Debates and Divisions within al-Qa’ida and its Periphery

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There is an interesting 'de-rad' program in Singapore, the Religious Rehabilitation Committee, focusing on the JI members arrested there in 2001/02.

A useful academic paper outlining its structure and practices is here:

http://www.pvtr.org/pdf/Ideology%20R...insurgency.pdf

It has apparently had limited success, with only a handful of people being assessed as suitable for release. As I understand it the Yemeni program has been largely discredited.

The Egyptians and Malaysians reportedly also have such programs, but I am yet to find any open source material on these. It appears the US military is trying the concept also in Iraq:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20200546...wsweek/page/0/

I think the role of prisons in the development of jihadist ideology and their experiences has not been sufficiently examined (imprisonment of Ibn Tamyiya, Qutb, al-Zawahiri, al-Maqdisi). It has played a key role in other contexts (NI, South Africa, Spain, and the Suffragette movement, to name a few).