CHRISTIAN IDENTITY MOVEMENT AND ANARCHIST EXTREMISTS AND ANTI-FASCISTS

DOMESTIC EXTREMIST GROUPS: CHRISTIAN IDENTITY MOVEMENT AND ANARCHIST EXTREMISTS AND ANTI-FASCISTS (ANTIFA)

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this research paper is to examine two extremist groups in terms of profiles, political actions, goals and objectives, ideology, and propaganda techniques. Besides, the paper discusses the process of recruitment and radicalization and provides a comparison of the two selected groups. The research method that will be used to collect data for the paper is literature review. Extremist groups should be studied because they pose a significant threat to the United States. The activities carried out by these groups cause serious disruptions to business and other activities. In addition, it is essential to study the groups and determine appropriate actions that can be taken to counter their activities.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

What are the ideologies, goals, and objectives of Christian Identity Movement and Anarchist Extremists and Anti-Fascists (Antifa)?

What political actions do the groups engage in to communicate their agenda?

Which propaganda techniques and violent actions do the groups use to further their interests?

How do the extremist groups recruit and radicalize their members?

What counter violent extremism approach can be effective in combating the activities of these groups?

OUTLINE

1. INTRODUCTION

Several right wing and left wing extremist groups exist in the United States and they include the Christian Identity Movement and the Anarchist Extremists and Anti-Fascists (Antifa). The Christian Identity Movement is a right-wing religious group who adherents commit bombings, hate crimes, and other terrorist acts. Antifa is a left-wing political movement that comprises of autonomous individuals and groups, which seek to achieve objectives using violent and nonviolent means as opposed to policy reform. The movement is highly decentralized and its political activists use protest with the main aim of combating racists, far-right extremist, and fascists.

1. LITERATURE REVIEW

In this section, the paper focusses on the profile of the two groups. Specifically, the review will highlight the ideology, goals and objectives, political actions, and the propaganda techniques specific to each group’s violent actions. As demonstrated by Moody & Reed (2017), the Christian Identity Movement is based on the ideology that white Europeans belong to the “Lost Tribes of Israel.” Adherents of this movement believe that Jews are satanic offspring of the Serpent and Eve, and non-whites were created before Eve and Adam. Bates (2016) asserts that the group’s ideology is racist, anti-Semitic, conspiratorial, and anti-government. The goals and objectives of the group include creating a worldview by interpreting the bible to support white supremacy. According to Hunt (2014), the political actions of the group are based on the belief that political change can only be achieved in the views of the movement. The group uses the media and online platforms to spread propaganda. Members of the group are radicalized and recruited to use homophobia, racism, and anti-government conspiracies that glorify violence.

Antifa is an anarchist extremist group whose ideology supports the use of force in furthering its idea. LaFree (2018) observes that the goals and objectives of the group include resisting fascism and its spread. The group perceives fascism as a form of violent enforcement and enactment that leads to social inequalities. According to Short & Hughes (2018), the political actions of the group are based on engagement in political activism. The propaganda techniques used by the group are digital activism and political expression, which enable the group to engage in physical violence and property destruction. As illustrated by Doyle (2019), the group does recruitment and radicalization by using anti-fascist ideals that defend communities from xenophobes, racists, homophobes, and transphobes.

• COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

            The two groups have similarities in that they use violence to further their agenda. Besides, the groups might engage in non-violent means such as protests. However, they are different based on their ideology, goals, and objectives used.

1. APPROACHES TO COUNTERING EXTREMISM

Several strategies can be used to counter the activities of extremist groups and these include involvement of multiple stakeholders, rethinking the military strategies, and recognizing how technology affects empowerment and socialization.

1. CONCLUSION

Over the years, there has been an increase in the number of extremist groups in the United States. Some of these groups include Christian Identity Movement (CIM) and Antifa. The profiles of the groups can be explained in terms of ideology, goals and objectives, propaganda techniques, political actions, and the radicalization process.

IMSTRUCTION:

Assignment Components:

You should have already completed research question, a purpose statement, and a reference list in week 2 of this course. Next, you will complete the body of your final research paper. Your paper will need to consist of the following:

1. Introduction and Research Question (~1 page): The purpose of an introduction is to indicate the subject of your paper and make your point of view clear. An effective introduction also grabs the reader’s attention and communicates what they will know or understand after reading your research paper. A required element for this to be a ‘research paper’ is to include your research question right up front in your introduction as well as the purpose of the research.
2. Review of the Literature (3 pages): All research projects include a literature review to set out for the reader what knowledge exists on the subject under study and helps the researcher develop the research strategy to use in the study. A good literature review is a thoughtful study of what is written, a summary of the arguments that exist (whether you agree with them or not) and are arranged thematically. The literature review is not an annotated bibliography and should be written in coherent narrative style. Yes, the sources you included in your Week 2 assignment should be included in the literature review for the final assignment. It is expected that you would have added more sources to those presented in Week 2. You should be thoroughly familiar with the sources you chose by this point.

III. Body of your Research (3-PAGES): Answer the topic areas described above giving in-depth profiles of both groups, comparing and contrasting them, and also addressing countering violent extremism.

1. Analysis and Findings (1-2 pages):This section provides the results of your research and the analytical arguments the paper makes as a result of an analysis of the variables, which in this study is the information and evaluation you found on both your extremist groups. This section should also provide the evidence that addresses your research study question(s) and fulfills the purpose of the research. As information is collected, researchers strive to make sense of their data. Generally, researchers interpret their data in one of two ways: holistically or through coding. Holistic analysis does not attempt to break the evidence into parts, but rather to draw conclusions based on the text as a whole. For example, researchers make inferences from entire sections of their study’s protocols, rather than searching through the transcripts to look for isolated characteristics.
2. Conclusions (~1-2 pages):This section will contain the concluding analytical arguments based on what the research has revealed to answer the research study question(s). Like any conclusion, it should provide a synopsis of the project, the strategy, and the results and what they add to the body of knowledge. This section should also offer suggestions for avenues of future research for other scholars, as all knowledge is evolutionary.
3. References:This section will contain all references, cited in APA format, properly indented, and alphabetically arranged. Your paper must contain a minimum of 10 scholarly reference sources such as peer-reviewed journals. 

References (YOU CAN ADD TO THIS)

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Bates, J. (2016). Christian identity and theology: Religious motivation & violence. Relics, Remnants, and Religion: An Undergraduate Journal in Religious Studies, 1(1), 1-14.

Doyle, E. (2019). Antifa and the radical left. New York, NY: Greenhaven Publishing, LLC.

Hunt, S. (2016). Handbook of global contemporary Christianity: Movements, institutions, and allegiance. Boston: Brill.

LaFree, G. (2018). Is Antifa a Terrorist Group? Society, 55, 248–252. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-018-0246-x

Moody, K. S., & Reed, R. W. (2017). Emerging Christianity and religious identity. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 56(1), 33-40. https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12327

Short, J. F., & Hughes, L. A. (2018). Antifa, Street Gangs, and the Importance of Group Processes. Society, 55, 253–255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-018-0247-9