My PhD project researches the presence and function of racial and religious categories in counter-radicalisation policies. Specifically, I investigate if, how, and because of which factors national Western European counter-radicalisation policies racialize certain, especially religious, groups, taking Dutch policies as my case study. The research is based on literature from the fields of Critical Race Studies and Critical Security Studies, and uses qualitative content analysis as well as semi-structured interviews as its methods. By closely analysing policies of a country that has performed a pioneering role in counter radicalisation, it aims to describe contingencies in processes of racialisation, securitization, and discrimination. It is by knowing these type of contingencies that we are more likely to be able to correct and prevent unintended harmful processes with regard to counter-radicalisation policies.