The Rise of Islamophobia in Western Europe and the EU 's Response: Towards a Sustainable European CVE Model?

For the last decade, Daesh has capitalized on the political vacuum created by failed states and their inability to address core socio-political grievances. Its success spreading its propaganda and recruiting young people all over the world has become a major challenge for the international community. The EU has been highly targeted since 2014, with several deadly attacks on European soil, as well as with an active propaganda driving young Western Europeans to join ISIS.

Focusing on the spread of violent extremism ideologies in Europe, this paper aims to examine the political and cultural bases of violent extremism, using the EU as a case study. It will analyze both the socio-political, economic and other factors that can enable terrorist group activities, as well as the EU’s policy response.

The main objectives are (1°) to analyze the current EU’s counter violent extremism (CVE) strategy (2°) to establish a framework and policy guidance for a sustainable European CVE policy. The paper will also examine how foundational cultural and normative categories such as the secular and the religious operate politically in European affairs. It will also demonstrate that Islamophobia and radical extremism are two sides of the same coin. With the rise of anti-Muslim sentiment in Europe, Daesh creates a perfect breeding ground for recruitment. Therefore, both types of extremist ideologies need to be challenged, calling for significant policy changes that deliver sustainable solutions.