Butchko Senior Planning and Assessment Advisor Charles E. Goslin was invited by Nacogdoches Police Chief Jim Sevey and Stephen F. Austin State University‘s Department of Criminal Justice to lecture on Militant Islamic Extremism and the Terrorist Mindset on Tuesday, November 10, 2015. Over 70 students from the University attended the lecture, which covered the history and rise of radical Islam, Al Qaida, ISIS, the terrorist radicalization process and the role of the internet, recruitment of women to ISIS, and exploitation of the migrant crisis in Europe by ISIS.
There was a good question-and-answer session following the lecture, with many questions focused on the migrant crisis and its development, the role of Turkey and the Kurds in the fight against ISIS, and how ISIS exploits the radicalization process to lure western women from muslim communities to the Caliphate in Syria. Charles’ personal experiences drawn from years working directly in counter-terrorism with the CIA abroad, provided a real-life dimension to these topics that caught the attention and imagination of the group.
It was clear that there is a real hunger for more insights into this issue, which was very encouraging. Further, there is a desire to see the issues cast in frank, clear-cut terms that specifically address the root cause of the problem. We thoroughly enjoyed engaging with the students at SFA, and look forward to expanding on this lecture series in additional academic and professional venues.