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Undercover Jihadi: From Radicalization to Counterterrorism with Mubin Shaikh
Description
What makes someone embrace violent extremism? What does it take to walk away from it? And how do we prevent the next generation from being recruited?
In this episode of The Watch Floor, former CIA Targeting Officer Sarah Adams sits down with Mubin Shaikh, a former Islamist extremist who became an undercover counterterrorism operative and helped dismantle one of Canada's most significant domestic terrorist plots, the Toronto 18.
Mubin takes us inside his extraordinary journey, from growing up between two very different worlds in Canada and traveling to Pakistan, where he encountered the Taliban, to embracing radical ideology and eventually rejecting it. He explains how he went from being part of extremist circles to working with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), infiltrating a terrorist network planning attacks on Canadian soil.
But this conversation goes beyond his undercover work. We examine how radicalization happens, why young people are particularly vulnerable to extremist recruitment, how terrorist organizations exploit the internet, and what actually works when it comes to countering violent extremism.
Today, Mubin works to prevent radicalization and help individuals leave extremist movements, including through his involvement with Parents for Peace, an organization providing families, communities, and professionals with the tools and support needed to recognize warning signs and intervene before violence occurs. This is a conversation about the realities of radicalization, the intelligence work required to stop terrorist attacks, and why prevention must be part of the counterterrorism mission.
LEARN MORE AND SUPPORT THE MISSION
Parents for Peace: https://www.parents4peace.org/
Parents for Peace offers confidential support to families concerned about radicalization, along with intervention services, education, and training to help prevent violent extremism.
READ MUBIN SHAIKH'S BOOK
Undercover Jihadi: Inside the Toronto 18
An account of his journey through radicalization, his undercover intelligence work, and the terrorist plot he helped disrupt.