FORMER EXTREMIST: Shahid
Shahid joined the foreign fighters brigade of the Bosnian army in the 1990s and then travelled to Afghanistan and Kashmir before being captured in Yemen. He works with community based organisations to de-construct extremist ideas.
Growing up in an inner city in the UK, Shahid had to learn to protect himself due to racist attacks in the 1970s and 80s. With a keen interest in martial arts, he soon got a reputation as a fighter to be feared. After the Rushdie Affair galvanised his Muslim identity, and he was attacked by police at a demonstration, he became drawn into increasingly radical Islamic networks. Horrified by the massacres of Muslims in Bosnia, Shahid decided he needed to take action and joined an aid convoy to the country. Witnessing the starvation and misery of the Muslims, Shahid was determined to take action to protect them, and joined a military group. He points out the unpredictability of predicting who is likely to perpetrate terrorist offences, and the risk of self-radicalising loners. He gives his opinions on the best methods to deradicalise young Muslims and his personal understanding of the meaning of sharia and jihad in Islam.