Terrorist Prisoners and Deradicalization

[kaur]

Rehabilitating the jihadists – Volume 14, Issue 5 – May 2008

Saudi Arabia tackles the radical threat from within

A programme aimed at reintegrating jihadists into society forms an important and innovative part of Saudi Arabia's efforts to deal with radicals. So far, it appears to be a success – albeit a qualified one.

http://www.iiss.org/publications/str...the-jihadists/

[Jedburgh]

...the Saudi program continues to draw attention. CEIP, Sep 08:

Saudi Arabia’s “Soft” Counterterrorism Strategy: Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Aftercare

Key components of the Saudi strategy:

• Prevention: Saudi Arabia has employed hundreds of government programs to educate the public about radical Islam and extremism, as well as provide alternatives to radicalization among young men. Projects from athletic competitions, to lectures, writing contests, and public information campaigns have all had a significant impact on Saudi public perceptions of terrorism.

• Rehabilitation: The centerpiece of the rehabilitation strategy is a comprehensive counseling program designed to re-educate violent extremists and sympathizers and to encourage extremists to renounce terrorist ideologies. Members of the Ministry of Interior’s “Advisory Committee” frequently meet with detainees or draw from a large number of religious scholars to counsel prisoners to counter “corrupted understandings” and “misinterpretations of correct doctrine.” In many cases, Saudi Arabia encourages family participation in the rehabilitation process, even providing alternative income for families whose sole breadwinner has been imprisoned.

• Aftercare programs: The Ministry of Interior employs several initiatives to ensure that counseling and rehabilitation continue after release from state custody, including a halfway house program to ease release into society and programs to reintegrate returnees from Guantanamo Bay. Through educational training, continued religious and psychological counseling, and extensive social network support, the program works to help detainees past the period in their lives when militant activity is most appealing.

[davidbfpo]

Tonight BBC Radio Four broadcast an intriguing forty minute piece entitled 'Is AQ Winning', amidst the issues was Information Operations and the Saudi prison programme. Podcast available on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00dny8b

Listening whilst at work and several references to those at CTC West Point.

davidbfpo

[120mm]

Within the last two weeks, my world-view has been rocked by the concept of "Wicked Problems" and how they addressed, combined with the concept that conservative fundamentalist Islam can be an effective means to deal with radical Islam.

I think I'm getting a brain-cramp. Is that my mind opening?

[davidbfpo]

120mm,

It is an add feature, in the UK and possibly elsewhere that some Salafist groups tackle extremism with their theological / ideological methods and thoughts. It came as a surprise to me to learn after 7/7 that in the UK some such groups had been opposing extremism / terrorism long before the state did.

Try an article by ex-Met Police SB officer, Bob Lambert in this journal: http://www.thecordobafoundation.com/...ue_02x_Web.pdf

Yes these groups have a particular viewpoint, which we'd not have much in common with, but they can be effective against extremism.

On the Saudi angle and what is done in Saudi Arabia I remain sceptical (not helped by watching 'The Kingdom' this week).

davidbfpo

[gh_uk]

A recent piece from the Economist on this subject.

I'd endorse David's view above - Bob Lambert's got some interesting experience in this area. I think he's just finished his PhD thesis on radicalisation and recruitment. He recently had an interview in the Critical Studies on Terrorism Journal in which he was critical of HMG's embrace of the Quilliam Foundation.

[Jedburgh]

IPI, Oct 08: Beyond Terrorism: Deradicalization and Disengagement from Violent Extremism

.....though much current attention has focused on the process of radicalization and the espousal of violent extremism, Tore Bjørgo and John Horgan argue that insufficient attention has been paid to the other end of the spectrum: the factors which prompt individual and collective withdrawal from violent extremist or radical groups—i.e., the processes of disengagement and deradicalization. Disengagement refers to a behavioral change, such as leaving a group or changing one’s role within it. It does not necessitate a change in values or ideals, but requires relinquishing the objective of achieving change through violence. Deradicalization, however, implies a cognitive shift—i.e., a fundamental change in understanding.

Furthermore, it has been argued that, cumulatively, such processes can have a positive impact on global counterterrorism efforts by promoting the internal fragmentation of violent radical groups and by delegitimizing their rhetoric and tactics in the eyes of the broader public. To this end, Bjørgo and Horgan have edited a volume gathering together research, analyses, and case studies on processes of disengagement from violent extremism, as well as descriptions and assessments of global initiatives facilitating withdrawal from violent extremist groups.

This report draws on their work and reflects the discussions at a conference on Leaving Terrorism Behind: Individual and Collective Disengagement from Violent Extremism, hosted by the International Peace Institute and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on April 22, 2008, in New York City.....