The Siracusa International Institute, in collaboration with Next Wave: The International Center for Children and Global Security, is pleased to announce the publication of the two volumes of the project “Mafia-Jihad: An Intersectional Study on Youth Trajectories and Innovative Models for Security Policies Aimed at Preventing Radicalization and Terrorism.”
Family dynamics and parental radicalization are increasingly recognized as critical factors in the transmission of violent ideology to youth. Jihadist family units, like organized crime families, exploit pre-existing bonds of trust and interdependence to socialize children into extremist or criminal behavior. Similarities emerge in cultural and familial factors, as well as in networks of loyalty and militancy, with both mafia offspring and underage jihadists experiencing intergenerational indoctrination. Parental radicalization and terrorist family networks are emerging strategies that allow extremists to operate more covertly, making detection and prevention by authorities more challenging.
Over the past two decades, the overlap between organized crime and terrorism has become clearer. By drawing on Italy’s extensive experience in combating the mafia, this project explores innovative policies and intervention strategies to address youth radicalization. It promotes a multidimensional, inter-sectoral approach to public security grounded in the rule of law.
Objectives of the Mafia-Jihad Project:
The project investigates the role of family influence in shaping youth trajectories within both organized crime and terrorist contexts. By examining similarities and differences between these dynamics, it seeks to identify effective strategies already used against the Italian mafia that could be adapted to prevent and counter youth radicalization.
Building on the comparative analysis, the project formulates lessons learned and proposes best practices to guide policymakers. These recommendations aim to support the design of coherent, evidence-based strategies to prevent and address youth radicalization and terrorism.
Principal Investigator: Cecilia Polizzi
Co-Investigator: Sergio Nazzaro
Co-Investigator : Nicoló Scremin
This project is realized with the support of the Unit for Analysis, Policy Planning, Statistics and Historical Documentation – Directorate General for Public and Cultural Diplomacy of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in accordance with Article 23 ‒ bis of the Decree of the President of the Italian Republic 18/1967.
The results of the project are presented in two dedicated volumes: one published in English and the other in Italian.
