A discussion with Dr. Tawfik Hamid, Egyptian and author of Roots of Jihad, on the rise of Islamic jihad and what it takes to combat it.

Tawfik Hamid was born in Egypt to a secular family in 1960. His father was an orthopedic surgeon and his mother was a French teacher. Both parents did not believe in God and hence, Hamid was raised an atheist. When he was fourteen years old, he underwent a conversion of sorts while reading a biology book. While studying the cell's molecular structure, it occurred to him that God must exist. This moment of enlightenment produced within him a deep hunger to know God.

At the University where he was studying medicine, one of the prominent religious groups was Jema'a Islameia (lit. Islamic group). Hamid was drawn by this group's piety and religiosity, eventually becoming one of its members. One of Hamid's most poignant memories from this chapter of his life was the day he was first taken to pray with the rest of the JI members. His mentor walked with him from the Anatomy Department and told him "Al-Fikr Kufr" which means "To think makes you an infidel". When they reached the prayer venue, Hamid recounts that the imam asked them to stand beside each other leaving no gaps. After inspecting their formation, the imam preached that when fighting for Allah, they must fight as a wall without any gaps. That day began Hamid's transformation from a fun-loving normal teenager to an extremist willing to exploit and harm others.