Musings on biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science
By the roots of my hair some god got hold of me. I sizzled in his blue volts like a desert prophet. — Sylvia Plath, quoted by Charles Camerson in So: How Does It Feel at World’s End?, an exploration into the eschatological lure of ISIS. Charles Cameron is blogging about a book of his … Continue reading “On the horrors of apocalyptic warfare”
This post follows on from The Origins of Islamic Militancy. This time I change pace and copy a small section from pages 92 to 94 of Jason Burke’s book, The New Threat: The Past, Present, and Future of Islamic Militancy (2015). I have a lot of time for Burke’s books on this topic. He is one of the few to get … Continue reading “So why did militants turn to attack the West? — The Saudi Arabia driver”
Based on my reading of the first chapter of The New Threat: The Past, Present, and Future of Islamic Militancy by Jason Burke. . . . The turning point was in October, 1981, argues Jason Burke. Prior to the 1980s the most well-known terrorists were Leila Khaled and Carlos the Jackal. Religious agendas were very rarely found … Continue reading “The Origins of Islamic Militancy”
Palestinian suicide bombing operations are now (hopefully) history. The last one was five years ago. It is still good (even if painful) to understand them, however. (I have certainly found much of the reading preparation for this post to be painful; sometimes I could not bring myself to repeat certain details of what I learned.) … Continue reading “Terrorism Facts #4: Personal Motives of Palestinian Suicide Bombers”
Continuation of notes from Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror by Jason Burke. Why do the misconceptions about Al-Qaeda persist? Reason 1: It is convenient and reassuring to think of al-Qaeda as a traditional terrorist group. It promises an sure victory once the organization is defeated. Reason 2: Repressive governments can avoid international criticism by … Continue reading “Why the misconceptions about Al-Qaeda?”
Continuation of notes from Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror by Jason Burke. 3rd element: the idea, the worldview, ideology of ‘al-Qaeda’ and those who subscribe to it. Bin Laden does not have power to issue orders that are instantly obeyed. Bin Laden does not kidnap young men and brainwash them. People voluntarily travelled to … Continue reading “Part 6 of “Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror””
Continuation of notes from Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror by Jason Burke. 2nd element: “a network of networks” — a wider circle consisting of other militant groups linking with al-Qaeda What these links are not: They are not a vast international network of groups answerable to bin Laden or the al-Qaeda inner hardcore. There … Continue reading “Part 5 of “Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror””
continuing my notes from Jason Burke’s “Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror” . . . . Al-Qaeda’s “mature years”: 1996-2001 Bin Laden provided “a central focus for many . . . disparate elements. This was not a formation of a huge and disciplined group, but a temporary focus of many different strands within modern Islamic … Continue reading “Part 4 of “Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror””
continuing my notes from Jason Burke’s “Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror” . . . . 1993 New York World Trade Center bombing Ahmed Ajaj was detained for this attack and in his bag was a manual titled “Al Qaeda”. American investigators translated this (correctly) as “the basic rules”. It was not a group. American … Continue reading “Part 3 of “Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror””
continuing my notes from Jason Burke’s “Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror” . . . . Bin Laden enters Sometime between 1988 and 1989 bin Laden set up a militant group in Peshawar. It consisted of no more than a dozen men. The group was inspired by the teachings of Azzam and were distressed by … Continue reading “Part 2 of “Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror””
Not having time to do all the reviews I would like I have decided to do chapter reviews from selected books instead. Opting to start on Jason Burke’s Al-Qaeda chapter 1 because I was not happy with my superficial review of the whole book earlier. There is simply too much information of value in this … Continue reading “Part 1 of “Al-Qaeda: Casting a Shadow of Terror””
I have enjoyed or found profitable a recent exchange with a commenter calling him/herself pastasauceror in relation to my post, Why Petty Criminals Can Radicalize within Weeks and Kill Dozens of Innocents. As the conversation has proceeded we have found it increasingly difficult to keep our comments brief. It’s so damn hard to read walls … Continue reading “Is fear of Islam a healthy fear?”
Previous posts in this series looking at Friction: How Radicalization Happens to Them and Us by Clark McCauley and Sophia Moskalenko: 1. How Terrorists Are Made: 1 – Personal Grievance 2. How Terrorists Are Made: 2 – Group Grievance 3. Slippery Slope to Terrorism 4. Love, Relationships and Terrorism So far we have noted how one becomes a terrorist … Continue reading “Terrorists on Status Seeking Adventures”