A patient hunter
Recruitment does not begin with doctrine or weapons, but with attention. The recruiter monitors their victim through friends, social media platforms, or electronic games, approaching them with a warmth they have never known before. They then amplify the victim's needs and demands, link them to a grand cause, and sow doubt about their family, state, society, and scholars until they are isolated from them. They indoctrinate the victim dose by dose, then ask for small actions that grow until turning back becomes impossible. The most dangerous aspect of this journey is that the victim believes until the very end that they are the one who chose. This slide has signs that families should not miss: sudden disconnection from old friends and the appearance of mysterious companions, excessive secrecy in phone usage, takfiri language that demeans others, rejection of the authority of the family and known scholars, sympathy for terrorist operations, and talk of leaving or "martyrdom." A single sign is not enough to judge, but their combination and escalation are an alarm bell.
A dialogue with an absent human
What studies say is confirmed by the field. Through my field experience, I can say that talking to a terrorist in an interrogation room is different from talking to any other criminal. A murderer driven by revenge or money dodges, justifies, and gets agitated, and in front of them, you feel you are talking to a human who possesses their own motives. As for the terrorist, the dialogue with them is like talking to a robot or an algorithm: ready-made, repetitive answers. You do not feel they are expressing themselves of their own free will or a deeply rooted thought, but rather as if they are speaking on behalf of someone else. The same applies to the battlefield. A soldier fighting for a creed fights to live and win, so they calculate their movement and focus their aim. The terrorist, however, fires without tactics, precision, or focus, as if they know the inevitability of their fate; desperate, disturbed, and as if under the influence of something that strips them of self-control. It is living proof that their mind is no longer their own; it has been hijacked, and the voice of the group has replaced their will.
Religion is a cover, not a cause
Confining terrorism to religion is both a scientific and practical error. The world has known leftist, nationalist, ethnic, and far-right terrorism, and various religions have been exploited to justify killing. In fact, leaked documents revealed that many who joined extremist organizations had very weak religious knowledge. The true motives are intertwined between political, economic, psychological, and personal factors, and religion is often just a language and a cover. Therefore, correct religious knowledge was a shield, not a danger, as extremists deliberately target those who are ignorant of their religion. The best proof of this is that most victims of terrorism in the Middle East are Muslims. Takfiri ideology does not only target the "other" who is religiously different, but views the general Muslim population as apostates deserving of death, blowing up mosques and markets and killing worshippers during their prayers. The circle of targeting then extends to various religions and ethnicities, according to the direction set by the group and its ideological pattern. How can religion be a motive for someone who kills its followers before others? This becomes clearer when we look at state terrorism. Some states practice terrorism directly through organized violence, or create groups that raise a religious or nationalist slogan while carrying out their agenda, or purchase the services of existing organizations through funding, arming, and logistical, medical, and intelligence support. The goal is political pressure on another state or striking it from within without the cost of declared war. Thus, many elements fight thinking they are defending a creed, while they are tools in a conflict whose parties they do not know; this explains why the terrorist speaks in the investigation "on behalf of others," for their decision was never their own.
A confrontation broader than the gun
The security solution is necessary and indispensable, as it thwarts operations and protects lives, but alone it addresses the result and leaves the source open. The real confrontation begins at home, with dialogue and emotional presence; whoever finds someone to listen to them at home does not look for someone to listen to them in the dark. It extends to the school that builds critical thinking and instills the values of dialogue and respect for difference, to places of worship that provide a moderate discourse answering the questions of youth, to the economy that opens doors of hope, to the media that exposes the methods of recruiters, and to rehabilitation programs that restore those who have been misled. All of this requires a comprehensive national strategy that is constantly reviewed to keep pace with the evolution of terrorism and its tools. Jordan is one of the countries that has taken this path, having prepared a national strategy to counter extremism since 2014, in which security agencies integrate with cultural, endowment, educational, and social development institutions, and is developed to suit the evolution of terrorism and the factors contributing to its spread. The Hashemite leadership noticed this danger early on, so the Amman Message came in 2004 as an affirmation of the image of tolerant Islam, and His Majesty King Abdullah II launched the Aqaba Process in 2015 to coordinate international efforts.
Jordan has been exposed to terrorism since its inception, not because of internal crises, but because of its location in the heart of a turbulent region and its firm positions. From the assassination of the Founding King, to the Amman hotel bombings, to the martyrdom of pilot Muath Al-Kasasbeh and the events of Karak, Jordan paid the price for its positions in blood. Were it not for a wise Hashemite leadership and professional armed forces and security agencies that offered martyrs, Jordan would have been exposed to larger and more frequent operations. Terrorism does not begin with an explosion, but with a void in meaning, belonging, and justice. The extremist rushes to fill it with easy answers and an alternative family. If we want to win, we must reach it before them.
