Publication

This report looks at the transformation of religious extremists to peace seekers and practitioners of non-violent conflict resolution. Through several individual case studies the author finds that for some religious extremists this change is a spiritual transformation, similar to a religious conversion. The transformation involves a reorientation in outlook and direction but does not necessarily imply an alteration in basic personality structure. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations to understand this phenomenon and promote the exit of participants from extremist groups.