01 March 2014
Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis (CTTA) – Volume 6, Issue 2
This issue of the CTTA includes five articles on timely topics related to radicalisation, deradicalisation, rehabilitation and counter-ideology: (1) Douglas Woodall offers an analysis of alternative factors which lead to radicalisation, namely, negative impressions made by Americans living abroad, alternative social spaces including tertiary academic spaces and miscalculated targeting approaches against a terrorist network; (2) Muhammad Younas reemphasises the impact of the jihadists’ online presence as a source of radicalisation, and the need for continued online monitoring of online forums and social media and network websites to counter the threat; (3) Zulkifli Mohamed Sultan counters the extremist Islamist ideology propagated by Saiful Anam, one of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI)’s high-ranking militants by exposing the contradictions in Saiful Anam’s narrative, particularly in the use of the concept of takfir, or the practice of one Muslim declaring another Muslim a kafir or ‘infidel’; (4) Muhammad Haniff Hassan offers an elaborate discussion about wasatiyyah, which is commonly translated only as ‘moderation,’ but in actuality also includes other core Islamic values such as ‘justice’ and ‘excellence,’ among others; (5) Mahfuh Haji Halimi, Muhammad Saiful Alam Shah Bin Sudiman, and Zulkifli Mohamed Sultan highlight the ‘teacher-student’ approach from the education discipline to help understand the dynamics of religious counselling sessions in terrorist rehabilitation programs, using concepts such as ‘functioning knowledge’ and the ‘deep approach to learning’.
This issue of the CTTA includes five articles on timely topics related to radicalisation, deradicalisation, rehabilitation and counter-ideology: (1) Douglas Woodall offers an analysis of alternative factors which lead to radicalisation, namely, negative impressions made by Americans living abroad, alternative social spaces including tertiary academic spaces and miscalculated targeting approaches against a terrorist network; (2) Muhammad Younas reemphasises the impact of the jihadists’ online presence as a source of radicalisation, and the need for continued online monitoring of online forums and social media and network websites to counter the threat; (3) Zulkifli Mohamed Sultan counters the extremist Islamist ideology propagated by Saiful Anam, one of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI)’s high-ranking militants by exposing the contradictions in Saiful Anam’s narrative, particularly in the use of the concept of takfir, or the practice of one Muslim declaring another Muslim a kafir or ‘infidel’; (4) Muhammad Haniff Hassan offers an elaborate discussion about wasatiyyah, which is commonly translated only as ‘moderation,’ but in actuality also includes other core Islamic values such as ‘justice’ and ‘excellence,’ among others; (5) Mahfuh Haji Halimi, Muhammad Saiful Alam Shah Bin Sudiman, and Zulkifli Mohamed Sultan highlight the ‘teacher-student’ approach from the education discipline to help understand the dynamics of religious counselling sessions in terrorist rehabilitation programs, using concepts such as ‘functioning knowledge’ and the ‘deep approach to learning’.
