Manwar Ali: Inside the mind of a former radical jihadist
מנוואר עלי: אל תוך מוחו של איש ג'יהאד קיצוני לשעבר
A former committed pioneer of violent jihad, Manwar Ali draws on his experience and deepening understanding of Islam to prevent radicalisation and extremism. Full bio
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as a man who lives life to the full
כאדם שחי את חייו במלואם
in the language of force and violence.
through power and aggression.
for the suffering of others
נגע מאוד לליבי
to help and bring relief to them.
and violence are true jihad,
הן הג'יהאד האמיתי,
of jihad is wrong --
של ג'יהאד שגויה --
and remembrance of God.
for all those meanings as a whole.
המושגים הללו כמכלול.
take the form of fighting,
the harm or hardship it entails.
של הנזק או המצוקה להם היא גורמת.
that are connected to jihad or fighting
לג'יהאד או ללחימה
that talk about forgiveness,
שמדברים על מחילה,
no circumstances on earth
has been hijacked.
to mean violent struggle
are undergoing difficulties,
means striving to the utmost
הוא השאיפה למיטב היכולת
those qualities which God loves:
when everything changed.
impacted upon us terribly,
of my relatives in horrible ways,
for four years.
במשך ארבע שנים.
for two and a half years,
every week in prison,
and injustices in the world.
how I could channel that desire
אני יכול לתעל את התשוקה הזו
in the jihad in Afghanistan.
population against the Soviet army.
מהצבא הסובייטי.
of violent jihad in the UK.
האלים בבריטניה.
as presented by the fascist Islamists --
האיסלמיסטים הקיצוניים --
authority and control on earth:
סמכות ושליטה בעולם:
by fascist Islamist groups
איסלמיות קיצוניות
an Islamic state,
against this, my country,
the non-Muslim citizens,
formed a special bond
did menial tasks in the camp.
about a better future for him.
caught up in a war,
mortar shell in a trench,
in a makeshift mud hut lab.
pointless skirmish --
to discover he was dead.
לגלות שהוא מת.
explosives from that shell.
that had proved harmless to me.
שנראה לי לא מזיק.
and grenade launchers.
with soft manners and gentle voices.
וקולות עדינים.
to take them away to England.
must have spoken to one another
בוודאי דיברו ביניהם
looking up at the stars,
מסתכלים אל הכוכבים,
for glory and power.
לתהילה וכוח.
killing one another
הורגים אחד את השני
and vulnerable to kill one another
והפגיעים על מנת שיהרגו אחד את השני
against invaders or occupiers;
in the name of jihad.
what I had experienced
on my activities here in the UK.
שלי פה בבריטניה.
in violent jihad in the mid '80s,
באמצע שנות ה-80,
it was in the year 2000.
we were doing in their name.
to develop a virtuous character.
לפתח דמות מוסרית.
we were fighting for the oppressed,
למען המדוכאים,
through which more deaths occurred,
אירעו יותר מקרי מוות,
in violent jihadism,
to these types of extremisms,
מסוגלים להשתנות.
and restore them
ולשקם אותו
with human values that heal.
אנושיים שמרפאים.
we are told without critical reflection.
מבלי להרהר ביקורתית.
that many of us would cherish
שרבים מאיתנו היו מוקירים
I thought were correct.
how I knew what I knew.
איך ידעתי את מה שידעתי.
to accept the truth,
its rightful place.
את מקומו הראוי.
is rooted in my experience,
מושרשת בניסיון שלי,
of us and them is false and unjust.
הוא שקרי ובלתי הוגן.
in all that we had asserted,
with variation and contradiction,
like I used to be,
they use to assert authenticity.
אותם החשיבו כאותנטיים.
importance of self-knowledge,
של מודעות עצמית,
for a deep and wide understanding
believe in Islamist jihadism ...
בג'יאהדיזם איסלמי --
cruel, unjust and futile behavior.
התנהגות אכזרית, לא מוצדקת וחסרת ערך.
beautiful and useful things
in others and in the world.
באחרים ובעולם.
more to ourselves ...
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Manwar Ali - Peace activistA former committed pioneer of violent jihad, Manwar Ali draws on his experience and deepening understanding of Islam to prevent radicalisation and extremism.
Why you should listen
Manwar Ali (also known as Abu Muntasir) is one of the few scholars in the UK who has been directly involved in jihad. For around fifteen years he radicalised, recruited, fundraised and fought in Afghanistan, Kashmir and Burma. Now he draws on this experience in his work with the UK's Home Office and Crown Prosecution Service.
Ali is a Muslim scholar who teaches Islam to restore balance, enhance human values and address issues of extremism through education, social projects, charitable events and open discussion. He works to foster peaceful coexistence through mutual understanding, good-neighborliness and caring engagement.
Ali founded the UK Muslim educational charity JIMAS and pioneered Zakat distribution in the UK. For more than 30 years he has had extensive experience in teaching Islam. He has helped make British Islam relevant and important to life now, preparing many students for life and leading the way in practicing civic engagement as an Imam.
Ali holds a B.Sc. (Hons) and M.Sc. in Computer Science, an MA in Islamic Studies and a Diploma in Arabic.
Manwar Ali | Speaker | TED.com