Why the Brussels attack was all but inevitable

The lack of integration within the European community

Western governments are struggling to find out what motivates young Muslims, many of whom are well-to-do and educated, to leave their sheltered lives only to join radical organizations that offer an elusive goal and the prospect of violent death. It appears that the determining factor behind the rise of radicalization of Muslim youth in Europe is the absence of integration, by choice or design, of young Muslims into the mainstream of their respective Western countries, which explains why the Brussels attack was all but inevitable.

During my most recent visit to Brussels only a few weeks ago, I was amazed that while many top EU officials spoke about the need to appropriate more resources to buttress the internal security apparatus, little mention was made about the need to integrate young Muslims into their communities and provide the funding required to that end. Integration must be the engine that propels deradicalization, and of necessity it takes a host of socioeconomic, religious, and political measures to mitigate the vulnerabilities in these areas that young European Muslims experience.

In relative terms, the rise of violent extremism is only at the early stages, and if the West wants to stem the flow of volunteers to these ruthless groups, Western countries should make a concerted effort to engage and understand the nuances of their Muslim communities, especially the families from which these volunteers are coming.

The psychological dimension of violent extremism needs to be understood, as there is certainly no single road to radicalization – some join violent radical groups to acquire a sense of belonging, others seek to shed their daily indignities, some are swayed by the desire for recognition or integration, others are drawn by the lure of adventure or heroism, and yet others because they have no other outlet to vent their grievances in the absence of due justice or any access to the political process.

The threat emanating today from ISIS, al-Qaeda, and other Islamist groups is inspired by religious teachings, distorted under the guise of defending purist Sunni Islam, which ultimately aims to infect susceptible Muslim youth to whom religion provides an escape and a sense of belonging.

Many of the young men and women who live in Western countries feel increasingly marginalized economically, socially, and politically, and are particularly vulnerable as they are often in transitional stages in their lives, whether as immigrants, students in search of friends, job seekers, etc. On the whole, they are in need of an outlet to vent their frustration, and consequently, they become easy prey for extremists seeking new recruits in mosques and online.

There is, however, a common denominator behind most of the causes that radicalize Muslim youth, which is the lack of integration into their new social milieu, caused by:

First: Disinterest in being integrated, as many young Muslims are living in a bubble and are not encouraged to step out beyond their immediate circle of peers and family. This is further compounded in situations where extremism runs deep in a particular family, or where they have certain gripes against the socio-political milieu in which they live;

Second: No deliberate effort by governments to integrate Muslim youth into general society, a condition further aggravated by entrenched prejudices in most West European countries, such as Britain and France. Citizens of foreign descent in these states are often identified and remain as 'foreigners,' regardless of how long they have been living in their adopted countries, even if they are second or third generation citizens;

Third: The growing pervasiveness of Islamophobia among Europeans, precipitated by the rise of violent extremists and the seemingly endless bloodshed between Muslim communities and Westerners, which has produced a conscious and unconscious repudiation of anything related to Muslims in general;

And fourth, a deeper, growing sense of alienation, which is the antithesis to inclusiveness, leading young Muslims in particular to find ways to resist and defy rather than seek new opportunities to integrate and become loyal nationals of their adopted countries. Generally, West European Muslims seek to maintain their identity and can still do so through integration rather than assimilation, where their identity as Muslim is not lost. Western European countries must also take specific steps to ensure that those who have joined and subsequently return are deradicalized and become useful citizens who can dissuade others from following their path.