Enemies into Friends

Gandhi talked about the essence of nonviolence as turning enemies into friends. I must admit this remains a mystery to me. Although I think it is a good idea if we can do it, I wonder how we turn terrorists into friends. It seems to me that we are inaccessible to their minds as they are to ours. I do think that any approach to those foreign to us starts with understanding. When we get to the understanding that an enemy is trying to destroy us, it feels like a brick wall to me. Maybe a new type of understanding is necessary.