Using Conversion Theory to Explain Western Jihadi Terrorist Radicalization: Case Studies of Mohammed Bouyeri and Mohammad Momin Khawaja

This article explores the use of the Lofland-Stark model of conversion to a deviant religious group to better understand two cases of jihadist radicalization, namely Mohammed Bouyeri and Mohammad Momin Khawaja. The analysis demonstrates a strong fit between the three “predisposing conditions” and four “situational contingencies” of this model and what we know about these cases, and on this basis advances three broader arguments. First, the model provides a useful heuristic guide for further comparative analysis of cases of jihadist radicalization. Second, the balanced consideration of the role of social and ideological factors in the model reinforces recent calls to investigate the instrumental role of religiosity in the process of jihadist radicalization. Third, the utility of the model is indicative of how research on religious conversions in general is an important, though neglected, resource for the study of radicalization.