Reforming Religious Fundamentalists

I asked a number of people from different walks of life and diverse cultural backgrounds, “What would you do with religious fundamentalists, especially those who adopt militant practices, have violent consciousness, and have become involved in armed struggle killing innocent men, women and children, believing that ends justify the means?”

The fascinating and intriguing responses covered a wide spectrum. On one end were those who wanted to kill them; they had no mercy for these militants whom they considered terrorists. On the other extreme were those who were sympathetic and supportive as they considered them freedom fighters fighting religious wars of independence. In the middle were those who did not approve of their ideology and political tactics but wanted to reform them. Those who wanted to execute them felt there was no hope of reforming them, as they were hardened criminals with no conscience, killing people in the name of God.

“Can militant religious fundamentalists be reformed?” If the answer is yes, then how?” These are million dollar questions pondered by many people in both the West and the East.

Being a student of human psychology who believes that human beings can change and reform, I studied interviews and biographies of militant religious fundamentalists who had reformed on their own and developed a peace consciousness.
Analyzing their stories I realized that there were a number of factors that played a significant role in that transformation. Some of those factors are as follows:


1. TIME FOR REFLECTION

For a genuine reformation and change of one’s heart and mind, it is important for people to reflect. This usually happens when people are in jail for long periods of time, especially in solitary confinement. Spending five or ten, even twenty years in jail can be a very painful experience that can result in dramatically different outcomes. On one hand it can harden some people and make them more militant and violent; but it can also soften some people who can repent and become more willing to reform. Some become bitter while others become better human beings.

Some militant fundamentalists may not have spent lengthy
periods in jail but were severely injured during violent confrontations, and spent long periods of time in hospital.
This inactivity forced them to reflect and do some introspection and soul-searching.


2. READING PEACEFUL LITERATURE

Some of those in jail, in hospital or confined to bed had lots of time to read books. If those books were about reformed revolutionaries, they also had an effect on the psyche of these religious fundamentalists. It was easy for them to identify with religious and political activists involved in armed struggle. In some cases these people had the opportunity for passionate debates and dialogues with those who had different, even opposing points of view. These debates offered an opportunity for catharsis as well as reflection and introspection.


3. REFORM OF THEIR LEADERS

Many religious fundamentalists respected and revered their religious and political leaders and when those leaders reformed, some of their followers were also inspired to reform as they had blind faith in those leaders. It is amazing to see how much psychological, religious and political power these leaders acquire over a period of time.
Some have a cultish personality, the charm and charisma of which has such an impact on their followers that they suspend their own judgment and follow these leaders blindly.


4. RE-INTERPRETING SCRIPTURES

While these religious fundamentalists had an opportunity to reflect, they read liberal and moderate translations of scriptures in which the writings had a symbolic and metaphorical rather than a literal interpretation. These metaphorical interpretations challenged their dogmatic views and forced them to reflect.


5. ART THERAPY CLASSES

There have been a number of psychotherapists and art therapists in different communities who have been working with violent religious fundamentalists hoping to soften their ideological rigidity. In some cases non-verbal therapy decreased the intensity in their personalities as they found a safe place to express their anger and resentment.


6. BECOMING OLDER AND WISER

As time passed some of these religious fundamentalists became older and wiser and the rigidity and intensity of their passions softened; they realized that the road of violence they had adopted led to more violence. Reviewing their ideology and lifestyle, they realized that their religious and political war was a projection of their inner war motivated by feelings of revenge and fueled by anger, resentment and hatred. The more peace they found in their own hearts, the more willing they were to shake hands and embrace their enemies and seek a peaceful resolution.


7. CHANGES IN THE MOVEMENT AND POLITICAL CLIMATE

As time passed there were significant changes in the political movements and religious parties to which these militant religious fundamentalists belonged. There were also shifts in the political climate of that community or country and in the world at large. Religious and political movements are dynamic rather than static forces and they change their ideologies and methods over time. Either they produce results and lead to victory or they stagnate and die. In some cases to achieve victory political and religious leaders have to change their strategy and philosophy.

After militant religious fundamentalists reform, they either
leave politics altogether, follow a spiritual path or stay in politics but seek to bring about political change through democratic and peaceful means. Many of them publicly announce that they will not spill any more blood especially of innocent men, women and children. Some of their friends, relatives and party members welcome this shift and are happy for the transformation, while others are suspicious and claim that it is not a genuine change, adopted only as a political strategy with ulterior personal and political motives. Religious fundamentalists who have had a genuine change of heart do not care about the reactions of other people. If they were leaders of an armed movement they do not hesitate to publicly apologize for their past violent acts and moreover try to inspire the next generation to leave violent methods behind, and instead to work for social and political change in their communities by democratic and peaceful means. They realize that it is easy to start violence and war but far more difficult to bring about a lasting peace.

When we study any armed struggle in the world, whether
religious or political, whether in Ireland or Vietnam, the Middle East or South Africa, we find some leaders and many followers who were part of a violent confrontation at one time and were perceived as “terrorists”, who experienced a transformation with the passage of time and embraced peace. It is fascinating to read biographies of Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin in the Middle East and Nelson Mandela and de Klerk in South Africa; they were enemies at one stage of the political struggle but after experiencing a psychological and political transformation shook hands, worked peacefully for change and eventually received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Such a psychological transformation, especially of political and religious leaders, is very important for us to study and understand, as it has a major impact on their followers and can change the course of history and the future of nations. Such change is a transformation from a violent to a peaceful consciousness and raises hope that the breakdowns of leaders and followers and of religious and political parties can lead to breakthroughs and can help us move towards the next step of social, political and cultural evolution.