Terrorists and Social Identity Theory Research Paper

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He was eventually arrested after 9/11 and convicted of planning to bomb the Israeli Embassy in Canberra.

Through conversations with Roche, Aly and Striegher (2012) conclude that social identity theory provides a good model for Roche's conversion from a 'loser' to a Holy warrior. Having failed in his former life, he found a sense of belonging as he adopted and studied Islam and was welcomed into the Muslim communities in Australia and Indonesia. The feelings of belonging were reinforced when Roche when recruited by a Jamaah Islameeah cell in Australia and later sitting around a campfire in Afghanistan with Osama bin Laden. This sense of belonging and group purpose led Roche to adopt the offered reinterpretation of the Islamic faith and turn his back on what family and moderate Muslim connections he still had. It was at this point that Roche viewed himself fully as a Holy warrior willing to act on behalf of oppressed Muslims anywhere in the world.

Roche never let go of this social identity as a Holy warrior in the Islamic faith, but when he was asked to kill innocent civilians in Australia his sense of belonging to the militant arm of Islam began to fray. His hesitance to act against his fellow countrymen was further fueled by his suspicion that he was being followed around by Jamaah Islameeah operatives and his growing fear that he would be killed if he did not follow instructions.

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Aly and Striegher (2012) interpreted this to imply that religion played only a small, but important role in fueling Roche's conversion to an Al Qaeda operative. The primary motivating force was instead his need to belong to a group that valued his contributions. He found this through Islam, but most religions offer this sense of belonging. Unfortunately for Roche and many others, the Al Qaeda network is designed to prey upon these vulnerabilities in order to fill their ranks. This would explain why Islam has so thoroughly become associated with terrorism.

To conclude, social identity theory seems to provide an accurate lens through which to view the process of converting a loser or lonely individual into a terrorist. This fits with what is known about the older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber who was killed in a shootout with the police. On his suspected YouTube channel, Tamerlin is credited with saying "I don't have a single American friend, I don't understand them" (Archer, 2013). This seems to explain why Tamerlan began to identify more with the residents of his mostly Muslim home region in Chechnya, who were at war with Russia, and how he turned to violence......

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