Fighting extremism: Judge Al-Hitar’s “intellectual surgery” against militants

Mind over militants

Though it is oft-stated that the US and others will not negotiate with terrorists, one enterprising Yemeni judge has done just that, with encouraging results. Judge Hamoud Al-Hitar, of Yemen’s Dialogue Committee and the Yemeni Organsation for Human Rights came up with a unique strategy after an increase in militant influence in Yemen led to increased attacks. Confronting captured militants in prison, he challenged them to back up their beliefs with the Quran in a series of debates, ultimately proving to many that their interpretations of the Quran were misleading. A fifth round of talks began earlier this month. “We are ready to have dialogue with any Al-Qa’eda leader,” says Al-Hitar. “We can have dialogue to talk about the foundations of Islam, even with Osama Bin Laden if he is willing.” As a result of Al-Hitar’s intervention, many of the prisoners (whom Al-Hitar contends are ordinary people who have been led astray) have not only reformed the attitudes of militants, but led some to exposing weapons caches and volunteering information, in one case leading to the US-led assassination of Al Qaeda’s top commander in Yemen, Abu Ali al Harithi (how militant!). “An important part of the dialogue is mutual respect,” says Hitar. “Along with acknowledging freedom of expression, intellect and opinion, you must listen and show interest in what the other party is saying.” Often, Al-Hitar has criticised excessive detention policies (which he blames on US pressure) and some US concern about letting militants “off the hook” (The LA Times reported an Al-Hitar discovery from one of his students of a connection with prominent leader Sheikh Abdul Majeed al-Zindani, but Al-Hitar denies it) has been defended against by Yemen’s government and others. “Al-Hitar is a brave man to carry out dialogue with suspects, someone we definitely respect,” said a foreign diplomat based in Yemen. “It seems that the process has some success.” Although the idea of empathising with militants may be political anathema in America, the US Army War College explicitly studied doing just that, with Al-Hitar now being asked by the US to use the same strategy in Iraq. Al-Hitar has also been invited by other governments, including Britain, to discuss alternate strategies in combatting terrorism, something Al-Hitar is eager to do. Says Al-Hitar, “The pen and the tongue that God has granted you can achieve more than all the weapons in the world.”

Zahed Amanullah is associate editor of altmuslim.com. He is based in London, England.