Comparing Apples and Oranges? of German Skinheads and Jihadi Terrorists

This paper seeks to compare radicalization processes of Jihadi and right-wing extremists in Germany. While Jihadi terrorists receive extensive media attention right-wing terrorists are considered equally threatening in terms of violent attacks and deaths. More importantly, both movements oppose western culture and democratic authorities, view themselves superior to other members of societies, and adhere to simplified and dichotomous belief systems. In fact, two prominent counter- and deradicalization outlets in Germany, the Violence Prevention Network (VPN) and the Hayat-Berlin, have leveraged these similarities; both centers have transferred their knowledge and experience regarding highly radicalized neo-Nazis into the Jihadist realm. The VPN started with a focus on right-wing radicals in 2001 and was expanded in 2007 to also include radical Salafists. Hayat-Berlin has offered counseling for violent Jihadists since 2011, applying the experiences of the first German de-radicalization and disengagement program for neo-Nazis (EXIT-Germany), in existence since 2000, to Jihadists. Drawing on existing literature, VPN/Hayat sources, personal interviews, and rarely consulted court/government documents, this paper offers original research on the prevailing mechanisms of Jihadi and right-wing radicalization in Germany.

This kind of comprehensive analysis does not yet exist. It not only contributes to the growing literature on counter-/de-/radicalization but has important implications for other Western countries, such as the United States, where right-wing and Jihadi attacks constitute the largest homegrown terrorist threat and counter- and deradicalization facilities remain rare and/or non-existent. Understanding what radicalization mechanisms and pathways exist, and how similar they are, can provide useful insights for countering violent extremism.