(CBS) When it comes to terrorism and extremism, intelligence agencies in the U.S. and Europe have been grappling with the bewildering phenomenon: that a surprisingly large number of Islamic radicals are relatively well off and well-educated Westerners.
To look into this, we recently went to Great Britain, where there are more supporters of al Qaeda than anywhere else in the West.
In London we met a British Muslim, Maajid Nawaz, who told us that what is turning so many of his countrymen into radicals is something called the “narrative,” that says the United States is out to destroy Islam.
It’s an ideology Islamic radicals subscribe to.
We asked Nawaz, a former true believer: exactly what is the narrative?
For those who choose to attack Islam as a whole and not temper their attacks to be surgically aimed at the radicals, militants, and terrorists, you undermine this man’s attempts at winning hearts and minds. You give validity to “the Narrative” and give ammunition to the Jihad Movement.
A former fetus, the “wordsmith from nantucket” was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1968. Adopted at birth, wordsmith grew up a military brat. He achieved his B.A. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles (graduating in the top 97% of his class), where he also competed rings for the UCLA mens gymnastics team. The events of 9/11 woke him from his political slumber and malaise. Currently a personal trainer and gymnastics coach.
The wordsmith has never been to Nantucket.