RADICALIZATIONCan Violent Extremists Be Deradicalized? I Spoke with 24 Former Terrorists in Indonesia to Find Out
Their ideologies may differ, but one thing all terrorists have in common is that they were radicalized. And this raises an important question: Can a person who once embraced terrorism and violence truly change?
Terrorism remains a persistent threat to nations around the world.
Indeed, the Global Terrorism Index, an annual chronicle of terrorism trends, found in its latest report that the number of countries that experienced attacks rose to 66 in 2024 – the most since 2018.
The rise of lone-wolf attacks made up 93% of fatal attacks across Western nations. An alarming rise in far-right violent extremism has triggered some of this violence; meanwhile, ongoing conflicts fueled by the Islamic State group have sparked concern of again inspiring would-be terrorists around the world.
While their ideologies may differ, one thing all terrorists have in common is that they were radicalized.
And this raises an important question: Can a person who once embraced terrorism and violence truly change?
As a researcher who studies soft power and ideological violence, I set out to answer that question by asking 24 Indonesian former terrorists and holding focus group discussion with ex-jihadists. These men and women were all convicted of crimes related to violent acts across Indonesia. Fifteen of them were connected with the Southeast Asian terrorism network Jemaah Islamiyah, nine were members of Islamic State-related groups, and one had links to both.
All have since been released from prison, having served sentences ranging from 11 months to 15 years. They have walked away from radical ideologies and violence, choosing instead to rebuild and reconcile.
In conversations I had with them in person and via video and phone calls, they provided 69 recommendations on how terrorists can be deradicalized. I boiled this down to six critical ideas about what it takes for someone to truly change.
1. Hard Power Is Not Enough
Governments have long relied on security crackdowns, intelligence operations and harsh prison sentences to fight terrorism. These methods may be important, but they often miss the root causes.
In many cases, prison only deepens radical beliefs or helps militants form new networks. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the now deceased Islamic State group’s founder, for example, is thought to have became more radical during his time at Camp Bucca, a U.S. detention facility.
Some of the men and women I spoke to mentioned how they saw some convicts became more radicalized under the influence of other extremists. As such, locking up someone in the same facility as someone with similar or even more hard-line views may not help them deradicalize.
