Jesse Morton: The Jihadi Who Changed His Mind
Jesse Morton was a radical jihadi sentenced to eleven and a half years for making violent threats. He underwent a transformation and is now speaking out against extremism.
Jesse Morton was once a radical jihadi involved in the American offshoot of the banned British extremist group Al-Muhajiroun.
Al-Muhajiroun's leader, Anjem Choudary, was convicted of inviting others to support the so-called Islamic State, and is awaiting sentencing. And Morton himself crossed the line and was sentenced to 11 1/2 years in prison for making violent threats in America. But while he was locked up, Morton underwent a profound transformation and is now speaking out against Islamic extremism.
Morton, who is now free and working at a think tank at George Washington University, talks to David Aaronovitch about how he was seduced by jihadi ideology, how he snared others with radical interpretations of Islamic texts, and eventually how he came to see the errors in his own thinking and is working to repair the damage he caused along the way.
CONTRIBUTORS:
Jesse Morton
Dominic Casciani, 麻豆社 Home Affairs Correspondent
PRODUCER: Mike Wendling
EDITOR: Innes Bowen
PHOTO CREDIT: Al Drago/New York Times/Redux/Eyevine
Last on
More episodes
Fethullah Gulen and Turkey's Failed Coup
Turkey's president blamed last week's coup attempt on the Gulen movement. What is it?
Broadcast
- Thu 1 Sep 2016 20:00麻豆社 Radio 4 FM
Podcast
-
The Briefing Room
David Aaronovitch presents in-depth explainers on big issues in the news.