Why Terrorists Quit: Gaining from Al-Qa'ida's Losses

In recent months, there has been a spate of seemingly good news in the counter-terrorism arena, as former terrorist leaders and clerics have renounced their previous beliefs. Former Egyptian Islamic Jihad head Sayyid Imam al-Sharif (also known as Dr. Fadl), whose treatises al-Qa'ida often cited to justify its actions, has written a new book rejecting al-Qa'ida's message and tactics. Shaykh Salman bin Fahd al-Awda, an extremist cleric whose incarceration in the 1990s by the Saudis reportedly helped inspire Usama bin Ladin to action, went on television to decry al-Qa'ida's operations, asking Bin Ladin, "How much blood has been spilt? How many innocent people, children, elderly, and women have been killed. . .in the name of al Qaeda?" In the United Kingdom, former members of the radical group Hizb al-Tahrir (also spelled Hizb-ut-Tahrir) established the Quilliam Foundation, which describes itself as "Britain's first Muslim counter-extremism think tank."

While these are clearly positive developments and may have a real impact on preventing the next generation from going down the path of extremism, what effect will these renunciations have on al-Qa'ida's current members, and on others who are well on their way to becoming terrorists? What are the factors that can turn a would-be terrorist away from this dangerous path? Do former terrorists' and extremists' messages carry particular weight with this group? . . .