Engineers Of Jihad: The Curious Connection Between Violent Extremism And Education: Why More Engineers Are Attracted To Jihad?
By Ornella Sukkar, New Age Islam
22 March 2022
Different
Personality Traits, Motives, And Psychological Tendencies Can Also Be
Considered Behind The Trend Towards Extremism
The study of extremism, its causes, and the phenomena associated with it is one of the topics that have been strongly raised during the recent period. One of the most prominent books issued in this matter is a book entitled “Engineers of Jihad: The Relationship between Violent Extremism and Education,” written by Diego Gambetta, Professor of Sociology at the European University Institute in Florence, possessing a doctorate in social and political sciences from the University of Cambridge, UK, and worked as a visiting professor at the University of Chicago, and Steffen Hertog, Associate professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
The book deals with the relationship of engineering
majors joining extremist groups, whether in Islamic countries or the West,
trying to provide an explanation for what can be called the "extremism of
engineers" phenomenon and the presence of a large number of engineers in
violent extremist groups. It also sheds light on extremism being linked to
ideology.
The book
reached several main results, the most prominent of which is that a large
percentage of Islamic extremists are university students with an engineering
background. It showed that the spread of extremist engineers in some Islamic
countries is due to frustration and relative deprivation, and therefore the
existence of development and job opportunities are factors that contribute to
immunity against extremism. Also, the commonalities between engineers and the
right-wing are greater than those between engineers and the radical left.
Extremism and Engineering in the Islamic World
In
examining the relationship between extremism and education in some Islamic
countries, the book relies mainly on the study of a sample of (497) people from
extremist groups, based on various sources; including academic writings,
government documents, in addition to a comprehensive daily survey of
international newspapers and the Middle East during the period from 2004 to
2010.
The authors
highlight that there are educational data available for (335) of the total
sample under study and they found that the majority of them have completed
higher education or are still in it, their number being (231) individuals or
about (69%) of the sample. With regard to the nature of the scientific
specialization, there are data available for (207) individuals and it was found
that (93) of them majored in engineering, about (38) people had their majors in
Islamic studies, while the smaller numbers were in other disciplines, as
follows: (21) specialized in medicine, (12) in economics, (8) in mathematics
and science, (5) in law, and the rest from various other specializations.
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According
to the results included in the book, out of (93) extremist engineering
graduates, (38) of them are leaders in extremist groups; that is, at a rate of
about (41%).
The book
adds that there are strong indications of a relationship between extremism and
the study of engineering which is not limited to the present time, but extends
back to decades ago. It gives many examples of this, including that the
perpetrators of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States had eight
engineers among them. During the seventies of the last century, an extremist
group appeared in Egypt called the "Takfir wal Hijra" group
led by an agricultural engineer named Shukri Mustafa.
In regards
to the number of extremists belonging to some Arab countries, according to the
full sample of the study numbering (497), Palestine came first with (128)
people and then Egypt with (88) people. The book also indicates that a small
number of engineers appeared in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia among the
extremists being due to the fact that engineers in the Kingdom enjoyed
excellent opportunities in the labour market thanks to the oil, gas, and heavy
industry sectors in the country.
FBI/Getty
Images
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Extremism
and the Study of Engineering in the West
In order to
verify the relationship between extremism and the study of engineering in the
West, a sample of (344) Islamic extremists who were born and raised in the West
were tested. In this sample, (338) were males. During the terrorist operations
or planning of terrorist operations, whether successful or thwarted, the United
States, then the United Kingdom, Spain, and France, respectively, come as the
most countries in which this sample is represented.
Scientific
data was provided for only about 122 of them, where (9) of them had less than
secondary education, (30) completed secondary education only, while (83) of
them entered university or obtained a university degree. According to the
results, about (79 percent) of the extremist university students in the West
came from reputable colleges, and the irony is that most of them are from
engineering majors.
Explanation
of the Phenomenon of Radicalization of Engineering Graduates
The book
attempts to provide an explanation for the fact that engineering graduates are
more inclined to extremism compared to other disciplines. There is a state of
individual or collective frustration experienced by graduates of engineering
colleges in many Islamic countries where these graduates do not find an
opportunity to achieve their dreams of obtaining good jobs. That is, a global
combination of ambition and shock may lead to the spread of extremism.
The book
asserts that social conditions are by no means sufficient to explain the link
between extremism and engineering specialization, as the West has an economic
situation and opportunities that are better than a number of Islamic countries;
yet, there are extremists in the West. Therefore, different personality traits,
motives, and psychological tendencies can also be considered behind the trend
towards extremism.
Ibrahim Zubair Mohammad is to receive an agreed-upon prison sentence of
60 months
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Engineering
and the Far Right
The book
points out that extremism is not only linked to religion, but is also linked to
ideologies. In this regard, the two researchers hypothesize, through the
collected data and information, that the common factors that link engineers and
the extreme right-wing are much greater than the common factors between this
group and the radical leftist current.
The book
presents several examples of the extreme right in Germany, Austria, Russia, and
the United States where it is clear that the engineering specialization is more
widespread among the far right.
Reference:
Diego
Gambetta and Steffen Hertog, Engineers of Jihad: The Curious Connection Between
Violent Extremism and Education, (USA: Princeton University Press, March 2016)
pp 208.
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A
columnist for New Age Islam, Ornella Sukkar is a Lebanese journalist
specialising in Oriental and Islamic studies and dialogue between cultures and
civilizations.
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Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism