Yesterday, we told Ali’s story of how he had picked up radical ideology from radical preacher Anwar al-Awlaki via the Internet. After he was caught, Ali served a two-year detention order and received counselling. He was later released. This is his counsellor’s story.

Some bang tables, while others hurl insults.

And few are receptive to counselling at the start, said Ustaz Mohd Feisal Mohd Hassan. (Ustaz is the title for an Islamic teacher.)

The 40-year-old has been involved in counselling Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) detainees and self-radicalised individuals.
Among the people he has counselled is Ali, a former polytechnic student with the smarts to make it to university.

… Ustaz Mohd Feisal Mohd Hassan is a secretariat member of the Religious Rehabilitation Group and is a religious rehabilitation counsellor.

He holds two master’s:

Master of Arts in Islamic Thought from the International Islamic University Malaysia

Master of Science in International Relations from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

He is now pursuing a PhD at the University of Melbourne.

His PhD discusses moderation in Islamic thought, especially in minority communities.