Sarah Lyons-Padilla: Marginalization and Radicalization Risk Among Muslim Immigrants

“Belonging Nowhere: Marginalization and Radicalization Risk Among Muslim Immigrants”

In Western countries, the fear of “Muslim violent extremists” has grown in the past fifteen years, with the 2015 attacks in Paris and San Bernardino serving as recent examples. These events have generated unprecedented levels of concern throughout the U.S. and Europe that Muslim refugees, migrants, or even citizens could become terrorists. Yet, Lyons-Padilla argues that harboring anti-Muslim sentiment is likely to be deeply counterproductive. Her research shows that Muslim immigrants and minorities who feel discriminated against and “culturally homeless” are more vulnerable to the appeals of violent extremist groups like ISIS, who prey on individuals lacking clear purpose and direction. Drawing from a survey of 400 Muslims living in the United States and Germany, she will provide an overview of what we know about the factors that increase or mitigate risk for radicalization and how this differs across cultures. She will discuss promising directions for prevention and intervention strategies.

Sarah Lyons-Padilla, Ph.D. is a Research Scientist at Stanford SPARQ: Social Psychological Answers to Real-world Questions, a “do tank” that partners with practitioners to improve society by applying insights from social science. She received her Ph.D. in Social and Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she was funded by the National Science Foundation, the American Association for University Women, and the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START). She recently received the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues’ (SPSSI) Dissertation Award for her research on the psychological foundations of homegrown radicalization, and presented the results earlier this year on Capitol Hill. Her paper, “Belonging Nowhere: Marginalization and Radicalization Risk Among Muslim Immigrants,” was recently published in the journal Behavioral Science and Policy and has received coverage in The Conversation, The Washington Post, Wisconsin Public Radio, and other media outlets.