Social-ecological portrait of two females from Montreal who joined ISIS

Authors

  • Ratna Ghosh McGill University
  • Hicham Tiflati Waterloo University
  • Helal Hossain Dhali McGill University
  • Dilmurat Mahmut McGill University
  • W.Y. Alice Chan Centre for Civic Religious Literacy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15664/jtr.1626

Keywords:

Education, Montreal, Radicalisation, Trajectories, Women

Abstract

This study focuses on the educational and social contexts of two females who left Montreal (Quebec), Canada to join ISIS in Syria. Using Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems theory as the conceptual framework, narrative methodology allowed the collection of rich data on the trajectories of these radicalised minors.  The broad aim of the study was to identify the push and pull factors that contributed to their abrupt departure. Although a few of the many reasons that pushed them were identified, it was not possible to uncover the pull factors/mechanisms that led to their mobilisation.

Author Biographies

Ratna Ghosh, McGill University

Ratna Ghosh is Distinguished James McGill Professor and William C. Macdonald Professor of Education at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Her research in comparative and international education focuses on women and development, critical multicultural education and social justice issues, refugee education, and the role of education in combating violent extremism.

Hicham Tiflati, Waterloo University

Dr. Hicham Tiflati is a senior researcher studying Canadian foreign fighters based at Waterloo University. Dr Tiflati is also coordinator of the 'Canadian Muslims online' project based at UQÀM, and a fellow at the Center for the Research on Religion (CREOR) at McGill University. He was a co-investigator for the study 'Educational trajectories of radicalized females' at McGill University.

Helal Hossain Dhali, McGill University

Dr. Helal Hossain Dhali is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Women and Gender Studies at Dhaka University, Bangladesh. Also, he has recently completed his contract as a Research Associate at the Department of Integrated Studies, Faculty of Education, at McGill University. His research and teaching interests are centred on less heard and exploited people. His works emphasize people who suffer due to their ethnic-racial and gender identity, socio-economic class, religious belief, ideo-political position, and geographical location. His research and teaching interests include Coloniality, Decoloniality, Education, Extremism, Equity, Gender, Intersectionality, and Indigenous people.

Dilmurat Mahmut, McGill University

Dr. Dilmurat Mahmut (Maihemuti Dilimulati) is a research assistant at the School of Religious Studies at McGill University. His research interests include Muslim identity in the West, equity and education, education and violent extremism, and immigrant integration in Canada and beyond. Currently, he is studying the identity reconstruction experiences of Uyghur immigrants in Canada.

W.Y. Alice Chan, Centre for Civic Religious Literacy

Dr. W.Y. Alice Chan is a co-founder and executive director of the Centre for Civic Religious Literacy. Her areas of research include religious literacy, religious bullying and religion in public education. This informs her work at the non-religious, non-profit Centre that aims to foster understanding about religious, spiritual and non-religious communities and individuals across sectors of Canada.

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Published

2023-04-04

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2023): Contemporary Voices

Section

Articles

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