A Canadian mosque is doing its part to fight terrorism by creating a 12-step program to re-teach the Islam to budding radicals, Fox News reports.
The "detox" program began at the Masjid el Moor mosque in Toronto to stop would-be terrorists by promoting the religion's core, non-violent values - mercy, peace and altruism.
The creator of the "Specialized De-Radicalization Intervention Program," Mohammad Shaikh, said the Internet has given radicals access to false information about the Islamic faith that has led them to a misunderstanding of the religion's meaning.
"Online, they can seek out people who think like they do," Shaikh said of potential terrorists.
Shaikh, a former police chaplain in Canada, recruited counselors and experts on Islam to help run the program.
"We clarify the differences and bring people back toward the traditional interpretation of the Islamic faith, which completely rejects suicide bombings and extremism in all of its forms," counselor Ahmed Amiruddin said.
Amiruddin said that terrorists' interpretation of Islam is "inconsistent" with traditional schools of thought, and the program will help recenter youth who have lost their way with the religion.
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Shaikh and Amiruddin have reached out to the Canadian government in an attempt to spread the program to mosques nationwide and, potentially, to other countries.
The first step of the program is to teach students more about God.
"Once they realize, 'Hey, I even have God wrong here,' most people do want to change," Amiruddin said.
