I was contacted by M. Ayub Ayubi, from Pakistan.  He wanted to tell his story.  I hope you will watch the video.  It may be hard to understand, due to his accent, so please hit the “CC” button to turn on the closed captions.

Don’t see the video? Click here to see the video!

Ayub has come to define the group his family is still part of as a Muslim cult.  As he headed off to college, hoping to find freedom from the restraints of his family’s radical belief system, he became involved in another extremist Muslim “cult”, this time of a leftist nature.

Breaking free from the influence of mental manipulation is not easy, especially when it involves family.  Without proper counseling, or at least access to information about how mental manipulation works, vulnerability to a different flavor of mental manipulation is high during the breaking free process.

Many people stay in radical groups, even if they don’t really believe in the doctrine, because of how difficult it is.  During adolescence and early adulthood, if someone attempts to break free from the radical belief systems of their family, they are especially vulnerable.  It feels lonely.  There is a cognitive dissonance that is painful.  Filling the void with another radical belief system is not uncommon.

Ayub’s reading about cults helped him understand what happened to him. The more he understood about the psychology behind what he had been through, the more determined he became to prevent others from the mental trappings of radical groups.

Ayub is now literally risking his life to do the work he does, to prevent radicalization among young people in Pakistan. The work he is doing is very important, but not very safe.

Ayub told me he has written his obituary, and is not afraid to die.  Although Ayub is on the other side of the planet from me, and I have only talked with him via Skype, he has become a friend and someone I have great respect for.

Ayub has founded an organization called Renaissance Foundation for Social Innovation, Pakistan (RESIP) Through this organization young people in Pakistan learn critical thinking skills, conflict resolution skills and about the need to value diversity.

Below are links to his website and to a Global Giving site where he is trying to find funding for the work he is doing.  Please support his work in any way you can.  Simply sharing his story is a great help.

M. Ayub Ayubi is the founder of Renaissance Foundation for Social Innovation, Pakistan (RESIP)  You can find his work at https://www.dialoguepeace.com

Another way you can support the work of countering Islamic extremism is by donating to a newly launched Global Giving campaign.  Learn more here: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/countering-islamic-extremism/

As I watch young men and women commit atrocities in the name of ISIS, I continue to ask the question, “Whose voice will get through to a young Muslim who is vulnerable to radicalization”?

Those are the voices, the stories, I am looking for to include in The Stories Campaign.

This week is an excellent example.  I bring you Mubin Shaikh.

I spoke with Mubin in a park in Toronto, Canada.  As a teenager, in the very park we filmed this video, he felt torn between two worlds; his family’s culture of a strict Muslim tradition, and the life he shared with his friends and classmates.  His confusion took him down a dangerous path.  His incredible story is in his book Undercover Jihidi:Inside the Toronto 18-Al Qaeda Inspired, Homegrown, Terrorism in the West

Mubin Shaikh is an expert on Radicalization, deradicalization, countering violent extremism, National security and Counter-terrorism.  However, we spoke on a more personal lever.

In the video below Mubin speaks directly to young Muslims who may be heading down the road toward terrorism.

Watch this video. Share it on your Facebook page. Get it out there!

Don’t see the video?  Click here to see the video!

This week’s story is one that touches me personally.  Ray and Sonya Pearson were born into the same religious cult I was a member of, The Unification Church, often referred to as “The Moonies”.   It’s founder, Sun Myung Moon, claimed to be the 2nd coming of the messiah.

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I just listened to the Podcast Sam Harris posted a few weeks ago. The link is below and I definitely recommend listening to it.

Sam makes a strong argument that “belief is the primary driver of behavior”. He points to cases such as the Heaven’s Gate cult, in which members took their own lives, or to groups like ISIS, who commit atrocities for their belief. While I don’t disagree, I would add another layer.

Having been in a cult, I know first-hand the power that belief holds.

I remember a day, when I was about a year into my 5 years of being in a religious cult. I got a call from my brother telling me that my Mom had breast cancer. He asked me come home, said she needed me. I was in the middle of a training that I believed was critical to God’s work. I believed the messiah was on the earth and I was receiving God’s words directly from his son, Sun Myung Moon.

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