Preventing Radicalization of Muslim Youth in Sweden

Objective:

Students will be able to analyze a news article and cite evidence from the article in a debate about the causes of radicalization in Sweden.

Warm-up:

1. What are the "no-go" zones in your neighborhood? The places where you are told not to visit?

• Make a list of those places and include a brief description of why you are not advised to go to those places.

2. Jot down your response to the following questions and be prepared to share your response with a partner, or with the class.:

• Who lives in "no-go" zones in your city?
• Why do you think those people live in those areas?

3. Consider the following description of what some consider a "no-go" city in Sweden. (The description comes from the article "How Young Muslims in Sweden Are Trying to Protect Youths from Radicalization" by journalist Nick Shindo Street:

"Malmo City Hall is similar to Ferguson," Barakat said, referring to the St. Louis suburb where weeks of civil unrest followed the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a white police officer in 2014. "Our government doesn't look like the community."

• List three predictions about Malmo City Hall. What are some ways it might it be similar to Ferguson?

Introducing the Lesson:

1. Today you will utilize an article by journalist Nick Shindo Street in an investigation of the lives of Muslims in southern Sweden that are trying to prevent radicalization in their community.

2. Write your definition of the word "radicalization." What happens when someone becomes radicalized?

3. An imam that Street interviews is quoted as saying, "We have to address the social reasons for radicalization if we want to work in the long run for the society we would like to see."

• Make a prediction: Write at least three "social reasons" that youth in the imam's community might be drawn to radicalization.

Introducing the Resource: "How Young Muslims in Sweden Are Trying to Protect Youths from Radicalization"

1. Read the article attached and answer the accompanying questions.

2. As your read, note evidence of the following:

• Social reasons that Muslim youth in Sweden may be drawn to radicalization
• Efforts taken by the Muslim community to prevent radicalization

3. Be prepared to share your responses with the class.

Discussion:

1. Use evidence from the text to engage in a discussion with a partner, or the class, that addresses the following questions:

• What leads to radicalization, and what can be done to prevent it?
• What do you think should be the next steps to preventing radicalization in Rosengard, Sweden?

2. Have one partner, or one person from the class, take notes on the discussion.

Option: Use the following table to track the notes from your discussion:

Extension:

1. Write a short essay that uses details from the article to describe the challenges young Muslims are facing in Sweden and the solutions they have come up with to combat radicalization. Conclude your essay with your own suggestions for how Rosenberg can continue to combat radicalization. Use details from the article to support your ideas.
 

2. Write down a list of ways that other stakeholders (government, companies, other countries, etc.) could support the Muslim community in Rosenberg's mission to stifle radicalization in Sweden. Organize your list into a presentation that organizes your ideas around a central theme (powerpoint, poster, commercial, etc.)
 

3. What does radicalization look like in your community? Where do you see people in your community turning to violence in response to discrimination? Use the article to compare the radicalization of Muslim youth in Sweden to radicalization in your own community. Write your response in a short essay. In your essay, include evidence from news articles or interviews in your analysis and conclude by suggesting what could be done to curb radicalization in your own city.