Ghaffar Hussain is born in England and has Pakistani Roots. He’s the head of the training for Britain’s Quilliam Foundation, an organization which fights against Islamic radicalization in England. In an interview with the SPIEGEL ONLINE he talks about the motivation and the reasons for young Islamic fundamentalists to join a terrorist organization.
For several years in his youth Ghaffar Hussain was a part of a radical Islamist group but because of his open mind and his interest in analyzing history and politics he recognized the narrowness of the Islamists. Currently he works against the radicalization and uses the advantages of his knowledge from his terrorist past. He exposes that lots of young men, who leave their country and their family, to join a terroristic camp, don’t feel adapted in society and can’t identify with their parent’s generation. In the Islamist groups they have the feeling to belong to somebody and feel attracted by the Umma concept, which says all the Muslims form a unity. Now they are being told that fighting is their duty and they have the urgent feeling to do something good and to fight for their conviction. Politics are explained very easily to them and they are pushed into a very narrow direction of understanding. Many of the members weren’t really successful in their earlier lives but in the terrorist organizations they feel like Heroes. They belief that there is nothing worthwhile left to return to their families. Suddenly they are convinced that they are the only ones who know about the truth and what is really going on. They think they are the real Muslims, neither influence nor corrupted by the West. They aren’t willing to discuss their opinions and they separate themselves from their parents, because they think they are better than they are.
But in fact, the religion is not the source they base on. The terroistic groups are motivated by politics! Ghaffar Hussain says that 90 per cent of their speeches are political ones but they justify their statements with the Koran. None of them have some religious background but they all belief they act in the wish of Allah. “They make their arguments look Islamic” (Ghaffar Hussain).
Ghaffar Hussain and his organization (training for Britain’s Quilliam Organization) have already managed to take away about 40 men from these organizations through individual conversations. Temporary they are only active in England but when they are successful they plan to expand their enterprise to other countries.
http://www.londontown.com/London/Top_Street_Markets
