Lessons from London: You can't fix jihad

The Hill ^ | February 25, 2020 | A.J. Caschetta

[karpov]

The latest terrorist attacks in England illustrate the inadequacy of conventional law enforcement and criminology for dealing with ideologically-driven violence. Rehabilitation programs and criminal justice approaches that might work with thieves, muggers or even some murderers have proven spectacular failures when it comes to Islamists. In spite of many attempts, no one has figured out how to rehabilitate jihadis such as Sudesh Amman, the Streatham stabber, or Usman Khan, the London Bridge stabber, or the three London Bridge stabbers before that. With apologies to comedian Ron White, you can’t fix jihad.

To be precise, I’m referring not to what Islamic tradition calls the “greater jihad,” meaning the inner, psychological struggle to be a better Muslim, but to the “lesser jihad,” meaning the outer, physical struggle against the enemies of Islam, or as Daniel Pipes defines it, “the legal, compulsory, communal effort to expand the territories ruled by Muslims at the expense of territories ruled by non-Muslims.” This is the jihad that Islamist terrorist organizations promote and some even choose for their names (Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Islamic Jihad Union, Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami). Coupled with the desire to die as a martyr, this potent ideology is the driving force behind ISIS, al Qaeda and all their affiliates.

Unlike other categories of criminals, determined devotees of offensive jihad cannot be dissuaded to end the fight. Rather, that determination can only come from within, as demonstrated by Walid Shoebat, Jesse Morton and other former jihadis testifying about their abandonment of the ideology. In criminological jargon, “pull factors,” such as financial incentives, amnesty and employment opportunities, are far less likely to influence jihadis than “push factors,” such as disillusionment and loss of faith in an ideology. Shoebat describes the “self-detoxification program” he undertook

[pepsi_junkie]

Well you could probably deprogram like we do to rehab cult members but that would require politicians to stop saying Islam isn’t the problem and that’ll never happen.

[Ouderkirk]

Cranial lead implant therapy works every time

[Impala64ssa]

That story Pres. Trump likes to tell at his rallies about the kindhearted lady and the snake is quite apropos here.

[Magnum44]

[Bonemaker]

"...no one has figured out how to rehabilitate jihadis..."

[gloryblaze]

Don’t make the mistake (do as I say, not as I do) of reading comments on pieces from the Hill. They are comparing this to gun worshipers in the US..... chest pains again.

[oldasrocks]

Lobotomies do also. Although not as final as lead poisoning.

[Boogieman]

“no one has figured out how to rehabilitate jihadis”

You can’t rehabilitate a fanatic. You might be able to “deprogram” them, but if they are a murderous fanatic who has been programmed since birth, I don’t think you could ever be confident of your success.