Magnus Ranstorp

Bio: Magnus Ranstorp is an academic researcher from University of St Andrews. The author has contributed to research in topics: Terrorism & Jihadism. The author has an hindex of 14, co-authored 34 publications receiving 747 citations. Previous affiliations of Magnus Ranstorp include National Defence College, India & Andrews University.

Terrorism in the Name of Religion

Abstract: Introduction On 25 February 1994, the day of the second Muslim sabbath during Islam's holy month of Ramadan, a Zionist settler from the orthodox settlement of Qiryat Arba entered the crowded Ibrahim (Abraham's) Mosque, located in the biblical town of Hebron on the West Bank. He emptied three 30-shot magazines with his automatic Glilon assault-rifle into the congregation of 800 Palestinian Muslim worshippers, killing 29 and wounding 150, before being beaten to death. A longstanding follower of the radical Jewish fundamentalist group, the Kach movement,(1) Baruch Goldstein was motivated by a complex mixture of seemingly inseparable political and religious desiderata, fueled by zealotry and a grave sense of betrayal as his prime minister was "leading the Jewish state out of its God-given patrimony and into mortal danger."(2) Both the location and the timing of the Hebron massacre were heavily infused with religious symbolism. Hebron was the site of the massacre of 69 Jews in 1929. Also, the fact that is occured during the Jewish festival of Purim symbolically cast Goldstein in the role of Mordechai in the Purim story, meting out awesome revenge against the enemies of the Jews.(3) Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, speaking for the great mass of Israelis, expressed revulsion and profound sadness over the act committed by a "deranged fanatic." However, a large segment of militant and orthodox Jewish settlers in West Bank and Gaza settlements portrayed Goldstein as a righteous man and hailed him as a martyr.(4) During his funeral, these orthodox settlers also voiced religious fervor in uncompromising and militant terms, directed not only against the Arabs, but also against the Israeli government, which they believed had betrayed the Jewish people and the Jewish state. Israeli leaders and the mainstream Jewish community tried to deny or ignore the danger of Jewish extremism by dismissing Goldstein as, at most, belonging to "the fringe of a fringe" within Israeli society.(5) Sadly, any doubts of the mortal dangers of religious zealotry from within were abruptly silenced with the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin by a young Jewish student, Yigal Amir, who claimed he had acted on orders of God. He had been influenced by militant rabbis and their halalic rulings, which he interpreted to mean that the "pursuer's decree" was to be applied against Israel's leader.(6) Most Israelis may be astonished by the notion of a Jew killing another Jew, but Rabin was ultimately the victim of a broader force which has become one of the most vibrant, dangerous and pervasive trends in the post-Cold War world: religiously motivated terrorism. Far afield from the traditionally violent Middle East, where religion and terrorism share a long history,(7) a surge of religious fanaticism has manifested itself in spectacular acts of terrorism across the globe. This wave of violence is unprecedented, not only in its scope and the selection of targets, but also in its lethality and indiscriminate character. Examples of these incidents abound: in an effort to hasten in the new millenium, the Japanese religious cult Aum Shinrikyo released sarin nerve gas on the Tokyo underground in June last year;(8) the followers of Sheikh `Abd al-Rahman's al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya, caused mayhem and destruction with the bombing of Manhattan's World Trade Center and had further plans to blow up major landmarks in the New York City area;(9) and two American white supremacists carried out the bombing of a U.S. Federal Building in Oklahoma City.(10) All are united in the belief on the part of the perpetrators that their actions were divinely sanctioned, even mandated, by God. Despite having vastly different origins, doctrines, institutions and practices, these religious extremists are unified in their justification for employing sacred violence, whether in efforts to defend, extend or avenge their own communities, or for millenarian or messianic reasons. …

Mapping Terrorism Research : State of the Art, Gaps and Future Direction

Abstract: 1 Introduction: Mapping Terrorism Research - Challenges and Priorities Magnus Ranstorp Part 1: Advances Towards Our Understanding of Terrorism as a Complex Behavioural and Social Phenomenon 2 New Trends in Terrorism Studies: Strengths and Weaknesses Joshua Sinai 3 The Role of History and Continuity in Terrorism Research Isabelle Duyvesteyn 4 The Impact of 9/11 on Research on Terrorism Andrew Silke 5 Responding to the Roots of Terror Karin von Hippel 6 Understanding Terrorist Motivation: A Socio-Psychological Perspective John Horgan 7 Approaching Al-Qaida's Warfare: Function, Culture and Grand Strategy Jeffrey B Cozzens 8 Understanding Recruitment of Islamists Terrorists in Europe Michael Taarnby Part 2: Unpacking the Counterterrorism Toolbox 9 Intelligence Analysis and Counter-Terrorism: How Lies the Landscape? Martin Rudner 10 Counterterrorism as Global Governance: A Research Inventory Ronald D Crelinsten 11 Competing with Terrorists in Cyberspace: Opportunities and Hurdles Neal A Pollard Part 3: Future Directions in Terrorism Research 12 Research Desiderata in the Field of Terrorism Berto Jongman 13 The Complexity of Terrorism: Social and Behavioral Understanding Trends for the Future Nancy K Hayden 14 Research into Terrorism Studies: Achievements and Failures Paul Wilkinson

Hizb'Allah in Lebanon: The Politics of the Western Hostage Crisis

Abstract: The Lebanese Hizb'Alla organisation and its involvement in the abduction of Western citizens is a complex subject veiled in secrecy which plagued the conduct of foreign policy for most Western gove ...

Understanding Violent Radicalisation : Terrorist and Jihadist Movements in Europe

Abstract: Introduction Magnus Ranstorp Part 1: Understanding Radicalization as a Process 1. Background Contributing Factors to Terrorism: Radicalisation and Recruitment Rem Kortweg with Sajjan Gohel, Francois Heisbourg, Magnus Ranstorp and Rob de Wijk 2. Where does the Radicalisation Process Lead? Radical Community, Radical Networks and Radical Subcultures Peter Waldmann, Matenia Sirseloudi and Stefan Malthaner 3. The Physiology of Al-Qaeda: From Ideology to Participation Christina Hellmich 4. Joining Jihadi Terrorist Cells in Europe - Exploring Motivational Aspects of Recruitment and Radicalization Petter Nesser Part 2: Understanding Radicalization in Context 5. Radicalization and Recruitment in Europe: The UK Case Mark Huband 6. An Overview of Violent Jihad in the UK: Radicalisation and the State Response Lindsay Clutterbuck 7. Islamism, Radicalisation and Jihadism in the Netherlands: Main Developments and Counter Measures Edwin Bakker 8. The Jihadists and Anti-Terrorist Challenges in France: An Overview Jean-Luc Marret 9. Radicalization and Recruitment Among Jihadist Terrorists in Spain: Main Patterns and Subsequent Counterterrorist Measures Rogelio Alonso 10. Salafi-Jihadi Terrorism in Italy Carl Bjorkman

A Tertiary Model for Countering Terrorism in Liberal Democracies: The Case of Israel

Abstract: Like other studies in the field of counter-terrorism the question underlying this article is to what degree can a democracy lead an effective struggle against terrorism and at the same time uphold its liberal, or even democratic, character? This article seeks to elaborate on the theoretical tools used for answering this question by developing the operational aspects of the 'war model' and 'criminal justice model' in the war against terrorism and then by presenting an 'expanded criminal justice model' to mediate between the two already existing models. This continuum of models is then tested on the Israeli response to Jewish terrorism and possible explanations for the state's decision to move from one model to the other are presented. One of the central conclusions of the study is that the most successful anti-terrorist campaigns led by Israel against Jewish terrorists were the ones in which the state's authorities did not cross any democratic boundaries.

Holy Warriors Exploring the Psychological Processes of Jihadi Radicalization

Abstract: This paper aims to provide an overview of the psychology of individuals who join and engage in terrorism, and in particular of individuals who engage in jihadi-motivated terrorism such as that carr...

Constructing Enemies: ‘Islamic Terrorism’ in Political and Academic Discourse

Abstract: The term ‘Islamic terrorism’ has become a ubiquitous feature of Western political and academic counter-terrorism discourse in recent years. Examining over 300 political and academic texts and employing a discourse analytic approach, this article attempts to describe and dissect the central terms, assumptions, labels, narratives and genealogical roots of the language and knowledge of ‘Islamic terrorism’ and to reflect on its practical and normative consequences. It concludes that for the most part, political and academic discourses of ‘Islamic terrorism’ are unhelpful, not least because they are highly politicized, intellectually contestable, damaging to community relations and practically counter-productive.