Want to Stop Islamic State Recruitment? Look to Muslim Mothers

Here’s an idea: Call in the mothers to combat Islamic State recruitment.

As Aliya Saeed of the Group for Advancement of Psychiatry writes in The Guardian, “The voice of Muslim mothers is conspicuously absent from the public discourse about preventing radicalization in the Muslim-American community.” The maternal bond may hold some of the answers to the problem, she continues: “When recognized and empowered, they can play a robust role in protecting their families and communities, a role enshrined in the Islamic tradition.”

Several mothers have come forth in the United States and abroad, begging for the return and/or pardoning of their sons and daughters who have fallen prey to the radicalization machine. But Saeed and others want more than public outcry:

“Communities must further develop community-led prevention intervention, and rehabilitation capacities, which allow young persons to get the help and, where possible, avoid lengthy prison sentences. This would allow mothers to see law enforcement as allies in keeping their teenagers safe … Outreach strategies can run the gamut from cyber-awareness seminars to after school programs to bystander training. Muslim mothers are natural allies in these efforts not just because they are committed to keeping their children safe, but also because they have the knowledge to guide programs and policies more effectively towards their community’s needs.”