Description:

Reflecting on the global anxiety surrounding Islamist terrorism, Leena Al Olaimy, an Arab Muslim Fulbright scholar, social entrepreneur, and Dalai Lama Fellow, delivers a revolutionary message: not only are counterterrorism strategies ineffective, they exacerbate the symptoms and ignore the deeply rooted causes. The behaviors of many so-called Muslim terrorists reveal that they aren’t motivated by devotion to religion, argues Olaimy. Instead, she identifies the true driving forces of violent extremism and offers innovative strategies that are far more effective than military interventions alone. Guided by the origins of Islamist fundamentalism and the political failures of postcolonialism, this incisive analysis—which draws on numerous academic, multilateral, and military studies—concludes that terrorists are motivated by exclusion and marginalization and proposes that the best path forward is through inclusive counterterrorism. Grounded in data and personal narrative, Compassionate Counterterrorism cites examples using religion, neuroscience, urban policies, and even love to—for once—spotlight optimistic solutions to preventing terrorism.