Source: (2009) British Journal of Criminology. (2010)50: 772-790.
This paper conceptually examines one specifi c case of international terrorism, including the
emergence and maintenance of membership-allegiance in its militant extremist group. This is the
case of the Islamic Resistance Movement (or Hamas) and the manifestation of its corresponding
Palestinian identity. Although the social person is constituted by symbols and objects, acts and
social acts, meanings, and role-taking and role-making, questions persist about how best to promote
peaceful coexistence, advance the interests of non-violence and ensure the protection of basic human
rights. These practices constitute an ethic grounded in Aristotelian virtue. The delineation of key
principles emanating from critical restorative justice helps to specify this brand of moral reasoning.
The integration of these principles with the proposed symbolic interactionist framework demonstrates
how extremist violence can be mediated. Suggestive examples of the same involving Hamas and
those with whom it struggles (Palestine, Israel and the United States) are used to guide the analysis.
The proposed conceptual framework is then briefl y assessed for its overall explanatory capabilities,
especially in relation to furthering terrorism studies. (author’s abstract)
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