closer look at a recently published CEP study, titled Transnational linkages between violent right-wing extremism, terrorism and organized crime, of which the main author is Alexander.  About the study:Existing studies on the extremism/terrorism-crime nexus in recent years have focused on Islamist extremism and terrorism, while the transnational nexus between right-wing extremism/terrorism and organized crime groups remains under-researched. This gap in knowledge can lead to a misunderstanding of the strategies of right-wing extremists as well as of the risks those actors pose to potential victims and society as a whole. A new CEP study, commissioned by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, shows that several violence-oriented right-wing extremist individuals and groups in Europe and the U.S. engage in or maintain ties with organized crime. Many of the identified cases have a transnational dimension, be it through cross-border activities like the acquisition of illegal drugs for distribution or through supposedly legal activities such as co-organizing hate music concerts, including events with a transnational character. As the study demonstrates, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, VRWE-affiliated football hooligan groups, prison gangs, and a range of VRWE individuals and groups are part of transnational networks. Such connections are particularly visible in Austria, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and the U.S. The study aims at informing policymakers working on the prevention and countering of violent extremism or terrorism and organized crime with the goal of fostering a better understanding of the phenomena and to encourage further cooperation between relevant government agencies and civil society organizations.CEP resourcesThe new CEP study can be accessed here.Watch the CEP Webinar: The Transnational Nexus of Right-Wing Extremism and Organized Crime here.

In today’s episode, Lucinda speaks with Liam Duffy, CEP Strategic Advisor. They discuss the findings of the recent Manchester Arena Inquiry, which is the third - and final - report of the inquiry. Chaired by Sir John Saunders, this report focuses on radicalisation and preventability. Liam sheds some light on what the inquiry is all about, the tragedy that occurred back in 2017 in Manchester, the radicalisation process of the perpetrator Salman Abedi and - most importantly - whether the attack could have been prevented.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in cases that raise questions about liability shields afforded to tech companies under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.  In this breaking news episode, Lucinda speaks with Dr. Hany Farid, Senior Advisor to CEP and professor at University of California, Berkley. Hany is CEP's in-house expert when it comes to digital forensics. Together, Lucinda and Hany take a closer look at one of the cases,  Gonzalez v. Google, and discuss the Section 230 Liability Shield. LinksTo read the amicus curiae brief, please click here.To read CEP's latest press release, please click here.To read the March 2020 study A Longitudinal Analysis Of YouTube’s Promotion Of Conspiracy Videos, co-authored by Dr. Farid and other UC Berkeley researchers, please click here. To watch a recording of a CEP web event, Algorithmic Amplification of Divisive Content on Tech Platforms, please click here.

Last Wednesday, the long-awaited Prevent review was published by the Home Office. Led by William Shawcross, who was appointed Independent Reviewer of Prevent in 2021, the review sets out to understand how effectively this strand of the government’s counterterrorism strategy works and how it can be improved. But what is Prevent? Why was it created and why was last week's review commissioned in the first place ? What are the key takeaways from Shawcross' review and will Prevent make Britain safer? In this breaking news episode, Lucinda speaks with CEP experts, Ian Acheson and Liam Duffy, and explores the heated debate around the recent Prevent review.ICYMI:CEP Statement On the Independent Review Of The British Government’s Prevent StrategyCEP Experts React To U.K. Prevent Strategy Review

In today's episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda speaks to two former extremists, Ryan Lo’Ree and Bryant Vinas. Ryan was once a right-wing extremist with one of the largest Nazi movements in the United States. After being confined, Ryan went through a process of transformation that focused on healing from trauma. As part of his healing and deradicalization, Ryan created the Team Revelation Mixed Martial Arts, a program utilized to prevent troubled youth from entering gang and extremist cultures. Today, he contributes his expertise to Parallel Networks as Programme Director and Interventionist. Bryant was the U.S. first foreign fighter after 9/11. In September 2008, he participated in al-Qaeda attacks against U.S. Army bases in Afghanistan. After he was arrested in Pakistan in November 2008, he pled guilty in a New York federal court. While incarcerated, Bryant cooperated with U.S. law enforcement and provided helpful intel. U.S. authorities have called him the “single most valuable cooperating witness” in disrupting al-Qaeda operations.In this final episode of our series on the 4R Network, Bryant and Ryan will share what it is like to come home after being convicted for offences related to extremism. The episode will explore differences and similarities in their reintegration processes, and we will learn which factors were essential for a successful reintegration process. And just like that, our eight-episode series on the 4R-Network comes to an end. In case you have not listened to any of the previous episodes, we strongly encourage you to do so to learn more about the new CEP initiative, the 4R Network.For more information about the 4R Network, see below the website:https://4rnetwork.org/You can find the video recording of the 4R Network launch event here:https://www.counterextremism.com/video/cep-webinar-launch-4r-network-november-16-2022

In today's episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda talks to Mitch Silber. He is the executive director of the Community Security Initiative, visiting lecturer at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and the author of the book The Al Qaeda Factor & Radicalization in the West.Mr. Silber’s CV is extensive, ranging from more than 20 years of experience in providing high-end finished intelligence, bespoke consulting and advisory work for a wide range of corporate, financial and governmental clients to being a former Director of Intelligence Analysis at the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”). At NYPD, he supervised the research, collection and analysis for the Intelligence Division’s entire portfolio of ongoing terrorism related investigations and was responsible for strategic assessments of emerging and future threats to the City of New York.In today’s episode of our series on the 4R Network, Mitch will discuss concerns faced by law enforcement regarding rehabilitation and reintegration of extremist offenders, and how partnerships with civil society could help mitigate associated risks.For more information about the 4R Network, see below the website:https://4rnetwork.org/You can find the video recording of the 4R Network launch event here:https://www.counterextremism.com/video/cep-webinar-launch-4r-network-november-16-2022

In today's episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda speaks with social neuroscientist Mike Niconchuk and Noah Tucker, consultant for CEP’s Rehabilitation & Reintegration project in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.  As an applied neuroscience researcher and practitioner, Mike Niconchuk focuses on trauma recovery in conflict-affected populations, and the relationship between trauma, extremism, intergroup violence. Noah Tucker is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and a Research Associate at the GWU Central Asia Program. He works primarily on social conflict and conflict prevention, from violent extremism and (Islamist and far-right groups) to ethnic and regional conflict. In this episode, Mike and Noah will pull from their experience in Central Asia. Central Asia has been among the first areas of the world to repatriate women and children from conflict zones and have spearheaded the first attempts at Rehabilitation and Reintegration (R&R). Mike and Noah will discuss successful in-community reintegration and rehabilitation practices for children and adult women and explore the importance of inculcating culturally-relevant and appropriate methods of care to ensure long-term well-being and thus effective reintegration and rehabilitation. For more information about the 4R Network, see below the website:https://4rnetwork.org/You can find the video recording of the 4R Network launch event here:https://www.counterextremism.com/video/cep-webinar-launch-4r-network-november-16-2022

In today's episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda talks to Dr. Vivian Khedari DePierro. She is the Chief Psychologist & Director of Research at Beyond Conflict, who also happen to be our partners in this 4R Network endeavour. As a Clinical Psychologist, Vivian focuses on the development and evaluation of accessible and culturally-tailored approaches to trauma recovery among communities affected by violence and conflict across the globe.In today’s episode of our series on the 4R Network, Vivian will touch upon the connection between unresolved trauma and the perpetuation of violence, and how failure to address mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) needs of extremist offenders may hamper rehabilitation and reintegration efforts of extremist offenders.For more information about the 4R Network, see below the website:https://4rnetwork.org/You can find the video recording of the 4R Network launch event here:https://www.counterextremism.com/video/cep-webinar-launch-4r-network-november-16-2022

In today's episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda speaks to co-authors of Pastels and Pedophiles: Inside the Mind of Qanon Dr. Sophia Moskalenko and Dr. Mia Bloom. Sophia is a psychologist studying mass identity, inter-group conflict, and conspiracy theories. She has written several books, including the award-winning Friction: How Conflict Radicalizes Them and Us. Mia is a fellow with New America's International Security program and professor of communication and Middle East studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta. She has authored books on violent extremism including Small Arms: Children and Terrorism.In the context of increasing sociopolitical polarization, conspiracy theories and mis- and disinformation play in meaning-making,  Dr. Sophia Moskalenko and Dr. Mia Bloom will discuss how coping mechanisms can affect the rehabilitation and reintegration of extremist offenders.For more information about the 4R Network, see below the website:https://4rnetwork.org/You can find the video recording of the 4R Network launch event here:https://www.counterextremism.com/video/cep-webinar-launch-4r-network-november-16-2022