Set to the backdrop of a warm Georgia summer night, we bring you an intimate conversation with forensic psychologist Rachel Bell. We cover:
- Rachael's experience working in Rotterdam, offering therapy to Muslims extremists classified as "honor killers." What did she do to "test" them?
- Genetic predispositions to psychosis, exploring the evergreen question of nature vs. nurture.
- How do we use science to dissuade people from joining extremist organizations? A look at tangible solutions that lead with psychology.
- What are the red flags for parents, teachers and counselors should watch out for?
- How can you treat people with extremist behavior? Does that change if it's a cult or gang?
- Acculturation vs. Assimilation: programs that can create pathways for belonging.
- Why the West needs to educate itself on what's coming in from vulnerable migrant communities just as much as they might expect those communities to understand Western law and culture.
- Why did a popular liberal media outlet look the other way on female militants and child militants?
- How do we build programs to empower youth and deal with some of these issues from the bottom up?
The evening was generously hosted by Georgene Brazer.
Rachael Bell has worked as a forensic psychologist for over 25 years. She owns a private counseling practice and a podcast series called True Crimes Podcast. She's taught in the U.S. and in two universities in the Netherlands, covering a range of subjects from forensic psychology, personality theories, research, and criminal psychology. Rachael has a double Masters in health psychology and clinical psychology, with a focus in forensics.
About Shireen Qudosi:
Shireen Qudosi is a writer and speaker on faith, identity, and belonging. She’s one of the leading North American Muslim Reformers. Her work has been published in The Federalist, Women in the World, Clarion Project, The Middle East Forum, and more. Her keynote writings also include an in-depth assessment on the War on Terror through the lens of WWII and a two-hour exclusive interview with radical Imam Abu Taubah, who was linked to Orlando Shooter Omar Mateen. In 2016, Shireen testified before the House Homeland Security Committee Hearing on radical Islam, offering a powerful testimony that tied the current crisis to Islam’s origin story. “Original Islam” is a theme that runs through the veins of her work, and is central to the book project she is pursuing. In 2017, Shireen launched a petition against Davis hate imam Ammar Shahin, which broadened into a small movement in 2018. She carried her message on hate imams in Never Again is Now, a documentary by filmmaker Evelyn Markus, on the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe and the United States. In 2019, she bridged her experience in reform to ally with former extremists and develop a training series on preventing violent extremism. In 2020, she launched two simultaneous podcasts, Belonging and Endeavor Against Extremism, available on SoundCloud.
Shireen’s experience has given her insight in forecasting where the conversation among the world’s leading secular and religious Islamic leaders is heading. She is also deeply interested in personal narratives as instruments for change. As a former refugee raised across three continents, she has a unique perspective of the issues facing the U.S. and global Muslim community. In 2011, Shireen was named one of the top ten North American Muslim Reformers by journalist Christine Williams.
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Read Shireen’s autobiographical essay here: https://medium.com/@shireenqudosi/how-i-became-a-muslim-reformer-7d0041712979
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