The Saudi government is coming up with novel ways to lure jihadists away from their extremism and their nefarious activities.
One of these ways, as unorthodox as it may sound, is the offering of an ultraluxurious rehab centre.
Yes, you heard right. A rehab center. Gone is the stigma of being an outlaw. Terrorism is now akin to alcoholism, something the mind cannot fight alone, something to be viewed with empathy and embraced as an error of one's ways.
But let's go back to the luxury rehab. As always the Saudi did things on a grand scale.
The rehab, which has been operational for a while now, has spa treatment, counseling obviously, and exercise facilities to rival any other internationally.
There is also an Olympic size indoor swimming pool, a sauna, and a large television hall.
The novel approach can probably be summarized as 'If you can't beat them, love 'em". And maybe the Saudis have something. Instead of marginalizing the marauders, let's show them what they are missing.
The luxury rehab was a brainchild of Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef and it bears his name. Of course most of the jihadists who land here, do not do so spontaneously, but are brought here following crackdowns or arrests of Al Qaida members in the peninsula.
In fact, the rehabilitation facility is the final and obligatory stop after 'processing' of the jihadists, before they can be released.
Another such center has opened recently in Jeddah, and three more are planned in other areas. But the Riyadh facility is the one that is most luxurious. The people behind this plan believe that the level of poshness and pampering might dissuade them from returning to their more strict beliefs.
The Riyadh facility is large enough to accommodate 228 prisoners from the 'deviant group', the euphemism mostly used to refer to Al Qaeda members.
Of course the stay will be peppered with seminars on religious matters, which should in the Saudis' minds correct their hard stance and steer them from their jihadist ways.
In fact Saudis have already tallied positive results, or at least that is what they affirm. They say that of 2,336 jihadists that have traveled through the rehab facility, only 10 per cent have returned to their previous ways.
However, critics abound and they are not silent. Many say that the program is not as successful as claimed and that some of the highest ranking members captured have swiftly returned to their criminal deeds. Liberals are even more incensed. They say that the rehab center is a place of indoctrination just as orthodox and ultra-conservative as some branches of Al Qaeda.
What some say could be a more successful approach would be to impart knowledge that is more enlightened, not just replace one extremist thought with another.
Source: France 24/ 4.20.13
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