The Softer Side of Counter-Terrorism

Terrorism could be considered the most hateful act there is; purposefully injuring and killing innocent civilians to achieve a far-fetched political goal. The United States and most of the world have decisively taken a strong stance against terrorists without exception. Israel may be the most heavy-handed in doling out punishments; a deadly rampage by a Palestinian man in a bulldozer warranted plans to destroy the house he shared with twenty other people, in addition to the fact that he was killed on the spot.

Yet for all the quick punishments and no-nonsense retaliations there is little, if any, proof that extremism and terrorist acts world-wide have declined in recent years. Terrorism expert Peter Bergen argues that extremist attacks have risen. Maybe we should be looking for alternative, or complementary, approaches in tackling extremism. Saudi Arabia has a new and intriguing one that may be worth noting: rehabilitation.

Yemen has also launched rehabilitation centers for their convicted terrorists. A new BBC report discusses the "care center" in which Saudi authorities hold many of those convicted of extreme acts. The care center may look like a prison from the outside, but the inside could easily be mistaken for a summer camp. The "beneficiaries" are treated to art classes, where they learn to express themselves in non-violent ways; they also have access to a swimming pool and video games.

This four-star treatment may look more like a pat on the back than a slap on the wrist, or as some American security experts would prefer, a life sentence. But Saudi officials tout the success of their program with credit going to a key feature of the rehabilitation process: religious instruction by Muslim scholars. The Saudis believe that the struggle against terrorism is primarily an ideological one, which must be fought with ideas.

This stands in stark contrast to the US, and many other nations', approach to terrorism, which is something along the lines of "fighting fire with fire."

The US is not likely to adopt this approach exclusively, which would be a complete reversal from our current counter-terrorism measures. But before we scoff or outright reject the Saudi's soft-handed response, we should remind ourselves that Muslims' understanding of their own culture and religion is far superior to our own and they just might be on to something.