INTERVIEW
Why do people become radicalised?
An Interview by Marcello
Lezzi
to teacher of I.T. M. L.
Pietramala
I.I.S.S. "E.Fermi"
Italy
I think that it is a very complicated process. It does not have a single motive, a single face, I mean
you can find radicalisation in different contexts. You find poor people radicalised and you find
midle-class people radicalised. You find radicalisation among people with low education, but you
find it even in people with high education. So it’s difficult to understand what are really the
causes of radicalisation.
T
hinking of real prevention is difficult. I
mean, radicalised people usually are
socially isolated, they have just one group
as a reference for their life, so they get information
just inside a single group, so may be having
different voices, different ideas, in a society and
giving room to different ideas can be a way of
preventing radicalisation. But it‟s not enough, I
mean it‟s just a way.
Radicalised people often come from an
unsuspectable environment there are families that
are really integrated in the society and there comes
their son that is a radical, or may be he is a
terrorist.
How to prevent this social behaviour? I don‟t
know, it‟s above my understanding.
I think that interesting young people in big positive
ideals is a means to prevent their radicalisation,
and it‟s a means for gaining, for them, a
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productive and happy life. Because, when
someone radicalises, instantly his horizon becomes
narrower and his possibility of achieving personal
and social happiness becomes less and less
probable.
So, interesting young people in the lives of their
peers, of the other young people, is important, and
it is important to help them living in a context that
is rich in people and ideas.
That‟s what I think. I think that is the only way to
prevent radicalisation. Do not let the young people
go for a single group, go for a single idea, but
present them with an ample array of possibilities.
I also think it‟s necessary to expose young people
to ideas of every kind and every tendency.
Because, when you limit your ideas, you open the
doors to radicalisation.