Objectivizing the process: Islamicity Index?

Submitted by Yochanan (Israel), Feb 12, 2017 at 08:08

It would be best, I think, if the task of distinguishing Islamic radicals from moderates can include the results of an objectivized a Multiple Choice Question exam, so that scores can be compared across countries, ages, races, sexes, professions and generations. These tests could form a first line in the screening process and could also attempt to arrive at a scored assessment or "Islamicity Index" for each person. I do not know if assessments of this kind have been designed for people, but similar work has been conducted for countries (e.g., "How Islamic are Islamic countries?", by Rehman and Askari, Global Economy Journal, Vol 10 (2), 2010).

This kind of exam can now be easily administered on the internet from licensed computer centres across the world. I recently sat a UK medical exam from one of these centres in Amman, Jordan, and some of the questions I was given, about moral and ethical issues, may be particularly appropriate for the kind of vetting we are talking about: this part of the exam was called a Situational Judgement Test (SJT). In brief, I believe there is plenty of scope for broadening the range and depth of the vetting, while reducing the need for personal interviews, and at the same time making the whole process more objective. It is a very interesting challenge for those given the task.

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