AS a religious man, Terry Waite's view that taking up arms is not the way to combat terrorism, is perhaps not surprising.

That he is effusively charming, mellow and easy to talk to is. After all, his name has become inextricably linked with the horrors of warfare because of his five-year imprisonment as a hostage in Lebanon, most of it in solitary confinement.

Prior to that, Cheshire-born Mr Waite worked extensively in Africa, Asia, North and South America and Europe developing aid programmes and advising on inter-cultural relationships.

During the 1980s he was recruited by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, to take care of diplomatic and ecclesiastical exchanges all over the world and successfully negotiated for the release of several hostages from Iran and Libya. It was during further such negotiations in 1987 that he was captured.

Instead of feeling resentment at the injustice of his five lost years, he seems to have been drained of hatred and has an unquenchable optimism.

Considering last year's distressing events in America, Israel and Afghanistan, Mr Waite said the time seemed right to begin accepting invitations to speak.

As a result, he comes to Malvern Theatres on May 27 to give an insight into his life and views on international terrorism.

He said: "We have just seen another tremendous onslaught in the Middle East. The question that needs to be asked is not how can we smash these people into the ground but what is it that causes young men and women to behave in such a way? Why do people behave like that?

"Admittedly there are always some people who are attracted to terrorist movements, who are of a sociopathic disposition, but that isn't true of everybody. I would like to look at the root causes."

The 63-year-old Mr Waite has visited Malvern several times, but never for any reason other than to see friends. But with Elgar's Enigma Variations being one of his musical choices on Radio Four's Desert Island Discs, it seems appropriate that he should feel at home here.

He said: "The reason I chose Elgar was when I was in captivity you think of home and his music is particularly evocative of the English countryside."

Tickets for the Forum Theatre event cost £10 and are available from 01684 892277 or www.mal vern-theatres.co.uk.