Inside the mind of a former radical jihadist
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0:01 - 0:05Today I stand before you
as a man who lives life to the full -
0:05 - 0:06in the here and now.
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0:07 - 0:09But for a long time,
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0:09 - 0:10I lived for death.
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0:12 - 0:14I was a young man who believed
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0:14 - 0:18that jihad is to be understood
in the language of force and violence. -
0:21 - 0:24I tried to right wrongs
through power and aggression. -
0:25 - 0:30I had deep concerns
for the suffering of others -
0:31 - 0:34and a strong desire
to help and bring relief to them. -
0:37 - 0:40I thought violent jihad was noble,
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0:40 - 0:42chivalrous
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0:42 - 0:43and the best way to help.
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0:46 - 0:48At a time when so many of our people --
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0:48 - 0:49young people especially --
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0:49 - 0:50are at risk of radicalization
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0:51 - 0:53through groups like al-Qaeda,
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0:53 - 0:55Islamic State and others,
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0:56 - 0:57when these groups are claiming
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0:57 - 1:02that their horrific brutality
and violence are true jihad, -
1:02 - 1:07I want to say that their idea
of jihad is wrong -- -
1:07 - 1:08completely wrong --
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1:08 - 1:09as was mine, then.
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1:11 - 1:14Jihad means to strive to one's utmost.
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1:14 - 1:17It includes exertion and spirituality,
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1:17 - 1:19self-purification
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1:19 - 1:20and devotion.
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1:22 - 1:25It refers to positive transformation
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1:25 - 1:29through learning, wisdom
and remembrance of God. -
1:29 - 1:33The word jihad stands
for all those meanings as a whole. -
1:35 - 1:39Jihad may at times
take the form of fighting, -
1:39 - 1:41but only sometimes,
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1:41 - 1:43under strict conditions,
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1:44 - 1:46within rules and limits.
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1:48 - 1:49In Islam,
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1:49 - 1:54the benefit of an act must outweigh
the harm or hardship it entails. -
1:55 - 1:57More importantly,
-
1:57 - 2:02the verses in the Koran
that are connected to jihad or fighting -
2:02 - 2:07do not cancel out the verses
that talk about forgiveness, -
2:07 - 2:09benevolence
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2:09 - 2:10or patience.
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2:13 - 2:18But now I believe that there are
no circumstances on earth -
2:18 - 2:20where violent jihad is permissible,
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2:21 - 2:23because it will lead to greater harm.
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2:26 - 2:28But now the idea of jihad
has been hijacked. -
2:28 - 2:32It has been perverted
to mean violent struggle -
2:32 - 2:35wherever Muslims
are undergoing difficulties, -
2:35 - 2:37and turned into terrorism
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2:37 - 2:40by fascistic Islamists like al-Qaeda,
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2:40 - 2:41Islamic State and others.
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2:42 - 2:44But I have come to understand
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2:44 - 2:48that true jihad
means striving to the utmost -
2:48 - 2:52to strengthen and live
those qualities which God loves: -
2:52 - 2:55honesty, trustworthiness,
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2:55 - 2:57compassion, benevolence,
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2:57 - 2:59reliability, respect,
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2:59 - 3:00truthfulness --
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3:00 - 3:03human values that so many of us share.
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3:06 - 3:08I was born in Bangladesh,
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3:08 - 3:10but grew up mostly in England.
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3:10 - 3:12And I went to school here.
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3:12 - 3:15My father was an academic,
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3:15 - 3:17and we were in the UK through his work.
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3:18 - 3:23In 1971 we were in Bangladesh
when everything changed. -
3:24 - 3:28The War of Independence
impacted upon us terribly, -
3:28 - 3:30pitting family against family,
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3:30 - 3:31neighbor against neighbor.
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3:31 - 3:34And at the age of 12 I experienced war,
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3:34 - 3:36destitution in my family,
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3:37 - 3:40the deaths of 22
of my relatives in horrible ways, -
3:41 - 3:44as well as the murder of my elder brother.
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3:47 - 3:49I witnessed killing ...
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3:51 - 3:54animals feeding on corpses in the streets,
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3:54 - 3:56starvation all around me,
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3:56 - 3:58wanton, horrific violence --
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3:58 - 3:59senseless violence.
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4:02 - 4:04I was a young man,
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4:04 - 4:07teenager, fascinated by ideas.
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4:07 - 4:09I wanted to learn,
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4:09 - 4:11but I could not go to school
for four years. -
4:13 - 4:14After the War of Independence,
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4:14 - 4:17my father was put in prison
for two and a half years, -
4:18 - 4:20and I used to visit him
every week in prison, -
4:21 - 4:23and homeschooled myself.
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4:24 - 4:27My father was released in 1973
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4:28 - 4:30and he fled to England as a refugee,
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4:30 - 4:31and we soon followed him.
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4:33 - 4:34I was 17.
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4:34 - 4:37So these experiences gave me
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4:37 - 4:41a sharp awareness of the atrocities
and injustices in the world. -
4:42 - 4:44And I had a strong desire --
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4:44 - 4:46a very keen, deep desire --
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4:46 - 4:47to right wrongs
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4:47 - 4:49and help the victims of oppression.
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4:51 - 4:53While studying at college in the UK,
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4:53 - 4:58I met others who showed me
how I could channel that desire -
4:59 - 5:00and help through my religion.
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5:02 - 5:03And I was radicalized --
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5:03 - 5:06enough to consider violence correct,
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5:08 - 5:10even a virtue under certain circumstances.
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5:12 - 5:16So I became involved
in the jihad in Afghanistan. -
5:16 - 5:20I wanted to protect the Muslim Afghan
population against the Soviet army. -
5:21 - 5:23And I thought that was jihad:
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5:23 - 5:25my sacred duty,
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5:25 - 5:27which would be rewarded by God.
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5:32 - 5:34I became a preacher.
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5:36 - 5:41I was one of the pioneers
of violent jihad in the UK. -
5:41 - 5:43I recruited,
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5:43 - 5:44I raised funds, I trained.
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5:45 - 5:48I confused true jihad
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5:48 - 5:52with this perversion
as presented by the fascist Islamists -- -
5:54 - 5:57these people who use the idea of jihad
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5:57 - 6:01to justify their lust for power,
authority and control on earth: -
6:02 - 6:06a perversion perpetuated today
by fascist Islamist groups -
6:06 - 6:09like al-Qaeda, Islamic State and others.
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6:10 - 6:12For a period of around 15 years,
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6:13 - 6:17I fought for short periods of time
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6:18 - 6:20in Kashmir and Burma,
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6:20 - 6:21besides Afghanistan.
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6:25 - 6:28Our aim was to remove the invaders,
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6:29 - 6:32to bring relief to the oppressed victims
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6:33 - 6:36and of course to establish
an Islamic state, -
6:36 - 6:38a caliphate for God's rule.
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6:39 - 6:40And I did this openly.
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6:41 - 6:44I didn't break any laws.
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6:44 - 6:48I was proud and grateful to be British --
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6:48 - 6:49I still am.
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6:49 - 6:53And I bore no hostility
against this, my country, -
6:54 - 6:57nor enmity towards
the non-Muslim citizens, -
6:58 - 6:59and I still don't.
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7:02 - 7:04During one battle in Afghanistan,
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7:04 - 7:07some British men and I
formed a special bond -
7:08 - 7:11with a 15-year-old Afghani boy,
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7:11 - 7:12Abdullah,
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7:13 - 7:15an innocent, loving and lovable kid
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7:15 - 7:17who was always eager to please.
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7:19 - 7:20He was poor.
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7:21 - 7:23And boys like him
did menial tasks in the camp. -
7:24 - 7:26And he seemed happy enough,
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7:26 - 7:28but I couldn't help wonder --
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7:28 - 7:30his parents must have missed him dearly.
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7:32 - 7:35And they must have dreamt
about a better future for him. -
7:38 - 7:40A victim of circumstance
caught up in a war, -
7:40 - 7:42cruelly thrust upon him
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7:43 - 7:45by the cruel circumstances of the time.
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7:49 - 7:53One day I picked up this unexploded
mortar shell in a trench, -
7:54 - 7:58and I had it deposited
in a makeshift mud hut lab. -
7:59 - 8:02And I went out on a short,
pointless skirmish -- -
8:02 - 8:03always pointless,
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8:04 - 8:08And I came back a few hours later
to discover he was dead. -
8:09 - 8:12He had tried to recover
explosives from that shell. -
8:12 - 8:15It exploded, and he died a violent death,
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8:15 - 8:20blown to bits by the very same device
that had proved harmless to me. -
8:21 - 8:23So I started to question.
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8:25 - 8:28How did his death serve any purpose?
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8:30 - 8:32Why did he die and I lived?
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8:34 - 8:35I carried on.
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8:35 - 8:37I fought in Kashmir.
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8:37 - 8:39I also recruited for the Philippines,
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8:39 - 8:41Bosnia and Chechnya.
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8:43 - 8:44And the questions grew.
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8:46 - 8:48Later in Burma,
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8:48 - 8:50I came across Rohingya fighters,
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8:50 - 8:52who were barely teenagers,
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8:52 - 8:54born and brought up in the jungle,
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8:54 - 8:56carrying machine guns
and grenade launchers. -
9:00 - 9:05I met two 13-year-olds
with soft manners and gentle voices. -
9:07 - 9:08Looking at me,
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9:08 - 9:10they begged me
to take them away to England. -
9:17 - 9:19They simply wanted to go to school --
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9:20 - 9:21that was their dream.
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9:24 - 9:26My family --
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9:26 - 9:27my children of the same age --
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9:27 - 9:29were living at home in the UK,
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9:30 - 9:31going to school,
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9:31 - 9:33living a safe life.
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9:34 - 9:35And I couldn't help wonder
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9:35 - 9:39how much these young boys
must have spoken to one another -
9:39 - 9:41about their dreams for such a life.
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9:43 - 9:45Victims of circumstances:
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9:46 - 9:48these two young boys,
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9:48 - 9:51sleeping rough on the ground,
looking up at the stars, -
9:51 - 9:54cynically exploited by their leaders
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9:54 - 9:56for their personal lust
for glory and power. -
9:58 - 10:01I soon witnessed boys like them
killing one another -
10:01 - 10:03in conflicts between rival groups.
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10:05 - 10:08And it was the same everywhere ...
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10:09 - 10:12Afghanistan, Kashmir, Burma,
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10:12 - 10:13Philippines, Chechnya;
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10:14 - 10:19petty warlords got the young
and vulnerable to kill one another -
10:19 - 10:20in the name of jihad.
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10:22 - 10:24Muslims against Muslims.
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10:26 - 10:30Not protecting anyone
against invaders or occupiers; -
10:30 - 10:32not bringing relief to the oppressed.
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10:34 - 10:36Children being used,
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10:36 - 10:37cynically exploited;
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10:37 - 10:39people dying in conflicts
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10:39 - 10:42which I was supporting
in the name of jihad. -
10:45 - 10:47And it still carries on today.
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10:52 - 10:55Realizing that the violent jihad
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10:55 - 11:00I had engaged in abroad
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11:01 - 11:03was so different --
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11:05 - 11:10such a chasm between
what I had experienced -
11:10 - 11:12and what I thought was sacred duty --
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11:13 - 11:16I had to reflect
on my activities here in the UK. -
11:18 - 11:20I had to consider my preaching,
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11:20 - 11:22recruiting, fund-raising,
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11:22 - 11:23training,
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11:23 - 11:26but most importantly, radicalizing --
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11:27 - 11:29sending young people to fight and die
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11:29 - 11:30as I was doing --
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11:30 - 11:32all totally wrong.
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11:36 - 11:39So I got involved
in violent jihad in the mid '80s, -
11:40 - 11:41starting with Afghanistan.
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11:43 - 11:46And by the time I finished
it was in the year 2000. -
11:47 - 11:49I was completely immersed in it.
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11:49 - 11:51All around me people supported,
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11:51 - 11:52applauded,
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11:52 - 11:54even celebrated what
we were doing in their name. -
11:56 - 11:58But by the time I learned to get out,
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11:58 - 12:01completely disillusioned in the year 2000,
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12:01 - 12:0215 years had passed.
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12:05 - 12:06So what goes wrong?
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12:09 - 12:12We were so busy talking about virtue,
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12:13 - 12:16and we were blinded by a cause.
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12:20 - 12:25And we did not give ourselves a chance
to develop a virtuous character. -
12:26 - 12:30We told ourselves
we were fighting for the oppressed, -
12:30 - 12:32but these were unwinnable wars.
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12:34 - 12:37We became the very instrument
through which more deaths occurred, -
12:37 - 12:41complicit in causing further misery
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12:41 - 12:44for the selfish benefit of the cruel few.
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12:52 - 12:53So over time,
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12:54 - 12:55a very long time,
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12:57 - 12:58I opened my eyes.
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13:00 - 13:01I began to dare
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13:03 - 13:05to face the truth,
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13:05 - 13:06to think,
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13:07 - 13:09to face the hard questions.
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13:10 - 13:12I got in touch with my soul.
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13:22 - 13:23What have I learned?
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13:25 - 13:29That people who engage
in violent jihadism, -
13:31 - 13:34that people who are drawn
to these types of extremisms, -
13:35 - 13:37are not that different to everyone else.
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13:38 - 13:41But I believe such people can change.
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13:42 - 13:45They can regain their hearts
and restore them -
13:45 - 13:48by filling them
with human values that heal. -
13:55 - 13:57When we ignore the realities,
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13:57 - 14:03we discover that we accept what
we are told without critical reflection. -
14:06 - 14:09And we ignore the gifts and advantages
that many of us would cherish -
14:09 - 14:12even for a single moment in their lives.
-
14:16 - 14:19I engaged in actions
I thought were correct. -
14:22 - 14:26But now I began to question
how I knew what I knew. -
14:28 - 14:32I endlessly told others
to accept the truth, -
14:32 - 14:35but I failed to give doubt
its rightful place. -
14:41 - 14:46This conviction that people can change
is rooted in my experience, -
14:46 - 14:47my own journey.
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14:49 - 14:50Through wide reading,
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14:50 - 14:52reflecting,
-
14:52 - 14:54contemplation, self-knowledge,
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14:54 - 14:55I discovered,
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14:55 - 15:01I realized that Islamists' world
of us and them is false and unjust. -
15:05 - 15:08Through considering the uncertainties
in all that we had asserted, -
15:09 - 15:11to the inviolable truths,
-
15:11 - 15:12incontestable truths,
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15:15 - 15:18I developed a more nuanced understanding.
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15:24 - 15:29I realized that in a world crowded
with variation and contradiction, -
15:30 - 15:31foolish preachers,
-
15:31 - 15:34only foolish preachers
like I used to be, -
15:34 - 15:40see no paradox in the myths and fictions
they use to assert authenticity. -
15:41 - 15:46So I understood the vital
importance of self-knowledge, -
15:46 - 15:47political awareness
-
15:48 - 15:53and the necessity
for a deep and wide understanding -
15:53 - 15:55of our commitments and our actions,
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15:55 - 15:56how they affect others.
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15:59 - 16:00So my plea today to everyone,
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16:00 - 16:04especially those who sincerely
believe in Islamist jihadism ... -
16:06 - 16:09refuse dogmatic authority;
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16:10 - 16:14let go of anger, hatred and violence;
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16:15 - 16:17learn to right wrongs
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16:17 - 16:22without even attempting to justify
cruel, unjust and futile behavior. -
16:25 - 16:28Instead create a few
beautiful and useful things -
16:28 - 16:29that outlive us.
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16:33 - 16:35Approach the world, life,
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16:35 - 16:36with love.
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16:38 - 16:39Learn to develop
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16:39 - 16:40or cultivate your hearts
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16:41 - 16:44to see goodness, beauty and truth
in others and in the world. -
16:45 - 16:48That way we do matter
more to ourselves ... -
16:49 - 16:50to each other,
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16:51 - 16:52to our communities
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16:52 - 16:54and, for me, to God.
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16:55 - 16:57This is jihad --
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16:57 - 16:58my true jihad.
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16:59 - 17:00Thank you.
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17:00 - 17:03(Applause)
- Title:
- Inside the mind of a former radical jihadist
- Speaker:
- Manwar Ali
- Description:
-
"For a long time, I lived for death," says Manwar Ali, a former radical jihadist who participated in violent, armed campaigns in the Middle East and Asia in the 1980s. In this moving talk, he reflects on his experience with radicalization and makes a powerful, direct appeal to anyone drawn to Islamist groups that claim violence and brutality are noble and virtuous: let go of anger and hatred, he says, and instead cultivate your heart to see goodness, beauty and truth in others.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 17:22
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Inside the mind of a former radical jihadist | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Inside the mind of a former radical jihadist | ||
Brian Greene approved English subtitles for Inside the mind of a former radical jihadist | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Inside the mind of a former radical jihadist | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Inside the mind of a former radical jihadist | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz accepted English subtitles for Inside the mind of a former radical jihadist | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz edited English subtitles for Inside the mind of a former radical jihadist | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz edited English subtitles for Inside the mind of a former radical jihadist |