Kadims dilemma: Fiction and counter fiction within islamic radicalism

Abstract

Islamic radicalism has become a global issue since 9/11, if not before. Most analyses deal with military and police counter-measures to curb terrorism. We know very little about the psycho-logical constitution of radicals. In order to gain insight into the psychological and social determinants of radicalization, in this text I analyze an interview with a former radical from Saudi Arabia. In doing so I will draw on two central concepts from Alfred Adler’s individual psychology: fiction and counter fiction. I will show that extremism results from the conflict between the personal fiction of the individual and Saudi Arabia’s societal counter fiction. I further analyze the conditions under which radicalism is then given up. I reach the conclusion that the underlying cause of extremism lies in the neglect of pluralism or in an education without alternatives. Extremism is not an “irrational” phenomenon. Keywords Terrorism; radicalization; Islam; Saudi Arabia; education; political system; fiction; counter fiction; Alfred Adler; Individual Psychology.