Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has successfully “de-brainwashed” hundreds of former militants, the Financial Times reported this week. The Interior Ministry runs a rehabilitation program for Saudis who were captured in Afghanistan or elsewhere and spent time in the U.S. prison camp at Guantánamo Bay before being handed over to Saudi authorities. Clerics and psychologists administer the six- to 10-week intervention, during which they try to convince detainees that jihad requires the permission of the ruler and top clerics. Prisoners who successfully re-enter society and marry are rewarded with a sum of cash and a car. “They settle down when they marry,” said Abdulrahman al-Hadlaq, who runs the rehabilitation program.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
Tariff delay for electric cars: enough to recharge the EV market?Talking Point Car industry says a delay to the EU levy will 'support consumer choice and affordability'
-
House prices forecast to drop further in 2024 – is now the time to buy?
The `Explainer Rightmove is predicting a 1% fall in asking prices next year
-
The daily business briefing: December 6, 2023
Business Briefing Job openings drop to their lowest since 2021, CVS simplifies prescription drug pricing, and more
