Kenya, Terrorism, Radicalization and Al-Shabaab

The October 2012 issue of West Point's CTC Sentinel contains two articles on the recruitment and radicalization of youth in Kenya in support of al-Shabaab.

The first article is by Christopher Anzalone, a doctoral student in the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University, titled "Kenya's Muslim Youth Center and Al-Shabab's East African Recruitment." The article examines al-Shabaab's regional recruitment drives in East Africa and profiles the Muslim Youth Center (MYC), which he believes is probably the Somali militant group's most reliable source of regional foreign fighters. He concludes that one of the MYC's primary goals is encouraging violent action inside Kenya and notes that it has claimed credit for numerous attacks on Kenyan security forces and government targets.

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The second article is by Frederick Nzes, a journalist based in Nairobi, titled "Terrorist Attacks in Kenya Reveal Domestic Radicalization." The article details recent terrorist attacks in Kenya and identifies the factors behind the radicalization of Muslims in Kenya. Nzes concludes that as al-Shabaab continues to weaken in Somalia, the Kenyan government must also focus on finding suitable approaches to deradicalize the small number of Muslims who have been lured into extremism and are waging jihad in Kenya.

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