To potential ISIS recruits, the one question you should ask

It's tough to stop ISIS propaganda.

That's why one Turkish author is trying to reason with potential recruits.

His name is Mustafa Akyol. And he wrote an open letter to those recruits for the Doha-based broadcaster Al Jazeera. He says understanding and empathy is key.

"Instead of demonizing somebody who is probably some disillusioned Muslim in a far corner of the world, I want to build a bridge," he says. "I want to say I understand you concern for our religion, Islam. I understand you concern to do something about it, and I actually respect it. And if you channel this into a constructive path like becoming a successful Muslim individual who will do something for our faith then that would be great."

But then he offers a warning. "Beware of the dark side," he says.

For Akyol, the dark side is a violent side, a bastardized version of jihad. He says that Islam has a notion of holy war. But he says it's really meant as a defense and never to be used against women, children, non-combatants, or civilians.

"Jihad was fought between soldiers. It never meant going and killing innocent people as ISIS or al-Qaeda have been doing," he says.

Akyol has talked with people sympathetic to Osama bin Laden. He says some refuse to see other points of view. But he believes many are less rigid in their beliefs. They're open to new ideas. Especially, when those ideas come from a fellow Muslim.

What Akyol really want is for people to think about the motive behind their actions. "In Islam, there is actually a great emphasis on motives. What motivates you? Are you motivated by the will to serve God and do something righteous? Or are you motivated by something else?"

He says recruits need to ask themselves a simple question: are you joining the fight to be closer to God, or to achieve power and fame and glory?