Can a terrorist from Daesh (ISIS) be re-educated?
In recent years there have been a series of terrorist attacks linked to the terrorist group of the Islamic State or Daesh, as the acronym is known in Arabic to refer to them or, ISIS of the acronym in English (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). These attacks, mostly perpetrated in the same Muslim countries, are having a special impact in Europe.
And it is that the Daesh has militants at the transnational level, especially of western converts to Islam , or of European citizens of second or third generation with Muslim roots. Recall that Arabic is not synonymous with Muslim. So any ethnic group can belong to the Daesh.
What is the Daesh?
The Daesh or Islamic State is a terrorist group that was formed in 2014 in the wake of the Syrian crisis and the endless war in Iraq, where the supreme leader of the formation Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi declared the establishment of the "Islamic Caliphate" in Mosul, Iraq.
For other academics, the concept of terrorist group is misused, since they are an organization with social, religious, administrative and territorial identity. Although these extremists are currently running out, they managed to create a corridor between Syria and Iraq to expand throughout the world, controlling important areas of both countries.
Returning to how the Daesh is formed, its members share the same profile: inhabitants of Western and Eastern Europe are radicalized by a false interpretation of Islam and returning to the precepts of "Holy War" that were used in the Crusades. Thus, Can the radicalization process be interrupted? Are individuals who have been terrorists reformed? In this article we analyze it.
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How to detect this type of cases?
Taking into account the complexity of the issue, the main problem is how to detect the aforementioned process of radicalization, as the authorities and security forces call it.
The Muslim community is integrated into Western societies, and outside of their homes most appear culturally assimilated. The complexity lies in the moments of "doors to inside". That is, in their most intimate environments and away from any kind of surveillance.
The recent terrorist attacks signed by Daesh link this integration with radicalization, based in some cases on dissimulation and false appearance. Thus, according to expert sociologists it is much easier to tackle the problem through education and prevention .
Is it possible to reeducate a member of Daesh?
A question of difficult resolution. How to know if you can reeducate an individual from Daesh? Luckily, there are some possibilities of extensive experience but with effective results. We refer to cultural associations and many other integration organizations, whose mission is to make the way back to people who have gone astray.
Nowadays there are several Muslim associations dedicated especially to reinsert these individuals into society . To mention some examples, the Islamic Banr Foundation and the Ibn Battuta Foundation, where the first was constituted by two brothers who wanted to be part of the Daesh to fight in Syria.
The second is of a cultural nature, forming part of the process of socialization of Muslim youth and families, although the objective of it is to serve any community outside the European Community and thus guarantee its adaptation to avoid discriminatory, racist or harassment acts.
The Ibn Battuta Foundation works closely with the local security forces, administrations and at a national level it has a great recognition, working together with justice and social services.
Can a terrorist from Daesh be reeducated? The tools have recently been put into practice by countries such as Australia or England, where they have arrested several fundamentalists who fought on the side of Daesh, but who for legal purposes are still considered nationals with civil rights.
The most recent media case was that of a 16-year-old German teenager who was arrested in Iraq by the special anti-terrorist units in a raid against Daesh. He had recently converted to Islam and his name has been hidden for security reasons. The German authorities do not want to give up the victim and psychological processes have already begun to return to normal life.
