Are converts to Islam more likely to become extremists?
CREST researchers Matthew Francis and Kim Knott write about the process of conversion in Islam and challenge the idea that converts are likely to…
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Quick reads exploring the world of social and behavioural science and security threats
How does the family pass on religion?
CREST researchers Kim Knott and Benjamin Lee look at how families transmit and reinforce religious and political ideologies. We get religion from our parents,…
Transmitting Terrorism: A Family Affair?
Simon Copeland investigates the transmission of extremist ideology within family and peer networks. Nearly 20 years after his father was convicted of helping plan…
Just another face in the crowd – what makes spotting unfamiliar faces difficult?
What can influence our ability to spot faces? Nick Donnelly, Anne Hillstrom and Natalie Mestry discuss their research on facial recognition ability. The ability…
Phishing scams are becoming ever more sophisticated – and firms are struggling to keep up
Companies are bombarded with phishing scams every day. In a recent survey of more than 500 cyber security professionals across the world, 76% reported…
How beliefs may come and go: a brief overview of a ‘cult career’
What makes someone join a minority religious group? Why might they then decide to leave? Amanda van Eck Duymaer van Twist discusses her research…
From ideological material to targeting choice in leaderless jihadist
Sarah Marsden explores the relationship between ideological material and leaderless jihadist targeting. How do leaderless jihadists decide who to attack? Generally, individuals who carry…
‘Reverse waves’: how radical ideas spread and take hold
Aristotle Kallis looks at how waves of radical ideas spread through whole societies, drawing on the ‘virus’ of fascism in 1930s Europe. ‘Waves’ of…
A different perspective on CVE
Benjamin Lee interviews Ray Hill – a grassroots activist challenging extremism one conversation at a time. My research looks at grassroots efforts to counter…
Transmission in context
The transmission of ideas, beliefs and practices takes many forms, from time-honoured familial socialisation to innovative adaptions in radical social networks. Here, CREST Researchers,…
Learning to be a Muslim
Jonathan Scourfield explains that when attempting to identify violent extremism, it is important to understand the religious mainstream, to have something against which to…
Transmitting Legitimacy and Victimhood: Violent Dissident Irish Republicanism
John F. Morrison discusses the transmission of violent dissident Irish republican (VDR) ideas, beliefs and values, and importantly, how they transmit an air of…