The Crime of Extremist Intellectual Terrorism

Abstract

The phenomenon of extremist ideology is a serious social issue with negative repercussions for society and all its members. Extremist ideology encompasses any act of terrorism involving thought or behavior aimed at spreading extremism, intolerance, and hatred among members of society, especially young people. It incites violence, accuses others of apostasy, and undermines security and stability. These actions also threaten social peace and national unity. Extremist ideology is considered one of the most dangerous forms of terrorism because it begins by destroying minds before it manifests as violence in reality. It poses a threat to all aspects of society. Ideological terrorism distorts religious and human values, sows hatred and division among people, threatens the unity of society and the state, and encourages the commission of terrorist crimes.

There are several political, social, psychological, economic, religious, and technological factors that contribute to the spread of extremist intellectual terrorism crimes. The Iraqi legislator has stipulated the criminalization of acts that lead to this crime in the Iraqi Penal Code No. 111 of 1969. Likewise, the Iraqi Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005 stipulates the criminalization of incitement to terrorism, promotion of terrorist ideas, and assistance, encouragement, or planning of terrorist acts. Thus, spreading extremist thought is considered a terrorist crime if it aims to threaten security, incite sedition, or support terrorism by spreading, promoting, or advocating extremist thought.

This crime requires the perpetrator to have a specific intent, which is to spread extremism, incitement, or to destabilize security and stability. The Iraqi legislator, in the aforementioned laws, has punished these acts with severe penalties that may reach life imprisonment or execution whenever they result in a serious threat to the security of the state or society. We have observed the spread and prevalence of the phenomenon of extremism in most societies. Under the shadow of this dangerous escalation of the phenomenon, extremists have begun to spread their extremist ideas and opinions and promote them by all means available to them, whether legal or illegal, and to exploit the economic situation of some people, specifically those who live in a state of poverty and deprivation, or homelessness, or parental deviance. In order to provide a scientific overview of this research, we have divided this research into two sections. In the first section, we dealt with the concept of the crime of extremist intellectual terrorism by defining it and explaining its causes and its legal nature. As for the second section, we will explain the elements and punishment of this crime.