Configurations of social and political practices in dealing with radical Islam (KURI)

Islamist terrorism and Islamism have long been central topics in the media, politics, and public discourse. But when should which countermeasures be taken – and by whom? Responses to Islamism vary widely, ranging from civil society-led prevention efforts to state-imposed measures such as stricter criminal laws. Tackling Islamism inevitably raises fundamental questions for liberal and pluralistic societies, particularly concerning the balance between security and freedom. Yet, to date, there has been a lack of research examining the factors that influence decisions to take action against Islamism.

Addressing this gap, the KURI project explored how Islamist threats have been dealt with politically and socially in Germany from 2001 to 2024. The study examined societal expectations placed on state and civil society institutions and analysed how different actors perceive the problem and which strategies they pursue in response. The analysis distinguished between the perspectives of political actors, the media, security authorities, and civil society organisations.

Main Findings:

The results of the project can be summarised in four core theses: 

1. There is a clear trend towards shifting measures further and further upstream, before criminal acts are committed or radicalisation processes have fully developed.
2. Contrary to popular belief, there is no consistent overreliance on security policy measures. In fact, responses often show a balance between alarmism and restraint, depending on the specific context.
3. Nevertheless, security policy measures tend to become structurally entrenched and persist even when the threat landscape changes.
4. There are deficits in the review of the effectiveness of these measures through evaluations. Effective control and containment was mainly achieved through the case law of the Federal Constitutional Court.

The main results of the project are summarised in German in the volume “ Wie Deutschland mit Islamismus umgeht: Bestandsaufnahme und Trends seit 2001” (Campus-Verlag) and in a special section of the Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung.

The results of KURI's research support politics and society in finding well-founded and practical answers on how to deal with Islamism.