Detainees released from Guantánamo come out more radical than they went in

holy shit... this ought to give you a case of the cold chills...

Alarmed to find that detainees are emerging from the Guantanamo Bay prison camp and other U.S. detention centers more devoted than ever to radical Islam, Saudi Arabia is offering counseling, financial aid and even matchmaking to pull young militants away from terrorism.

To keep the former detainees from deep-pocketed militant recruiters, Saudi officials have treated them to perks that have included new cars, resort stays, job placement and help in finding brides. They've also exposed them to moderate clerics and reminded them of Islam's restrictive rules for waging holy war, or jihad.

Saudi officials said the goal is to stop the proliferation of radical ideology that they said is bred in prisons and on the Internet. The ideology has flourished at Guantanamo and is evident among the returning Saudi detainees - even those who were moderates before they were imprisoned, Saudi officials said.

"When you associate with those guys, you become one of them," said Mansour al Turki, the Saudi government's security spokesman.

The multimillion-dollar rehabilitation program is available to most Saudis who've been accused of terrorism-related crimes, and officials estimate that as many as 2,000 have participated in the program since its inception in 2004.

The program pays special attention to those released from the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Nearly every Saudi returning from American captivity undergoes up to 10 weeks of intense psychological tests, starting with an evaluation on the private plane that whisks him home from the American prison, Turki said.

but, you know, think about it... how would YOU feel if you had been kept in those kinds of conditions for years without ever knowing if it would end...? i don't know about you, but i would feel pretty goddam radical when they finally let me go without being charged, never mind who i associated with while i was there... in fact, it's hard for me to imagine coming out with anything other than a black hatred for the united states and everything it stands for, and more than willing to take up with whoever feels the same way...

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