The Saudi government has been embarrassed by the re-arrest of nine Saudi Islamic militants despite their completion of a rehabilitation treatment program referred to as the “Betty Ford Clinic For Jihadists.”
Previously, the Saudi’s claimed that the experimental program had a zero recidivism rate.
TimesOnline reported how the Care Rehabilitation Centre outside of Riyadh works:
Inmates have access to swimming pools, table tennis and PlayStations. In the evenings, guards and prisoners play football. An air-conditioned tent sits adjacent to the sports field, serving as a dining hall and common room where, when I visited, the prisoners were tucking into rice and lamb with fresh fruit for pudding.
In return for this privileged treatment, the prisoners — Islamic extremists, some of whom are convicted murderers— are obliged to attend lessons based around Islamic law and the jurisprudence of jihad. A team of psychologists teaches detainees how they should manage their emotions, particularly when reacting to world events.
Art therapy classes help inmates to “reveal their softer side.” And it is not just the artwork that is surreal. It is quite a sight to see men in flowing robes, with unkempt beards and their trousers hoisted above their ankles, sit down with a pack of crayons to express themselves. “The unconscious mind holds a lot of things,” said the therapist.
The failure of the rehabilitation program underscores the problem that the Obama administration has with the remaining prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. The Pentagon claims that dozens of released prisoners have returned to terrorism. Being that the remaining prisoners are the most dedicated to their cause, it is unlikely they will be released freely to a foreign country or join the “Betty Ford Clinic For Jihadists.”
