Children Of Jihad: A Way Out Of Terror

jihad, Children of Jihad, Hezbollah, extremists, Middle East, Jared Cohen, terrorism, martyr, suicide bomber

For a kid in the Middle East, terrorism might be a quick way out of humiliation and alienation.

I went to the Middle East seeing young people as a potential threat, and came out seeing them as the potential opportunity.

Jared Cohen , USA

Date Posted: 12/04/07

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Jared Cohen is a think-tank for US Department of State, who recently published 'Children of Jihad' - an account of the progressive youth subculture in the Middle East. He interviewed members of Hezbollah, partying in Iran's underground club scene, and saw the inner workings of a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. His words bring a fresh optimism, and he believes the youth will be the most influential factor in bringing peace and stability to the region.

I work in counter terrorism, counter radicalization, youth and education. When I was an undergrad at Stanford I studied genocide prevention and conflict resolution. Soon after, I wrote a book on the Rwandan genocide because I was appalled by the inaction I read about.

After writing the first book, I looked around for an issue that had captivated my attention like the genocide had. The 9/11 hijackers were more or less my age, so I had these burning questions about what would make individuals from that part of the world do this.

I never appreciated how important the youth demographic is. I went to the Middle East seeing young people as a potential threat, and came out seeing them as the potential opportunity.

Why do young people become radicalized? One word: humiliation. Humiliation leads to alienation, which leads to all sorts of other things. Violent extremists exploit Islam and create alternatives to suck in the young impressionable people who are looking for an antidote to humiliation.

Why are Hamaas and Hezbollah so effective? They pay your water and your electricity bills and they give you fame, fortune, status, and all sorts of material benefits. What young kid isn’t going to support Hezbollah and Hamaas when they’re doing that?

What those young kids don’t realize is that they’re being manipulated. They’re being bought off in the short run because they’re so desperate and so humiliated. All the while, Hamaas and these organizations are not giving these kids the time to think through what they’re getting involved in.

Perfect example: Palestinian militant groups find these kids at their most vulnerable stage. The kids may or may not have been religious or even cared about the politics of all this.