Veiled Threats: How Do Identity Threats Shape Muslims' Support for Terrorism?

In recent decades, Islamic-inspired terrorism has worsened intergroup tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims in western democratic countries, including Australia. Muslims and Islam are often linked with terrorism, and the resulting tension between Muslims and non-Muslims has fostered an “us” versus “them” mentality (Blackwood et al., 2013b). Some research suggests that the alienation Muslims feel as a result of the stigma they have faced in recent years can push some Muslims towards radicalisation (Dalgaard-Nielsen, 2010; Dugan & Distler, 2016). In my dissertation, I propose that the disproportionate scrutiny that Muslims face in western democratic countries may lead some Muslims to support terrorism. Drawing on Social Identity Theory (SIT), my dissertation centres on the proposition that Muslims’ support for terrorism may manifest when some Muslims experience identity threats from non-Muslims. I propose that a feedback loop exists whereby non-Muslims’ attitudes and actions towards Muslims, as well as ingroup/ out-group tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims, may lead some Muslims in Australia to experience identity threats. I propose that non-Muslims might come to hold punitive views towards Muslims because they perceive Muslims to be a realistic, symbolic and terroristic threat and that their national identity as Australians can influence this association. I also suggest that Muslims can come to perceive that their identities are threatened by (1) feeling stigmatised and (2) believing that others are punitive towards Muslims (conceptualised in my dissertation as meta-punitiveness). I further argue that the strength of a Muslim’s national and religious identity might influence how susceptible some Muslims are to these identity threats. Existing studies typically focus on how support for terrorism may arise amongst Muslims living in Muslim-majority countries. Yet, few studies consider how Muslims come to support terrorism when they constitute a minority group in
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Crim & Crim Justice
Arts, Education and Law
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