“A Toronto mosque is offering a ‘12-step extremist detox program’ for radical Muslims that its director says is the first of its kind in Canada.
“The Specialized De-radicalization Intervention program is intended to provide ‘treatment and counseling’ to young Muslims sympathetic to the al-Qaeda ideology.”
That’s how this front-page article today in Canada’s National Post newspaper begins.
Actually, despite the deliberate utilization of language reminiscent of the 12-step programs utilized in treating many addictions, the Al Qaeda detox program profiled by the National Post doesn’t appear to be based on the spiritual principles employed by 12-step groups like Alcoholics Anonymous.
But the Toronto program does appear to represent a sincere effort by non-extremist Muslims to wean Al Qaeda-inclined Islamic youth away from their support for terrorist violence in the name of Islam.
According to a document outlining the program, “As Canadians of Muslim faith, it is our ardent desire to become leaders in the championing of anti-terror values.”