A theory of Islamic political radicalism in Britain: sociology, theology and international political economy

This polemical essay based on on-going ethnographic research explores the phenomenon of Islamic political radicalism in Western Europe, in particular Britain, and the challenges that emerge in relation to the maintenance of a successful multicultural project. Analysing recent events in Western Europe, namely the Madrid train bombings and the murder of Theo van Gogh in 2004 and the London suicide bombings in 2005, this paper argues that Islamic political radicalism is on the increase because of factors that are both endogenous and exogenous to the various Muslim minority communities. Local, national and international pressures conspire to compound the aspirations, expectations, attitudes and perceptions of already disenfranchised groups. First, the layers of the ‘radicalisation onion’ are peeled away to explore the nature of the experience of Muslim minorities, analysing questions of evolving Islamic political identities in the context of the 2001 terrorist attacks and subsequent ‘war on terror.’ Second, the dynamics of Islamic political radicalisation are discussed, specifically alluding to the Qur’anic ideals that ‘Jihadis’ variously appropriate. Finally, the discussion explores the ways in which the nation-state has involved Muslim elite groups in acting as a bridge between government and the Muslim citizen. Many young Muslims view these actions cynically with elites vying for position and profile in an intensely active period of political manoeuvring. In conclusion, it is argued that should the status quo remain intact, the threat of Islamic political radicalisation will persist and solutions will be as much dependent on the nation-state becoming aware of its potential role while disaffected Muslim minorities continue to develop theological and sociological approaches to life in the non-Muslim West.     

Critical Hopefulness: A Person-Centered Analysis of the Intersection of Cognitive and Emotional Empowerment

Leaders in struggles for social justice agree on the importance and the difficulty of maintaining hopefulness while developing critical awareness of social issues. Research has indicated that the analogous components of psychological empowerment (emotional and cognitive) often do not co-vary across populations. This study used a person-centered analytic approach, latent class analysis, to identify subpopulations of participants (n = 1,322) according to the cognitive and emotional components of psychological empowerment. Four distinct sub-groups emerged: those who were relatively (1) critical but alienated, (2) uncritical but hopeful, (3) uncritical and alienated, or (4) critical and hopeful. These clusters were then examined for demographic differences and relationships with a set of conceptually relevant variables including social capital, psychological sense of community, openness, organizational participation and mental wellbeing. Results shed light on the complexity of empowerment processes and yield implications for ongoing community research and action.     

The initial sketch and the growth of a creative network of enterprises in early adulthood: George Bernard shaw

Research in the evolving systems approach (see Gruber and Davis, 1988; Wallace and Gruber, 1989) shows that creative people at some time early in their careers construct an initial sketch that stimulates and guides further development of their ideas. This case study of Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) will describe this aspect of his early development: finding a sense of direction, or charting the creative life, by means of an initial sketch. It will also examine the role of a network of enterprises in the organization of a creative life. In Shaw's case, an initial sketch provides content for the creative process; a network of enterprises organizes the process. Incubation will be described as a period of inaction on one enterprise of the creative system while a different (sometimes similar) enterprise is being developed.     

Indigenous Adoption of Novaco’s Model of Anger Management Among Individuals with Psychiatric Problems in Pakistan

The present study was designed to indigenously adopt Novaco’s model of anger management and examine its efficacy among individuals with psychiatric problems in Pakistan. For the assessment of anger and psychiatric problems, Urdu-translated versions of Novaco Anger Inventory (NAI), Anger Self-Report Questionnaire (ASR) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale were used. A sample of 100 individuals was divided into two groups: a treatment group (received the indigenously adopted model of anger management) and a control group (received general counseling). Results of mixed repeated-measures ANOVA revealed that individuals in the treatment group significantly (p < .01) scored lower on the NAI and ASR (at post-assessment) as compared to the control group. Therefore, the indigenous model of anger management was shown to be more effective than general counseling for anger management.     

The vicious circle of religious prejudice: Islamophobia makes the acculturation attitudes of majority and minority members clash

Public discourse often portrays Islam as the main obstacle for Muslim minorities' integration, paying little attention to the contextual factors hindering this process. Here, we focus on islamophobia as one destructive factor that hinders the mutual integration between Muslim minority and Western majority members, affecting both groups. In Study 1, the more islamophobic majority members were, the more they expected Muslims to give up their heritage culture and the less they wanted them to integrate. In Study 2, only when Muslims experienced substantial religious discrimination did religious identity negatively relate to national engagement and particularly positively relate to ethnic engagement. Together, the studies suggest that religious prejudice in the form of islamophobia is a major obstacle to Muslims' integration because it increases the incongruity between majority and minority members' acculturation attitudes.     

Cluster-ion bombardment studies to reveal the amorphization mode in strained Si0.8Ge0.2

Radiation damage caused by cluster ions of different sizes is predicted to be distinctly different if materials follow disparate phenomenological models of amorphization, namely overlap and direct amorphization methods. Determination of an amorphization model for a crystalline solid can be accomplished based on its radiation response to cluster sizes of bombarding ions. In the present study, we use this approach and apply it to study radiation damage in Si_0.8Ge_0.2 caused by Ag _n clusters with the number of atoms in a cluster, n, taking values from 1 to 4. The displacements measured by using channeling Rutherford backscattering spectrometry show size-enhanced damage accumulation, which is in good agreement with the atomistic detail obtained by molecular dynamics simulations. Our studies suggest that strained SiGe, a material known to have poor radiation tolerance, follows the overlap model rather than the direct amorphization model.     

Terrorism and its Determinants: Panel Data Evidence from 94 Countries

Applied Research in Quality of Life - In recent years, the world is plagued by terrorism which has slowed down economic growth and development across countries. This paper focuses on the terrorism...