HEYLO.
Aren't they familiar?
Well known amongst us all!
The article that I'm sharing says that social enterprises are able to stop acts of terrorisms, say whhhaaattt?
For me, this article really challenged me to see how the SE model can do so much more good that what I imagined!
There are no limitations!!! (Maybe a little idealistic, but hey, a wonderful thought that keeps the passion alive~)
Mr Noor Huda Ismail, the author of the article started an interesting SE idea by starting programmes for post-detention convicted terrorists. That was a social issue that I completely missed, like it wasn't even on my radar...
One very important piece to how this whole thing works is that Mr Ismail was able to understand how a terrorist thinks because he went to Islamic school and knew how twisted these people's ideas can be. Mr Ismail also attended school in Scotland, there he gained greater insight on the Western culture.
These experiences helped him to achieve a balanced attitude towards them, not judging them but understanding how they became who they are.
His idea was to employ them, and reintegrate them by helping them see that they can contribute back to the community. His SE restaurant hires drop-out terrorists and drop-out students.
The best thing is that he gets the ex-terrorists to search for drop-outs, giving them a sense of communal usefulness. By doing so, they are less likely to go back to their old network of terrorist groups.
Towards the end of the article, he seeks greater support and involvement of the government and encourages more NGOs to look into this social gap.
I am not yet convinced that this is the problem I wish to address, but it is nonetheless an important issue that has been overlooked.
Any of you keen to take this up?;)
Hi Grace
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed an interesting way to stop the violence act in today's world. I never thought that social enterprise can be relevant in this context as well.
Such new paradigm shift of perception can only be credited to exploration of other countries like what Mr Ismail did. Travelling to countries can bring new insights to existing knowledge one have.
As Mark Twain once said "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
Thus, I wonder if his social enterprise can be sustainable with people's fear of terrorism.
Hi Grace!
ReplyDeleteWoah! They really do have different viewpoints on they can use the SE model don't they? This guy, Mr Ismail really seems to want to change the perspective of the clients that he's helping doesn't he? He went to great lengths, such as understanding this people and also seeing as how others were different as compared to where he came from! What he is doing is amazing and so different from what he usually hear about how we wanna help those ex-convicts, don't we? We don't even usually know that there are actually drop-out terrorists, and wow to change them to make sure that they feel belonged back into their own community.
It just might break people's perception that terrorist only know how to kill people, not accept people. That's holywakamoly.
Guga :)