Countering ‘Islamic’ violent extremism? The implementation of programs to prevent radicalization by Muslim-led civil society organizations in Malindi, Kenya
This article explores how Muslim-led civil society organizations (CSOs) implement programs to Counter Violent Extremism (CVE) in Malindi, Kenya, while adapting these programs to both their local context and the CVE-policies of Western donors. So far, little research has been done on how East-African...
| Published in: | Religion |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Routledge
2021
|
| In: |
Religion
|
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Malindi
/ Islam
/ Radicalization
/ Defense
/ Gesellschaftliche Organisation
|
| RelBib Classification: | AD Sociology of religion; religious policy BJ Islam KBN Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Further subjects: | B
Muslims in East-Africa
B violent extremism B religious co-existence B Islam B Kenya B Civil Society Organizations B political secularism |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | This article explores how Muslim-led civil society organizations (CSOs) implement programs to Counter Violent Extremism (CVE) in Malindi, Kenya, while adapting these programs to both their local context and the CVE-policies of Western donors. So far, little research has been done on how East-African Muslims relate themselves to (global) anxieties about Islam and violent extremism. Taking theories within the anthropology of secularism as an analytical frame, I argue that although Western donors try to maintain a public stance of neutrality towards different religions, they perpetuate stigmatizing associations between Islam and terrorism by tacitly mobilizing a distinction between ‘moderate’ and ‘radical’ Muslims. Based on extensive ethnographic research, I subsequently analyze how Muslim-led CSOs strategically navigate and challenge these stigmatizing associations as they implement CVE programs in Malindi. I also show how the desire to present Islam as peaceful limits possibilities to address widespread feelings of marginalization among Kenyan Muslims. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1096-1151 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/0048721X.2021.1865603 |