This report looks at the religious dialogue project in Yemen, which aimed to end the attitudes of suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists in the state’s prisons, was one of the first deradicalization programmes in the world. It inspired similar efforts in other Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia. The report details the evolution of the programme and the many pitfalls it encountered (arbitrary arrests, indefinite detentions and human rights violations). Ultimately the report finds that while such a strategy might be one useful means for counter-terrorism, an environment for genuine dialogues cannot be established without taking into account wider issues of the state’s legitimacy vis-à-vis its citizens. The report emphasises a need for “true dialogue” and finds that a fundamental flaw in the construction of the project is that it was never aimed to genuinely engage in mutual dialogue. The project was designed more as a platform for a state-monologue from where the state could persuade and convert the individuals who held “erroneous views.”