Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg

A former Al-Qaeda recruiter speaks (with Jesse Morton)

May 4, 2022

01:54:17

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Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The False Interpretation of the American Society

01:20

The History of Islam

01:20

The Importance of Intelligence

01:20

The Black Sheep Mentality

01:20

Introduction

2min

The Black Sheep Mentality

4min

The Importance of Being Outspoken

3min

The Rise and Fall of Malcolm X

5min

Eunice Abdullah Muhammad

5min

The Impact of Social Media on American Muslims

2min

The Importance of De-Radicalization

3min

The Transformation of Islam

3min

The Role of Rule Following in Trauma

6min

10.

The Importance of Literalism in Islam

4min

11.

The Importance of Embrace in Extremism

4min

12.

The Indoctrination Process

5min

13.

The Perversion of the Quran

2min

14.

The Problem With the Quran and the Hadith

6min

15.

The Differences Between Islam and the Bible

2min

16.

The Negative Effects of Reading the Qur'an in Isolation

2min

17.

The Importance of Calling to the Truth

4min

18.

The History of Islam

4min

19.

The Politics of Religion

2min

20.

The Holistic Worldview of Islam

3min

21.

The Power of Narrative

3min

22.

The Power of Negative Narratives

3min

23.

The Importance of Free Speech in Jihadism

5min

24.

The De-Radicalization of Islam

3min

25.

The Importance of Re-Acclimating to the Islamic State

2min

26.

The Pathway to Recovery From Addiction

4min

27.

The Parallel Network Philosophy: A New Approach to Countering Violent Extremism

5min

28.

The Importance of Refuting Confirmation Bias

2min

29.

The Problem With Extremism

4min

30.

The Importance of Community Connection

4min

31.

The Power of Guilt

3min

32.

Why People Aren't Worried About Climate Change

3min

Read the full transcript here.

NOTE: When we published this episode a few days ago, we were unaware that Jesse had passed away back in December of 2021. We only just learned of this fact today when a listener reached out to inform us. We're saddened by this news, and we apologize for any possible confusion or hurt we may have caused by linking to his Twitter handle, email address, etc. We have removed those items from his bio but left the link to the Light Upon Light website since it contains many of Jesse's writings and information about his life's work.

What leads people to violent extremism? Is extremism a legitimate, rational response to trauma, hardship, and powerlessness? Do some holy books make it easier to justify violence than others, or are all violent movements equally capable of extracting justifications from their holy book? To what extent does recruitment to radical movements involve "brainwashing" or overriding people's beliefs versus hooking into, shaping, and strengthening their beliefs? Are cults and radical movements the same thing? What enables people to deradicalize? How can we most effectively interact with radicalized friends or family members?

Jesse Morton was once a jihadist propagandist (then known as Younes Abdullah Muhammad) who ran Revolution Muslim, a New York City-based organization active in the 2000s that connected Muslims in the west to al-Qaeda's ideology, creating English language propaganda and collaborating with the most notorious jihadist preachers of that era. He deradicalized in 2011 and has worked since to become a leading commentator, interventionist, and innovator in the prevention and countering of violent extremism, focusing especially on jihadist, far-right, and far-left extremism. Jesse was included in Foreign Policy Magazine's 2017 "Global Thinkers" listing and holds a master's in Middle East studies from Columbia University along with licensure in substance-abuse and mental health counseling. Find more info at lightuponlight.online.

Staff