Pulse nightclub. Istanbul airport. Baghdad truck bombing. Nice Bastille Day celebration. These are just a few of the devastating attacks in recent months that are so fresh on our hearts. Yet again, we are faced with a threat to security in our everyday lives.

These attacks were carried out by various individuals who sympathize with the warped, politicized version of "Islam" spewed by ISIL. These were well-calculated and pure evil, and they display the diversity of the radicalization process.

The Orlando attack, for example, was carried out by a well-organized Omar Mateen. Though he claimed allegiance to ISIL in his 911 call, reports detail a troubled young man who may have been grappling with his own sexuality. It was a hate crime whose motive may be a hybrid of perceived grievances and an allegiance to a warped ideology.

We studied the factors that led to their radicalization, as well as what drew them out of their extremists views and why.

So we find ourselves asking once again, "How do these incidents continue to happen?"

I was in London for the last two months of 2015, co-writing a report for a think tank I work with, the Quilliam Foundation. This report answers that very question. We interviewed 10 former extremists, five of whom are former Islamists and five who are former far-right extremists in the United Kingdom. We studied the factors that led to their radicalization, as well as what drew them out of their extremists views and why.

One former Islamist we interviewed, Sohail, stated: "when I deradicalized I began to think about a part of my identity which had haunted me since I was a child, my sexuality." This was a very powerful part of the young man’s testimony.

All of the former extremists we interviewed went through some sort of an identity crisis, which led them down a path to find answers. Many of them simply wanted to belong to a community.

How It Happens

No one goes online to purchase a pair of shoes and comes out with extremist views. Most individuals have a grievance, whether perceived or real, that drives them to search for answers. Feelings of isolation and exclusion are very powerful, and modern communication offers unprecedented access to information.

The landscape of instantaneous, digital communication serves as a breeding ground for extremist groups such as ISIL, the English Defence League, and others to pounce on the hearts and minds of these vulnerable individuals seeking answers and a sense of belonging. Extremist groups manipulate the sources of information and create an online "echo chamber" of information.

Previous research supports the report’s findings that radicalization is usually sparked through offline socialization processes but often continues online if unchecked.

Much of the Arab Spring started through the use of social media and the internet. I, an American woman, lived on and off in Egypt for several years and I saw this phenomenon in my second home with my own eyes. I was there for the first revolution and witnessed firsthand how much the country relied on political stability and an economy that flourished.

Previous research supports the report’s findings that radicalization is usually sparked through offline socialization processes but often continues online if unchecked.

The majority of Egypt’s population was under the age of 30 at the time, struggling to find employment and unable to provide for their families. For young people, this economic dislocation is particularly dangerous when mixed with a lack of political stability and the aforementioned identity crisis: a perfect foundation for extremism is laid.

Indeed, since the revolution we have seen the rise of terrorist incidents in Egypt, specifically the Sinai Peninsula.

What Can Be Done

My fear is that as political instability continues to spread all over the world, we will continue to see more and more terrorist attacks. Our report discusses many factors of radicalization, and political and economic factors are important ones to consider.

There are reasons that people like the 10 men featured in this report are attracted to the ideology of radicalism: in addition to the theme of identity crisis, there is a sense of despair regarding a future that is not welcoming to them and that is without opportunity.

The absence of secular liberal voices is polarizing communities and encouraging unhealthy aspirations from our youth.

So what can we do? We must go after the root causes of extremism—those actions and messages that are exploitable as propaganda by groups like ISIL.

The most extreme voices offer them a path forward, a false hope, and something to belong to. The absence of secular liberal voices is polarizing communities and encouraging unhealthy aspirations from our youth. This is exacerbated today by the phenomenon that is Donald Trump.

Under these current circumstances, only the extremists on either side can win: it is a game of division, community gatekeepers, and politicized tribal identity. We must change the game by highlighting the authentic voices in the Muslim world, building up civil societies, and effectively combatting extremist messaging.
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Courtney La Bau is a Political Partner with the Truman National Security Project in Washington, D.C., a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, a consultant with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and a member of the board of directors for the Quilliam Foundation, an anti-extremism think tank based in London. Follow her on Twitter: @courtneylabau.