Qur'ans, at Forty Paces, at Dawn
Koranic duels ease terror
James Brandon (who was kidnapped in Iraq
last year and managed to escape ), reports on the remarkable success of an innovative approach to combatting terrorism in Yemen, once a hotbed of terrorist activity and extremism. Judge Hamoud al-Hitar and other Islamic scholars took on al-Qaeda prisoners in a theological smackdown with a premise that Western experts considered "dangerously naive."
"If you can convince us that your ideas are justified by the Koran, then we will join you in your struggle," Hitar told the militants. "But if we succeed in convincing you of our ideas, then you must agree to renounce violence."
And guess what? It turns out that instead of incarcerating and beating and torturing and killing militants, treating them like human beings and engaging them spiritually and intellectually works a whole hell of a lot better. It turns out that
"Three hundred and sixty-four young men have been released after going through the dialogues and none of these have left Yemen to fight anywhere else."
It's not the only thing the government of Yemen is doing to fight terrorism; Brandon points out that the government is also shutting down extremist madrassahs and deporting foreign militants. But I am sure it's by far the most effective, since simply shutting things down and moving people around changes little in terms of the hearts and minds of people. People whose hearts and minds have been thoroughly changed, though, influence others, spread awareness and act differently in the world.
Talk about a field of honour. Talk about a way to win a war of ideas.
-Uncle $cam
The above wonderful post was found here
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