Community Engagement for Counterterrorism in Britain: An Exploration of the Role of " Connectors" in Countering Takfiri Jihadist Terrorism

So far there has been little substantive research about how individuals engaged in counterterrorism initiatives, whether as community members or police officers or other professionals, negotiate this challenging terrain. This article suggests that community-based approaches to counterterrorism rely on the careful construction of certain forms of community engagement, rather than an all-encompassing claim that communities defeat terrorism. This article explores this issue further through analyzing and exploring the role that connectors, rather than communities per se, may play in counterterrorism.