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The State Department announced a new $600,000 taxpayer-funded study that suggests "ideals of masculinity" in Kenya are contributing to terrorism.
The department's Bureau of Counterterrorism is seeking a nonprofit group to "explore gender identities of boys and men in Kenya." The grant proposal states that men being "tough, heterosexual, aggressive, unemotional, and achieving" can make them vulnerable to joining Islamic extremist groups.
"Gender is increasingly recognized as an essential aspect to understanding and countering violent extremism throughout the world," the State Department said. "To date, research and interventions on gender in Kenya have predominantly focused on the role of women and girls in violent extremism. However, men and boys are disproportionately recruited by and join terrorist groups and carry out terrorist operations. In Kenya, there currently exists no CVE [countering violent extremism] programming dedicated to the role of gender of boys and men and vulnerability to violent extremism."
To remedy this, the State Department will spend up to $592,500 on the "Masculinity and Violent Extremism" study, which will be awarded to an American nonprofit or nongovernmental organization later this year.
The study will "determine existing knowledge and gaps on male gender and violent extremism as well as explore gender identities of boys and men in Kenya."
The grant proposal blames Kenya's "patriarchal" society of "tough, heterosexual" men for problems facing the developing country.
"In Kenya, boys and men are disproportionately recruited by al-Shabaab and more likely to be both operators and victims of terrorist acts," the State Department said. "Kenyan society, while diverse in its ethnic and cultural composition, is uniformly patriarchal and highly prescriptive of gender expressions and identities."
"Kenyan males are expected to head the household as well as provide for, protect, and maintain the family," the department continued. "Socially, males are expected to be tough, heterosexual, aggressive, unemotional, and achieving. The practical and social pressures to fulfill these expectations can be immense and create vulnerabilities that are exploited by violent extremist groups who appeal to these characteristics and offer the opportunity to fulfil [sic] these roles."
The State Department added that the research would involve fathers and community leaders in Kenya in the hopes to "shape existing cultural narratives on masculinity, gender, and violent extremism."
"Funds will support male-to-male dialogue and training on issues of gender and encourage stronger social and familial support structures," the department said. - The Washington Free Beacon
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There is one factor that has conveniently been left out -Religion.
In the 70s through early 80,or even if you want to go back in the 60s hardly did you hear of terrorism in Kenya. If masculinity is a factor,it should have been more so ,prominent way back then.
Hardly do you ever hear a christian,or for that matter another religion other that islam engaging in these terror acts. Boko Haram, Alshabab, Isis, Alkaida,Mujahadeen,to name afew.Remember most of these terrorists invoke the name of their God.
Yes religion is a sensitive matter,but if we have to combat terrorism,it has to be looked into as well.Especially if a religion says that all non believers of their religion should be killed.There lies the problem.
The question is whether Kenya should allow US to do this study which is totally a pawn to further its agenda. Perhaps they want more men on the no fly list or something similar. Lets not be gullible, this will not benefit Kenya in anyway but rather create resentment and we can not afford to be divided by our religious beliefs. We are one people, one country.
MAXILEY:you are wrong.Terrorism first reared its ugly head in the early 1950s in kenya.The Governor general of kenya Sir Malcom macdonald declared a state of emergency in October 1952 due increasing terrorism acts by a terror group called MAU MAU.
Maumau is to colonization whereas Isis/Alk is to terrorism..get the drift?
are you equating mau mau to alshabab.anyway my main point was to interject religion in the discussion
In the USA, nearly all terrorist shootings are committed by White supremacist males. As such, US State Department must stop acting holier than thou and first explore the influence of masculinity of White males in their shithole before they pretend to help Kenya with its terrorism problem. As the scriptures teaches, the American bully must worry about the big log in its eye before they worry about a small speck in Kenya's eye.