Deradicalizing Religion: Educating Youth To Build Hope, Critical Consciousness, And A Shared Future

Eurasia Review  |  Mohamed Chtatou

Religious radicalization among youth in North Africa, the Sahel, and the European diaspora is driven primarily by identity crises, systemic marginalization, and socio-economic exclusion rather than theological doctrine. This structural vulnerability allows extremist organizations to exploit personal grievances, cultural dislocation, and perceived humiliation through selective, decontextualized interpretations of sacred texts.

To counter this threat, educational systems must transition into active laboratories of hope that cultivate critical thinking, media literacy, and ethical reasoning. Integrating schools, families, and religious institutions under a whole-of-society framework restores individual agency and civic belonging. Morocco's institutional model of state-supported moderate religious training and regional cooperation illustrates the efficacy of combining pedagogical reform with tangible socio-economic opportunities. Ultimately, sustainable deradicalization requires addressing the underlying psychological appeal of absolutist narratives while simultaneously providing marginalized populations with credible pathways for dignified social advancement, functional literacy, and active civic participation.

Comment

The deployment of state-sponsored theological frameworks, such as those disseminated by Rabat's Mohammed VI Institute for the Training of Imams, represents a structural shift in counter-radicalisation doctrine. By institutionalising a standardised, moderate Maliki-Ash'ari curriculum, the Moroccan state directly challenges the decentralised, web-based authority structures utilised by transnational extremist networks. This doctrinal centralisation seeks to insulate vulnerable populations from external ideological penetration while projecting soft power across the Sahelian corridor. However, the efficacy of such top-down theological policing remains contingent on addressing the acute socio-economic marginalisation that frequently drives youth toward dissident movements. Future expansion of this training model to West African partners, including through the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Oulema, will likely test whether state-directed orthodoxy can successfully suppress localised insurgencies like Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin.

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