A lot of people want to give reasons why I did things. They want to find a gap or a void in my life, 'he did this because of that' but I don't buy into those things. I know why I did it because I was convinced on a personal level that this was my religion.
“We’re talking about environments where people are being stabbed in the throat at Friday prayers. Literally. When I‘ve got these guys coming in here, I am able to take that aggression and that survival instinct that they have cultivated in there and really strip it away, but also challenge their idea of themselves from a very healthy perspective.”
Over six months Usman Raja gave CNN exclusive access to his pioneering work; speaking for the first time about his work with former terrorists.
The BBC has covered TUI's pioneering
work over the years with exclusive interviews and reports.
The radical preacher, Anjem Choudary, has been sentenced to five and a half years in jail for inciting support for Islamic State militants. Senior Home Affairs Correspondent, Simon Israel.
Over the last eight years, Mr. Raja and his group, the Unity Initiative, have helped reintegrate more than 50 released prisoners convicted of terrorism offenses. He has counseled more than 180 young Muslims to shun radicalization, all of them referred to him either by members of their communities or law enforcement.
CTC Sentinel is a monthly, interdisciplinary journal that covers research and news.
The Atlantic describes it as "The leading practitioner-oriented journal on terrorism and counterterrorism issues."
Interview with Dr Angela Misra
Deputy CEO
Interview with Shaun Greenough
Domestic and International Operations Manager
Interview with Usman Raja
CEO
THE TEAM
Dr Angela Misra
Deputy CEO
Usman Raja
CEO
Paul Cruickshank
Senior Counter Terrorism Advisor
Raff Pantucci
Shaun Greenough
Senior Academic Advisor
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T H E T E A M
Dr Angela Misra
Deputy CEO
Operations and Strategy Director
Usman Raja
CEO
Paul Cruickshank
Senior Counter Terrorism Advisor
Raff Pantucci
Shaun Greenough
Senior Academic Advisor
Domestic and International
Operations Manager
Word of Mouth
"From everything I have seen of Usman Raja’s work with former extremists – he has a remarkable success rate in managing to change the mind of those attracted to jihadist ideology. The combination of his strong, warm personality that offers brotherly reassurance, with a level of strength that impresses anyone who has contemplated physical jihad, and a deep seated knowledge of Islamic history and jurisprudence – means he is extremely well placed to connect with individuals who have committed or are contemplating acts of Islamist violence."
Secunder Kermani
BBC Correspondent
“The science behind disengagement and deradicalisation is constantly being empirically tested through the engagement strategies deployed by the Unity Intiative. By appropriating the tactics and strategies at the foundation of popular movements, Unity disconnects radicals from their violent prescriptions and reconnects them with humanity.”
Moustafa Ayad
Institute for Strategic Dialogue
Deputy Director of International Technology, Communications and Education
Ha
"Although passion and commitment is arguably a must in this environment, there are several things that must come together to achieve a successful outcome. Other key attributes include: street credibility, community credibility, religious credibility, and a holistic approach. During my research many of the.. (Intervention Providers) were found to be missing one or in some cases several of these
attributes. This is not the case with Mr Raja."
Dr Douglas Weeks
California State University
Counter Terrorism Expert
"The UK's most effective weapon against Terrorism"
"If it was not for Usman Raja there would be would be tens of Terrorists out there trying to Murder us!"
Professor Michael Clarke
Former Director-General of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
Former Deputy Vice-Principal and Director for Research Development at King’s College
Specialist adviser to the House of Commons Defence Committee