FINDING THE BEST SUIT: FRANCE DERADICALIZATION PROGRAM IN 2015 – 2019

Abstract

Throughout the years of 2014 to 2015, the French government saw a rise of terrorist attacks in its territory. The attacks mostly carried out by jihadists who had track records of association with terrorist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). After the 2015 terrorist attacks in France, the French government launched some deradicalization efforts such as a rehabilitation center aimed to deradicalize radicalized individuals. The deradicalization efforts conducted by the French government mainly started after the Charlie Hebdo and Paris Attack in 2015 thus, this thesis focuses on the timeline of 2015 – 2019. This thesis observes on how the French government implement their deradicalization efforts by using realism and center of gravity theory. By using qualitative method, the author tried to observe the deradicalization efforts through journal articles, statements made by the French government, and publicly available documents regarding the deradicalization and radicalization issue in France. A key finding of this thesis is that the French government has not been able to tailor the laïcité concept for the French Muslim community which caused the community’s identity crisis and vulnerability to radical ideas.