THE DOUBLE-FACED CONCEPT OF COMMUNITY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM
THE DOUBLE-FACED CONCEPT OF COMMUNITY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM

Summary/Abstract: In a tumultuous 21st century, our societies face old threats that are updated to the modern times and terrorism is one of them. As the self-claimed “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria attracts more and more individuals from our own societies, we start to wonder what is it that actually drives people towards joining an extremist religious view of the world. In this context, the concept of “community” expressed by the need that we, humans, feel for belonging to a certain group represents a key topic to be analyzed in the fight against terrorism. The concept of “community” is discussed on two levels: at first, the way in which a “virtual community” attracts people towards extremism and the game that terrorist propaganda plays in creating the fantasy of such a community; secondly, the role that physical communities can have in defending their members against the terrorism distraction. This paper argues that, in the struggle that our society has shown against terrorism, we might have had an important asset waiting for us to use it correctly – the power of a united real community. Bringing together the two levels of our discussion, this research points out that strengthening our communities at home leaves little place for the terrorist propaganda to reach its audience and attract people into its game.

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