Foreign Terrorist Fighters: Perspectives from Islamic Organizations in France and Great Britain

This article looks at the phenomenon of Foreign Terrorist Fighters from Europe and sheds light on the position of institutional Islam towards this security threat. The article first looks at how the new trends characterizing the profile and recruitment process of Foreign Terrorist Fighters represent new challenges for counterterrorism, before considering the position of selected Muslim institutions in Europe. The analysis considers two case studies, namely France and Great Britain. Two organizations are used as examples for institutional Islam: the Union of Islamic Organization (UOIF) in France and the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). The research results reveal a communication centered on the objective of distinguishing Islam from Daesh and a predominant focus on domestic issues such as counterterrorism legislation and general social cohesion.