Reliability and validity of the Assessment and Treatment of Radicalization Scale (ATRS) on a sample of Iranians

ABSTRACT

It is hypothesised that the increasing prevalence of extremists’ ideologies is one of the most important factors in evaluating Islamic radicalization processes. Previous studies have focused on identification and clarification of the factors contributing to the expansion of such ideologies. However, there is an underlying need to understand the prevalence of these ideologies among Middle Eastern nations, such as Iran, which has long been the cradle for a variety of religions and traditions. To this end, the current study was conducted to explore the prevalence of Middle Eastern ideologies among Iranian ideologies. The participants in this study consisted of 325 Iranian denominations including Muslims, Zoroastrian, Bahia, Ahl-e-Haq and Non-believers who completed the Assessment and Treatment of Radicalization Scale (ATRS). The results of this study confirmed the increased prevalence of extreme Islamics among Muslims (both Sunni and Shia), Zoroastrian, and Bahia participants relative to Non-believers and Ahl-e-Haq participants. The results may be used to develop strategies regarding the interventions with groups that show extreme religious views.

KEYWORDS:

• Radicalization
• extreme ideologies
• Middle-Eastern ideologies
• extreme religious worldview
• assessment tool
• Iran

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their appreciation to the participants who were involved in this study. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of any institution .

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).