Causes of Islamic Radicalization Among Ethnic Albanians

by Sajmir Cuka, Naval Postgraduate School

Since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, approximately 660 ethnic Albanians from Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia have joined Islamic jihadist groups, including ISIS. In 2014, these governments began conducting counterterrorism operations to disrupt recruitment networks. These efforts, however, devoted fewer resources to addressing the underlying social and religious aspects of the foreign fighter phenomena. This thesis studies the factors that have contributed to radicalization of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia. It applies a radicalization model to study three groups of socio-economic conditions, Islamic charities and non-governmental organizations, social connections, and online propaganda as potential sources of radicalization of Albanian foreign fighters. The thesis finds that no single overarching factor can fully account for the ideological and violent radicalization of ethnic Albanians in the region. The role of Persian Gulf State charities and foreign-trained Salafi clerics are two particularly strong variables that have led to the foreign fighter problem in the three countries studied. Given these findings, the thesis concludes by recommending a greater partnership between governments, official religious associations, and civil society by focusing counter-radicalization efforts at the community level and prioritizing communities that are at risk for radicalization and violent behavior.

145 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2019