At the height of COVID-19, I had the pleasure of convening a panel on How Kindness & Collaboration Counter Violent Extremism for the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, focusing on how collective action between civil society, military, and businesses grows societies that are resilient to violent extremism.
This wasn't your typical panel—it brought together voices rarely heard in the same room: a peacebuilder who's worked in war zones, the son of a notorious terrorist, a former neo-Nazi leader, and a military strategist reshaping how armies approach terrorism.
Today, at a time where deepening divisions demand radical hope and courageous compassion, the collective wisdom of these remarkable human beings offers something precious—a roadmap for navigating our fractured landscape without surrendering to despair or hatred. My first gift to you is this rare convergence of perspectives from:
Lena Slachmuijlder, formerly VP of Programs at Search for Common Ground with 25 years of experience working for peace and social change in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Search is a 2006 Skoll Awardee and was a 2018 Nobel Peace Prize nominee.
Arno Michaelis, a motivational speaker, peace educator and the author of My Life After Hate and The Gift of Our Wounds. He was a founding member of what became the largest racist skinhead organization in the world, and now works on numerous CVE programs.
Zak Ebrahim, a peace campaigner and author of The Terrorist's Son: A Story of Choice. He is the son of El Sayyid Nosair, who assassinated Meir Kahane, the founder of the Jewish Defense League. Nosair was later convicted of involvement in the New York City landmark bomb plot.
Omar Stemmerik, a Military Adviser at the Netherlands Forces Caribbean Command and until recently at the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations. He led multiple initiatives to increase the military's effectiveness in countering terrorism and violent extremism (CVE).
To discuss peace innovation, curricula and speaking engagements, please get in touch via the Speaking page on this website.
“The DEEPEST rootS of OUR
most PRESSING CHALLENGES—
whether conflict or climate
change—fundamentALLY
comeS down to
a crisis of values.”
If we look to the data on how terrorist groups end, the Global Terrorism Index, an analysis of 586 terrorist groups that operated between 1970 and 2007, found that repressive counterterrorism measures enforced by military and security agents achieved the least success with “religious” terrorist organizations—contributing to the demise of only 12 percent.
In light of these findings, how can humanizing counterterrorism transform the conditions that lead to violent extremism and enable greater peacefulness?
Compassionate Counterterrorism: The Power of Inclusion in Fighting Fundamentalism reveals how our deeply fractured political landscape and polarized discourse mirror the very dynamics that fuel violent extremism. Chapter 7 (which you can download below) demonstrates how selective compassion and dehumanization of "the other" becomes the very oxygen feeding cycles of violence across ideological divides.
As today's headlines reflect an alarming crescendo of global tensions and ideological entrenchment, this work shows that expanding our capacity for empathy beyond our in-groups becomes not just morally imperative but a strategic necessity.
By confronting our shared capacity for moral blindness and challenging our tendency toward self-righteousness, this approach offers hope for transforming today's political battlegrounds into spaces for collective security. The path forward lies not in naive optimism, but in the revolutionary power of radical inclusion and clear-eyed compassion.
Compassionate Counterterrorism is published by Berrett-Koehler, a Benefit Corporation, and distributed by Penguin Random House. It is available for purchase at your favorite retailers, linked below and you can also download Chapters 1 and 7 below.
A RADICAL SOLUTION TO TERRORISM & VIOLENT EXTREMISM
Read about Compassionate Counterterrorism in:
PRAISE
“This book brings a refreshing alternative to the fiction that state force is the long-term solution to terrorism. A thoughtful, personal, and impressive analysis of why a broader approach to the challenge may yield more effective long-term outcomes.”
— Sir Hugh Orde, OBE, QPM, former Chief Constable, Police Service of Northern Ireland
"Intelligent and intrepid work. Leena's effort to unearth a critical societal faultline is the first step towards building a post-fundamentalist future for our next generation."
— Tariq Cheema, Founder, World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists
"As we face a global crisis of increased intolerance and exclusion, Leena makes a compelling case for a radical nonviolent approach to defeating terrorism that transforms our current oppressive measures into opportunities for greater peacefulness. Full of unorthodox approaches like invoking the use of religion as an antidote for violent extremism; exploring untapped collaboration between civil society, business and the military; and even using love to demobilize a terrorist group--this is an important contribution and fascinating read that defies disciplines!"
— Kavita N. Ramdas, Director of Women’s Rights Program at The Open Society Foundations, Strategy Advisor at MADRE, Cofounder of KNR Sisters, and Former Strategic Advisor to Ford Foundation President.
"A brilliant and fresh analysis of one of the most misunderstood global problems of our age – if you read one book on terrorism, choose this one.”
— Lisa Schirch, PhD, Editor of The Ecology of Violent Extremism: Perspectives on Peacebuilding and Human Security. Senior Policy Advisor at Alliance for Peacebuilding
“A provocative and concise examination of why we cannot bomb our way to ending terrorism. While the author is careful not to advocate for the absence of a hard security approach, she does a masterful job at highlighting many innovations that have proven effective in reducing and transforming political violence in various parts of the world, and challenges the world to do much better and to have higher aspirations.”
— Dr. Craig Zelizer, Founder and CEO of Peace and Collaborative Development Network (PCDN), former professor of Conflict Resolution program at Georgetown University, Cofounder of Alliance for Conflict Transformation and the TEAM foundation
“An honest, comprehensive and thoughtful critique highlighting and challenging stereotypes and assumptions about terrorism and violent extremism. Must read for anyone involved in peace-building and conflict resolution.”
— Eva Grosman, CEO of the Centre for Democracy and Peace Building, and Director for Public Affairs at the Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict, University of Oxford
"In a refreshing and candid style that goes far beyond conventional analyses and commonly suggested solutions, Al Olaimy delivers a powerful counter argument on how to deal with terrorism. Insightful and persuasive, her book should be required reading for those in policy circles who routinely deal with strategies to combat terrorism."
— Prof. Dirk Vandewalle, Dartmouth College
"This is an insightful book. Compassion is not a word generally associated with terrorism, but the message needs to be heard. Bravo, Leena!"
– John Marks, Co-Editor of “Common Ground on Terrorism” and founder & former President of Search for Common Ground (Nobel nominee)
“It could easily be argued that compassion is the #1 leadership skill. Leena’s suggestion of leading with compassion provides possibility for bringing opposing forces together. It is more than time for the world to recognize our shared humanity and Leena inspires us to do just that!”
— J’Lein Liese, Ph.D., Managing Partner of Equanimity Leadership Solutions, President of Foundation for Global Leadership, Inc.