A Major Player in Terrorism Has Change of Heart

Hattip to Captain Ed where he cites this article from the Guardian, Violence Won't Work. The article describes the conversion of a former jihadist Sayid Imam al-Sharif, who was behind the assassination of Anwar Sadat. Is this conversion for real or is it your typical jailhouse conversion?

But Egyptian and western experts, government officials and former jihadis agree that Sharif's shift is both genuine and highly significant. "People will say things to stop being tortured, but this is the result of a long process of reflection and debate," insists Muntasir al-Zayyat, a lawyer jailed for Islamic Jihad membership in the 1980s. "When the book comes out there will be a furious reaction from Zawahiri and the global jihadi movement. It is clear that Sayid Imam will call a halt to killing operations in Egypt and abroad."

If it is true, then this is wonderful progress towards reform that is needed in Islam. May the jihadist movement continue to unravel!