R
adicalization (or radicalisation) is a
process by which an individual, or
group comes to adopt increas-
ingly extreme political, social, or religious ideals
and aspirations that reject or undermine
the status quo or undermine contemporary ideas
and expressions of the nation.
The outcomes of radicalization are shaped by
the ideas of the society at large; for example,
radicalism can originate from a broad social
consensus against progressive changes in soci-
ety or from a broad desire for change in society.
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Radicalization can be both violent and nonvio-
lent, although most academic
literature focuses on radicalization into violent
extremism. It therefore refers to the beliefs and
actions of people who support or use motivated
violence to achieve ideological, religious or po-
litical views.
Though ―radicalization‖ is a contested term to
some, it has come to be used to define the proc-
ess through which an individual or a group con-
siders violence as a legitimate and a desirable
means of action.