DYNAMICS OF RADICALIZATION THE “RELIGIOUS” NEXUS JIHAD - FAR RIGHT - ORGANIZED CRIME: Influences in the Contemporary Terrorism Landscape

By Giuseppe SORBO

Humans, in their essence, have an intrinsic religious dimension, often referred to as “Homo Religiosus.” This natural inclination drives individuals to seek meaning, transcendence, and a sense of belonging that goes beyond the material realm. This fundamental component of human existence, characterised by a profound spiritual thirst and the search for truth and ultimate meaning, may in some cases create a unique vulnerability. Criminal organizations and terrorist groups have long recognized and strategically exploited these needs and religious and spiritual tendencies for their own nefarious purposes. Such exploitation manifests itself in various forms, from radicalization, recruitment, the maintenance of control, justification of violence and consolidation of power. This essay will explore the multiple ways in which manipulation occurs in different contexts, from the Italian Mafia to jihadist and far-right terrorism, also touching on gang violence in ULTRAS contexts, examining the connection with totalitarian ideologies, the disputed contiguity between Islam and right-wing extremism, the religious nuances of Nazism, and the construction of personality cults around totalitarian figures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 13, 2025
• ISBN: 9781326286866

Book preview

CHAPTER 1. THE DISTORTION OF THE RELIGIOUS ELEMENT

1.1 The Emblem of Homo Religiosus and Criminal and Terrorist Organizations

Humans, in their essence, have an intrinsic religious dimension, often referred to as Homo Religiosus. This natural inclination drives individuals to seek meaning, transcendence, and a sense of belonging that goes beyond the material realm.¹ This fundamental component of human existence, characterized by a deep spiritual thirst and search for truth and ultimate purpose, may in some cases create a unique vulnerability. Criminal organizations and terrorist groups have long recognized and strategically exploited these needs, religious and spiritual tendencies for their own nefarious purposes. Such exploitation manifests itself in various forms, from radicalization, recruitment, maintenance of control, justification of violence and consolidation of power. This essay will explore the multiple ways in which manipulation occurs in different contexts, from the Italian Mafia to jihadist and far-right terrorism, also touching on gang violence in ULTRAS contexts, examining the connection with totalitarian ideologies, the disputed contiguity between Islam and right-wing extremism, the religious nuances of Nazism and the construction of personality cults around totalitarian figures.

1.2 Religion and Organized Crime Mafia, Camorra, 'Ndrangheta

The relationship between Catholicism and the Sicilian Mafia – Cosa Nostra, has its roots in history, dating back to the unification of Italy in the 19th century. Since its birth, religion has played a central role in the private construction of collective identity and in the public display of honor within criminal organizations. This connection is not a mere superficial adherence to cultural and cultic norms, but a deliberate strategy to strengthen authority and cohesion. As in a religious conversion, the neophyte undergoes a process of alternation, that is, a path of re -socialization that involves an almost total transformation of his identity and a redefinition of all his previous ties. Belonging to a mafia group cannot simply be considered an occupation that characterizes one’s position in the economic sphere. Being a Mafioso constitutes a permanent status that involves the entire psychic and social life. As Judge Giovanni Falcone stated, "Joining the Mafia is like converting to a religion. You never stop being a priest. Nor a Mafioso ", highlighting the deep and lasting nature of this bond.²

Religious symbols and rituals are an integral part of mafia initiation ceremonies, a practice documented since at least 1877 in Sicily. These ceremonies often take place in isolated locations, involving senior members who interpret the rules and goals of the association, frequently framed in religious terms such as protecting the weak and eliminating abuse³. A crucial element of the ritual involves the pricking of the initiate's finger, causing blood to flow onto a sacred image, often of the Virgin Mary. This image is then set alight, and the novice must sustain the burning by passing it from hand to hand, swearing allegiance to the Mafia family. The oath itself often invokes a religious curse in the event of betrayal: " May my flesh burn like this image if I betray the oath or As this holy image burns, so shall my soul burn . The process of pouring blood onto a sacred image serves as a symbolic sacrifice and alienation from the old identity, destroying the relationships of the previous social belonging and marking a rebirth as a man - man of honour" within the new collective belonging of the Mafia family.⁴

On an individual level, sacrifice takes on a profoundly cathartic character. Each participant, through the ritual, has the opportunity to free himself from those emotions, impulses and urges that, if left uncontrolled, could generate enmities and disagreements in social relationships. As Girard points out, sacrifice aims primarily to "eliminate dissensions, rivalries, quarrels between neighbors ", restoring community harmony and strengthening social unity. It is a process through which disorder is transformed into order, and potential violence is sublimated in a rite that re-establishes balance and cohesion.⁵

The baptismal language used in some initiation ceremonies further underlines this concept of a new beginning and of the fact that the mafia takes the place of the member's family. The destruction of the old habits and the process of disintegration of the social identity, probably already undermined by the marginalizing action in which the subjects find themselves, aims at the next stage of reconstruction, through a radical, insistent ideology, based above all on the obsession of fidelity that reflects the sense of religious purity. ⁶The common belonging is also highlighted by the name itself adopted at least in the last three decades by the Sicilian association: Cosa Nostra, while significantly the fundamental units of both sides are called families. Here the words are means of knowledge and construction of the social world: they are categories, in the etymological sense of public charges that are collectively approved and considered evident and necessary. As such, through their