Psychological Examination of Takfiri-Salafi Group Acts Case Study: Daesh (ISIS)

Takfiri-Salafi groups are the movements that justify their violent actions in setting up their ideal society with a superficial reading of religious propositions. They attempt to react to modernity oriented processes by their dogmatic interpretation that is far from any Intellectual Ijtihad from Sharia influenced by psychic background and their psychological structure. Daesh, as one of the branches of Salafi movements, attempts to justify its violence by radical interpretation of religious propositions. Their radical interpretation of the religion aside from being in the Sharia statements is the result of inflammatory psychological atmosphere and confusion in the face of the modern world. The present study aims, besides radical interpretations of religion, investigate the psychological factors that affect individuals’ tendency to Daesh group and its violence. The results of the study show that pressures of the modern world on dogmatic reading have been effective in terms of Sharia and tendency to behavioral violence for meeting suppressed needs. This study aims to examine thoughts and actions of Daesh in terms of psychological and political viewpoints using basic assumptions focusing reading of Zizek from Lacan applying descriptive and analytical method.