Sociologist Note: Asabiyyah and Echo Chamber

The Concept of Asabiyyah in the Modern World #

The concept put forward by Ibn Khaldun explains how the progress and decline of civilization is influenced by the close solidarity of a group by showing its identity.

Today, Asabiyyah is also still relevant to the problem at hand, namely, Extremism. Extremism is born from the nature of a person/group who wants to look superior in a very excessive way. The way they show their identity tends to be symbolic and intimidating.

The perpetrators of extremism often use religion or ideology to justify their actions. They tend to thrive in regions with diverse cultures/ethnic as the majority.

Isolation Forms an Echo Chamber that Leads to Extremism #

Echo Chamber is a mental greenhouse effect that occurs within a person. A person only wants to hear information that aligns with their beliefs. Like the greenhouse effect, overexposure to a single point of view can detrimentally impact a person’s approach to all issues.

These people tend to be emotional, irrational and always respond to things based on suspicion alone. Individuals with similar thoughts form a strong emotional bond, leading to the phenomenon of asabiyyah within the group.

This is further supported by Law #18 in the 48 Rules of Power: Don’t Build a Fortress of Self-Defense and Excessive Isolation is Dangerous. The preference to be alone like an introvert is fine, but if done in excessive doses it can backfire on oneself.

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