I’ve been saying this for years, but no one believed it, because it wasn’t convenient and had disquieting implications. Will they believe Jonathan Hall? Well, he is a member in good standing of the establishment and doubtless believes the dogmas about Islam being a religion of peace that has been “distorted” by jihadis, so he has a better chance of making this known than I do.
Deradicalization programs are an abysmal failure everywhere they have been implemented. From the Jihad Watch archives:
UK: Libyan migrant who went on stabbing spree in Reading was in government deradicalization program
Gitmo prisoner reveals: Saudi “deradicalization program” is really a jihad training program
11 ex-Gitmo prisoners flee the Saudi “rehabilitation program” and join up with terrorist groups
Jaw-dropper: 25 former Gitmo detainees “return to militancy” despite Saudi rehab program!
Flight 253 jihadist wasn’t cured by Saudi anti-jihad art therapy
Former Guantanamo detainee now top al-Qaeda ideologue — “He was transferred to Saudi Arabia in 2006 where he was placed in a national rehabilitation project.”
Indonesian government admits that its jihadist rehab program is a failure
Malaysia: Muslim cleric active in deradicalization program promotes hatred of non-Muslims
France’s only jihadi “deradicalization” center is closing — it was voluntary, and it was empty
The whole premise of “deradicalization” is that Islam is a religion of peace that jihadis misunderstand, twist, and hijack. Since that is a false premise, and warfare against unbelievers is actually taught in the Qur’an and Sunnah, “deradicalization” focuses on other issues, such as “anger issues” that the jihadi may have, his feelings of “alienation,” and the like.
But since none of that changes what the Qur’an and Sunnah say about warfare against unbelievers, it doesn’t “deradicalize” the jihadi at all. A British psychologist behind a “deradicalization” scheme has also admitted that there’s no guarantee that jihadis can ever be “cured.”
“UK terrorism watchdog says deradicalisation programmes do not work,” by Nikki Harley, The National, December 14, 2020 (thanks to Henry):
The UK’s terrorism watchdog renewed calls for extremists to be given lie detector tests, arguing that deradicalisation programmes do not work.
Jonathan Hall QC, the UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said there was “no magic bullet or special pill” that could help to change convicted extremists.
Mr Hall told The Times that schemes should be offered in conjunction with heavy supervision and said that the public should be under “no illusion” that they would be effective.
“There is no magic bullet, there is no special pill you can take that deradicalises people, whether they’re coming back from overseas from Syria or whether they’re being released from prison,” he said.
“It’s a pretty difficult, complex and fraught process. You can’t tell the public that you can place someone with a theological mentor … and they’ll come out the other side. It’s far more difficult than that.
“I can see why people try, because if you didn’t try, it would be throwing away all hope, and these offenders are also subjected to some pretty major restrictions, so it’s worth giving them an opportunity to change. And there will be some who will change, but you should be under no illusions. It is not some automatic process. And in many cases it simply won’t work. It doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying.”
This year, Mr Hall published a review into last year’s terrorist attack near London Bridge in which two people were killed, and made 45 recommendations.
In it, he recommended that terrorist offenders should take lie detector tests. The Home Office is still considering his report….
mortimer says
Robert Spencer identifies the false premise of UK’s deradicalization philosophy:
“The whole premise of “deradicalization” is that Islam is a religion of peace that jihadis misunderstand, twist, and hijack … that is a false premise.”
The only deradicalization that will be effective is to expose jihadis to the ‘Revisionist School’ of Islamic history which demonstrates scientifically and methodically that there are holes in the narrative of foundational Islam.
The narrative of early Islam was only written down between 200 and 400 years AFTER the alleged life of Mohammed in the early 7th century.
The early narratives of Islam are thus seen to be unreliable and archeology now shows that those narratives were invented.
Islam will collapse as a result of the so-called ‘Revisionist School’ which should actually be called the ‘Restorationist School’, since they are ‘restoring’ the true narrative of the Arab imperial, political movement that was crafted into Islam by the caliphs.
gravenimage says
Mortimer, you have made this claim before, but have never shown any cases where Muslims have been “deradicalized” *by others*.
Peter WF says
The Chinese have a deradicalizing program for their muslims. Perhaps they fund it with the British foreign aid they get. In 2020 they received 71M pounds. Search for yourself.
mortimer says
Jihadis can only be deprogrammed by deprogramming them ‘right out of Islam’.
gravenimage says
Mortimer, when asked about this you have only cited Muslims who *themselves* question Islam. This cannot be done against anyone’s will, and most Muslims who question Islam are, as a group, less likely to be a danger to us in the first place.
Michael Copeland says
Here is the scene. An instructor gives orders to his civilian listeners. He tells them:
You are the best of people, by divine right.
All others are filthy, unclean, lower than animals.
They are enemies.
You must hate enemies.
You cannot be allies with enemies.
You must instil fear and terror in enemies.
You must kill enemies.
You are soldiers in a righteous army.
What do you call this process? Could it be a
“process by which a person comes to support terrorism and forms of extremism leading to terrorism”?
It could. That is the UK Government’s definition of “radicalisation”.
This is the instruction process given in mosques.
https://gatesofvienna.net/2018/01/instructing-radicalisation/
Raja says
Well said and precise. Michael
Tom says
Justin Trudeau said Art and Music programs can deradicalize terrorists and then they can help in their community.
It’s no wonder Canada is fast disappearing down the toilet bowl with that moron at the helm.
gravenimage says
This is especially laughable, given that pious Muslims reject art and music…
John says
Because everything they do is in their instruction manual of life called the Koran.
Terry Gain says
So does this mean that you can’t reason someone out of something that they weren’t reasoned into?
Keith O says
Maybe I’m just a bit cynical, but I wouldn’t mind betting that the British tax payers forked out a rather tidy sum for this “expert” to come up with what we have know for years!
Raja says
Yes we have known for decades that islam is ugly, a derivative of Ishmael’s wicked DNA, prophesised in the bible Gen 16:12 some 4000 years ago
gravenimage says
Even worse, British tax payers have paid for these ridiculous “deradicalization” programs.
R Russell says
I wonder how we get him to realise that there is a spiritual aspect to the problem and that there is only one Person who can cure the problem – We are about to celebrate his birthday.
James Lincoln says
Applied to muslims by non-muslims, the term “radical” really means that the muslim is more devout in their islamic faith.
Any “de-radicalization” would only be shown to work if it made the muslim less devout – or actually caused them to become an apostate..
gravenimage says
UK ‘terrorism watchdog’ admits that ‘deradicalization’ programs don’t work
…………………
Good to see some honesty.
srikrishnachaitan says
Only way to Deradicalize Islamic terrorist is either they should leave Islam or sent Chinese re education camps
Peter WF says
This year 2020 the British gave China 71M pounds in foreign aid(search for yourself). I guess the Chinese could be funding the above activities with it?
Peter WF says
Those in authority learn and move slowly. This year 2020 the British gave China 71M pounds in foreign aid. Its a very long haul.
OLD GUY says
Why would the British and Americans need to give China foreign aid?
Are our tax dollars/pounds buying corporations the rights to do business and profit from the low wage workers in China?
Our Governments need to get out of the aid business, those tax dollars should be spent on our own people, with foreign aid coming from charities run by the people and private organizations.
Buying friends never pays off.
Funding your enemy is treason!
Walter Sieruk says
Of course a “deradicalization” program would not work because a jihad-minded Muslim is so thoroughly ingrained with non-watered down Qu ‘ran based violence 5:33. 9:5 111,123. 47:4 that not amount of anti -jihad therapy will be able to straighten out jihadist /Muslim and turn him into a peaceful man.
As the ancient Greek playwright ,Aristophanes , wrote “Even the wisest of the wise can never make a crab walk straight.”
Likewise ,the philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote “Out ofthe crooked timber of humanity no straight thing can be made.”