Jihad Rehab

Rehabilitation for jihadis.

Reviewing the documentary “Recycle” (which illustrates the struggles of a former anti-Soviet jihadist), Thomas Hegghammer discussed an increasingly popular strategy for dealing with radicalized Muslims – rehabilitation:

In the past few years, the focus has shifted to deradicalization – the idea that individual militants, if treated a certain way, can abandon violence and revert to a normal life. The deradicalization idea has proved immensely popular with policymakers, who have seen prisons fill during the war on terror but realize detainees cannot be held indefinitely.

Many countries have launched deradicalization programmes for detained jihadists. One of the most famous of these was developed in Saudi Arabia, where foreign observers have been flocking to study “soft” Saudi counterterrorism. Described as “Betty Ford clinics for jihad,” the Saudi rehabilitation centers apply a combination of therapy, instruction, family pressure and financial incentives with seemingly encouraging results. More recently, however, the return of several Saudi former Guantanámo detainees to al Qa’eda’s ranks has raised fears of recidivism.

Kate Brooks illustrated Saudi Arabia’s approach to “Jihad Rehab” in a photo feature for Time; one of her captions reads:

At the Care Rehabilitation Center, jihadis are put through a 12-step program that includes psychological counseling, art therapy, sports and lessons in Islam. The attendees consist of returnees from Guantanámo, those who intended to fight jihad in Iraq or are considered to be a threat to the Kingdom’s security.