Référence :
Religioni, Diritti ed Economie nello Spazio Mediterraneo | redesm.org | 2/12/2020
English
Religious radicalization. Process of a controversial concept
Introduction :
I would like to seize the opportunity of my first participation to the Mediterranean website to raise the issue of radicalisation as a concept, which has permeated the political and media discourse in Europe in general, and particularly in France, since the attacks of 11 September[1]. Today, the notion is widely used to grasp the phenomena of violence, while its relevance and legitimacy as a notion belonging to the security agenda remains rather controversial.
What exactly is radicalisation in the French context? How has the term become a structuring element of political and media discourse when it comes to violence against civilians in the name of Islam? Is it legitimate to over-determine the religious and the Islamic categories of a notion that has long belonged to political and social movements?
Introduction :
Je voudrais saisir l’opportunité de ma première participation au site méditerranéen (redesm.org) pour soulever la question de la radicalisation en tant que concept, qui imprègne le discours politique et médiatique en Europe en général, et en France en particulier, depuis les attentats du 11 septembre. Aujourd’hui, la notion est largement utilisée pour appréhender les phénomènes de violence, alors que sa pertinence et sa légitimité en tant que notion appartenant à l’agenda sécuritaire reste assez controversée.
Qu’est-ce que la radicalisation dans le contexte français ? Comment le terme est-il devenu un élément structurant du discours politique et médiatique en matière de violence contre les civils au nom de l’islam ? Est-il légitime de surdéterminer les catégories religieuses et islamiques d’une notion qui a longtemps appartenu à des mouvements politiques et sociaux ?
أودّ أن أغتنم فرصة مشاركتي الأولى في موقع منطقة البحر الأبيض المتوسّط (redsem.org) لإثارة مسألة التطرّف بصفتها مفهومًا بات يدخل بشكل كبير في الخطابات السياسيّة والإعلاميّة في أوروبا بشكل عام، وفي فرنسا بشكل خاص منذ هجومَي 11 أيلول/ سبتمبر. وأصبح هذا المفهوم يُستخدم اليوم من أجل معالجة ظاهرة العنف، في حين أنّ تبقى أهميّته وشرعيّته بصفته مفهومًا تابعًا إلى جدول الأعمال الأمني مسألة مثيرة للجدل.
ما هو التطرّف في السياق الفرنسي؟ كيف تحوّل هذا المصطلح إلى عنصر مكوّن للخطابات السياسيّة والإعلاميّة في مجال العنف ذد المدنيّين باسم الإسلام؟ أيُعدّ المبالغة في تحديد الفئات الدينيّة والإسلاميّة من خلال مفهوم لطالما كان تابعًا لحركات سياسيّة واجتماعيّة أمرًا شرعيًّا؟
Download PDF
Resources of this researcher
publication
Dialogue for a More Livable World: Toward an Ethics of Encounter
How can we live in a climate of mistrust, trapped in identity-based withdrawal, and paralyzed by an uncertain future? On what basis can we open new paths to ease suffering—perhaps even reenchant ou...
article
Muslim worship in France: is the State-led reorganization underway?
In this article published on February 26, 2025, on The Conversation, Ali Mostfa analyzes the evolution of the Forum of Islam in France (Forif), created in 2022 to replace the French Council of Musl...
article
Redefining Qurʾānic Hermeneutics: Muḥammad ʿĀbid al-Jābrī and Nasr Ḥāmid Abū Zayd’s Humanistic Interpretations
This article presents the innovative endeavor by Muḥammad ʿĀbid al-Jābrī and Nasr Ḥāmid Abū Zayd in interpreting the Qurʾān through a humanistic lens. Their approach marks a pivotal shift, viewing ...
publication
Religions put to the test by freedom of expression
“In the republican context, freedom of expression involves all the players in society and mobilises a wide range of intellectual resources. What then are the conditions that foster it while r...
publication
Islam & Otherness. Proceedings of the Pluriel congress in Beirut
Edited by Michel Younès, Ali Mostfa and Roula Talhouk “In a contemporary context marked by a growing tendency to lock oneself into oppositional logics, reflection on otherness in Islam opens ...
article
Making religion online: the case of Islam
Islam in the digital age is becoming an inescapable reality in the lives of believers, thus introducing a new modality in the understanding of Islamic faith. From now on, the sacred text, rituals, ...
article
From Islamic Reference to Conservative Pragmatism – The Sinuous Paths of the Moroccan JDP Discourse
"The relationship between the political and religious fields in Morocco is generally based on tactical choices and pragmatic issues, often far from simple ideological orientations. In this context,...
publication
Authority in Islam. What regulation? Proceedings of the symposium.
“It is often said: “”no clergy in Islam””. In the absence of a hierarchical and universal magisterial authority, what are the instances and figures that serve as regul...
article
Religious Radicalism. The Challenges of an Ill-Defined Concept in Europe
Ali Mostfa, professor of linguistics and discourse analysis at the Catholic University of Lyon, analyses the semantic shifts about the notion of religious radicalism, particularly since the Septemb...
Resources related to
Radicalization
publication
Sayyid Qutb. Architect of Radical Islamism
- Mounia Ait Kabboura
The thought of Sayyid Qutb (1906–1966) has profoundly shaped a wide range of religio-political movements, from the Muslim Brotherhood to Salafi-jihadists, radicalizing political Islam and inspiring...
publication
Salafist Movements in Europe: Between Local and Transnational Mobilizations
- Mohamed-Ali Adraoui
In this chapter, the author sheds light on the main sociological features and academic debates on the issue of Salafism in Europe. Through a comparative analysis of different countries, he shows th...
videos
Radical evil and the Canadian multiculturalist otherness
- Mounia Ait Kabboura
The "radical evil" that tore Europe apart in the 20th century was totalitarianism (Hannah Arendt). Today, this evil has been reincarnated into a barbaric radicalisation that undermines societies. T...
publication
Thinking Jihadist Radicalisation: Actors, Theories, Transformations
- Elyamine Settoul
Like many countries, French society is facing the rise of violent radicalisation phenomena with a politico-religious referential. From the factors of jihadist commitment to the processes of disaffi...
videos
Between Standardization And Otherness: Being A Muslim In The In The French Armed Forces
- Elyamine Settoul
Already present since the colonisation process, the question of Islam within the French army has reappeared strongly with the settling down of the populations resulting from the great waves of indu...
article
Religious radicalization. Process of a controversial concept
- Mohamed-Ali Mostfa
Introduction : I would like to seize the opportunity of my first participation to the Mediterranean website to raise the issue of radicalisation as a concept, which has permeated the political a...
videos
Methodology for analysing radicalisation discourses and counter-discourses
- Bénédicte Du Chaffaut
Lecture given on 14 October 2021 at the Catholic University of Lyon during the conference « Radicalisation leading to violence in the name of Islam, Epistemological, methodological and ethical appr...
videos
The radical discourse and civilisational stake
- Mohamed-Ali Mostfa
Lecture given on 14 October 2021 at the Catholic University of Lyon during the conference « Radicalisation leading to violence in the name of Islam, Epistemological, methodological and ethical appr...