IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cup/apsrev/v113y2019i01p173-194_00.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

From Isolation to Radicalization: Anti-Muslim Hostility and Support for ISIS in the West

Author

Listed:
  • MITTS, TAMAR

Abstract

What explains online radicalization and support for ISIS in the West? Over the past few years, thousands of individuals have radicalized by consuming extremist content online, many of whom eventually traveled overseas to join the Islamic State. This study examines whether anti-Muslim hostility might drive pro-ISIS radicalization in Western Europe. Using new geo-referenced data on the online behavior of thousands of Islamic State sympathizers in France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Belgium, I study whether the intensity of anti-Muslim hostility at the local level is linked to pro-ISIS radicalization on Twitter. The results show that local-level measures of anti-Muslim animosity correlate significantly and substantively with indicators of online radicalization, including posting tweets sympathizing with ISIS, describing life in ISIS-controlled territories, and discussing foreign fighters. High-frequency data surrounding events that stir support for ISIS—terrorist attacks, propaganda releases, and anti-Muslim protests—show the same pattern.

Suggested Citation

  • Mitts, Tamar, 2019. "From Isolation to Radicalization: Anti-Muslim Hostility and Support for ISIS in the West," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 113(1), pages 173-194, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:113:y:2019:i:01:p:173-194_00
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0003055418000618/type/journal_article
    File Function: link to article abstract page
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhang, Han, 2021. "How Using Machine Learning Classification as a Variable in Regression Leads to Attenuation Bias and What to Do About It," SocArXiv 453jk, Center for Open Science.
    2. Amarasinghe, Ashani, 2022. "Diverting domestic turmoil," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    3. Xia, Shouzhi, 2024. "Knowing more, worrying less? Internet use eases public concern about immigrant cultural threat," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    4. Maura R. Cremin & Bogdan G. Popescu, 2022. "Sticks and Stones? Connecting Insurgent Propaganda with Violent Outcomes," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 66(3), pages 504-528, April.
    5. Do, Quy-Toan & Gomez-Parra, Nicolas & Rijkers, Bob, 2023. "Transnational terrorism and the internet," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    6. Christensen, Love & Enlund, Jakob, 2021. "Echoes of Violent Conflict: The Effect of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict on Hate Crimes in the U.S," Working Papers in Economics 805, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
    7. Claire L Adida & Adeline Lo & Melina R Platas, 2019. "Americans preferred Syrian refugees who are female, English-speaking, and Christian on the eve of Donald Trump’s election," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(10), pages 1-18, October.
    8. Thomas Zeitzoff & Grace Gold, 2024. "Cyber and contentious politics: Evidence from the US radical environmental movement," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 61(1), pages 134-149, January.
    9. Endrich, Marek, 2020. "The good tourist, the bad refugee and the ugly German: Xenophobic activities and tourism," VfS Annual Conference 2020 (Virtual Conference): Gender Economics 224604, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    10. Simon Varaine & Raul Magni-Berton & Ismaël Benslimane & Paolo Crosetto, 2024. "Egoism and Altruism in Intergroup Conflict," Journal of Conflict Resolution, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 68(2-3), pages 348-380, March.
    11. Vicente, Pedro C. & Vilela, Inês, 2022. "Preventing Islamic radicalization: Experimental evidence on anti-social behavior," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 474-485.
    12. Michael Wolfowicz & Badi Hasisi & David Weisburd, 2022. "What are the effects of different elements of media on radicalization outcomes? A systematic review," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(2), June.
    13. Walk, Erin & Garimella, Kiran & Christia, Fotini, 2023. "Displacement and return in the internet Era: Social media for monitoring migration decisions in Northern Syria," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    14. Do,Quy-Toan & Gomez Parra,Nicolas & Rijkers,Bob, 2021. "Transnational Terrorism and the Internet," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9885, The World Bank.
    15. Walk,Erin Elizabeth & Garimella,Kiran & Christia,Fotini, 2022. "Displacement and Return in the Internet Era : How Social Media Captures Migration Decisionsin Northern Syria," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10024, The World Bank.
    16. Xinming Du, 2023. "Symptom or Culprit? Social Media, Air Pollution, and Violence," CESifo Working Paper Series 10296, CESifo.
    17. Karell, Daniel & Freedman, Michael Raphael, 2019. "Rhetorics of Radicalism," SocArXiv yfzsh, Center for Open Science.
    18. Kubinec, Robert & Owen, John, 2018. "When Groups Fall Apart: Identifying Transnational Polarization with Twitter from the Arab Uprisings," SocArXiv wykmj, Center for Open Science.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:113:y:2019:i:01:p:173-194_00. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Kirk Stebbing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cambridge.org/psr .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.