100 more “reformed”Al Qaeda sympathizers released [Archives:2004/793/Front Page]

By Peter Willems
Yemen Times Staff
The Yemeni government recently released 100 detainees suspected of being sympathetic to the Al-Qaeda international terrorist network after going through the dialogue process, said Hamoud Al-Hitar, Head of Yemen's Dialogue Committee.
According to Al-Hitar, the detainees, who were not charged with any crimes and signed a commitment to follow the constitution and laws and refrain from violence, were released at the end of Ramadan.
“One hundred Al-Qaeda sympathizers were released and they were not detainees convicted of any crime,” Al-Hitar told Yemen Times. “They renounced completely their previous beliefs on violence and terrorism, and they showed their respect to the constitution. They also respect the rights of non-Muslims living in Yemen and the rights and interests of countries that have relationships with Yemen.”
Since the Dialogue Committee was established in the fall of 2002, 346 suspects have been released.
Up to 176 followers of Believing Youth, a renegade organization once founded by radical cleric Hussein Al-Houthi, are expected to be released in the near future. Al-Hitar said that they have been successful in persuading the members of the organization, but the Yemeni government is still following up on investigations to guarantee no criminal acts have been committed.
“The government is still concerned and needs to investigate further before the members of Believing Youth are released,” said Al-Hitar.
Those from Believing Youth that renounced violence and are expected to be released are some of the 350 members of the organization that are detained.
Al-Hitar explains that the Dialogue Committee, which is made up of 20 members, bases its practice on peace, tolerance and the importance of people living together without any conflict.
“The Committee has the job to show moderate Islam that is based on peace and the co-existence among people,” said Al-Hitar. “In our dialogue, we can point to what is in the Holy Koran emphasizing peace and the co-existence among people. Any time there is an argument with the detainees, we open the Holy Koran and show them what it says.”
Some have been concerned that some of the suspects may go back to radical ideas and belief after they are released.
“I support detainees being released if they did not commit a crime, but I'm not sure that their ingrained belief system can be changed,” said a Yemeni analyst.
Al-Hitar claims, however, that along with the government monitoring those that have been released, the Dialogue Committee carries out follow-up sessions to guide the once- detained suspects of following a new path.
“We continue to meet with those that have been released which reinforces their new beliefs,” said Al-Hitar. “We want to make sure that the ideas and beliefs remain and really believe in them.”
Al-Hitar said that the Dialogue Committee is also looking into developing a program to help those released reintegrate into society. The program will include assisting them to find jobs and offering guidance to adjust while being reintegrated. “We will help them adjust to become citizens and completely move away from extremist views,” said Al-Hitar.
The Dialogue Committee's unique contribution to the war on terror runs parallel to the government's focus on increasing security nationwide. Since the government joined the United States to fight terror after the attacks on US soil on September 11, 2001, security forces have rounded up hundreds of terrorist suspects, including key member of Al-Qaeda. Suspects charged of being involved in the bombing of the USS Cole at the port of Aden in 2000 and the French oil tanker off the coast of Yemen near Mukalla in 2002 were put on trial earlier this year. Last month, the Yemeni government said that no Al-Qaeda cells have remained in the country as a result of its focus on the war on terror.
Other countries are showing interest in the Dialogue Committee's approach. Al-Hitar said that governments in other parts of the world now contact him to learn about the committee's practices to convince suspects of turning away from violence. Last spring, Al-Hitar traveled to England to share his methods of dialogue with the British Foreign Office. Al-Hitar was also invited to attend the conference of Higher Council for Islamic Affairs in Cairo.
——
[archive-e:793-v:13-y:2004-d:2004-11-25-p:front]