Compassionate Counterterrorism ― The Power of Inclusion in Fighting Fundamentalism

Most people who question the "why" of Islamic terrorism focus on the religious and political drivers--but what if that's a misguided approach? Fulbright Scholar Leena Al Olaimy challenges this view, going beyond the usual arguments of "poverty and religious indoctrination" offering solutions that any and every community can implement right away.

Sixteen years ago during Ramadan, Leena Al Olaimy was a senior at New York University volunteering at Ground Zero. Ironically, she, a practicing Muslim, was assigned to distribute food to the rescue workers. Angered by what her religion had come to represent, and at those brandishing their perverted version of it, she embarked on lifelong research into the root of extremism.
While terrorism experts are unlikely to reach a consensus on the instigators, nor discover an algorithm explaining violent extremism; there is one common thread present through the narratives of terrorists. In some shape or form, they have all suffered from social, economic, or political exclusion. Most critically, this creates an inner turmoil, resulting in the delusion that martyrdom can bring glory. Yet throughout history, many marginalized peoples have not retaliated with such senseless violence, so what inner and outer enabling conditions drive individuals who have radicalized in the name of Islam? And more importantly, what solutions lie in our personal power to address them? This book examines these questions through a spiritual lens, reflecting on absolutism, moral humility, and the potential 'fundamentalist' in all of us, including the perils of justifying a "noble pursuit" using immoral means; and the parallels between interpretations of scripture to justify violence, with interpretations of scripture to vilify religion. Current counter-terrorism measures are counterproductive. This book offers creative, evidence-based solutions to remedy the consequences of counter-terrorism policies that exacerbate exclusion. Al Olaimy argues there is a way to better invest in peace as individuals, entrepreneurs, policy-makers, and civil society.

Leena Al Olaimy is the cofounder of 3BL Associates, an award-winning social enterprise, advancing progress on nine of the seventeen interconnected sustainable development goals (SDGs), including peace, climate change, and economic growth. She is a Dalai Lama Fellow, a Salzburg Global Fellow, a Soliya Fellow and a Wall Street Journal 'Woman of Note' and is listed among Bahrain's Most Influential Women by Business in Gulf. Her work has included transforming youth adversarial activism from non-violent resistance to 'non-violent resilience.' Leena has written on politics, entrepreneurship and sustainability for the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Blog, Open Democracy, Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Huffington Post and Wamda. She has been quoted in Forbes and Arabic Knowledge@Wharton, and her multi-disciplinary insights have been sought by Chatham House, the Tri-Lateral Commission, and several United Nations organizations. She has given 150+ talks globally, including TEDxCarthage--the largest in Africa --and recently chaired a roundtable on 'Empowering Communities for Positive Change' during HRH the Prince of Wales' visit to Bahrain.