Musings on biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science
Previous posts in this series looking at Friction: How Radicalization Happens to Them and Us by Clark McCauley and Sophia Moskalenko: How Terrorists Are Made: 1 – Personal Grievance How Terrorists Are Made: 2 — Group Grievance Starting at the Top: Rejecting Violence Place: Russia Year: 1875 Adrian Mikhailov was a talented Russian orphan who … Continue reading “Slippery Slope to Terrorism”
There are a number of interesting similarities between the West’s response to the anti-British terrorist campaigns of the Jewish terrorist groups Irgun and Lehi in the 1930s and 40s and “our” response to Islamic terrorism in more recent years. There are also obvious differences but this post is taking a look at the similarities that struck … Continue reading “Comparing Jewish and Islamic Terrorism”
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”
What does the data tell us? In 2005 Robert Pape (Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism) published figures that enable us to see whether al-Qaeda terrorists were influenced primarily by their religious beliefs or the foreign occupation forces in their countries. (I earlier posted other findings of Pape’s identifying terrorist goals and … Continue reading “Terrorism Facts #3: Is Occupation or Religion the Better Predictor?”
And it’s not just a handful of extremists, either: it’s the legions of “moderate” enablers who, through either intimidation or cowardice, refuse to decry their co-religionists. No surprise given that the penalty for apostasy is death . . . . (Jerry Coyne accusing Muslims of not speaking out against acts of terrorism) Coyne is advertizing … Continue reading “Why Haven’t Muslims Condemned Terrorism?”
Available online is a Political Studies Review 2009 article “The Study of Terrorism after 11 September 2001: Problems, Challenges and Future Developments” by Richard Jackson “of Aberystwyth University”. (Professor Richard Jackson has since moved to the University of Otago so is not to be confused with the current Richard Jackson at Aberystwyth University who is … Continue reading “Flawed and Dangerous: The Popular Notion of “Religious Terrorism””
What were terrorists doing before they discovered the USA, UK, Europe, Bali? These tables are for a particular type of terrorist attack, the suicide bombing, from 1980 to 2001, from Robert Pape’s article, “The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism”, American Political Science Review, Vol. 97, No. 3, 2003 (pp. 343-361). The same tables no doubt … Continue reading “Terrorism Facts, #2: Motivations and Goals,1980 to 2001 . . .”
Ironically people who identify Islamic terrorists with the “true beliefs of Islam” are (unknowingly) serving as mouthpieces for those terrorists. The fact is Islamic terrorists believe they alone represent true Islam and that the vast majority of those who profess to be Muslims deserve to die. Those terrorists would love nothing more than to hear … Continue reading “Terrorism Facts, #1: How Radical Islamists Justify Killing Civilians, even Muslims”
Earlier this year I wrote up a flyer for distribution at one of our public rallies. Thought I’d share it here — make use of it as you will: Facts about suicide terrorism
* The anthropologist’s work I have just completed is fully in line with similar kinds of analyses of the causes of radicalization and extremist, even suicidal, acts of mayhem — Scott Atran, Jason Burke, Robert Pape, William McCants, Jessica Stern and J.M. Berger, Bruce Hoffman, Anne Speckhard, Raffaello Pantucci, Riaz Hassan, Loretta Napoleoni, Michael Weiss … Continue reading “The Collapse of Zionism & Hope in a New Generation”
A historian is supposed to stimulate thought. A historian who insists on being neutral, a person of footnotes, and does not provoke, is doing a disservice to the profession. When I think about Germany and about German historians who constantly hid behind the ‘neutrality’ and ‘objectivity’ of history, I know where that leads. Those who … Continue reading “The “Objective” and “Neutral” Historian Versus the Provocateur”
Critique of the Gospel History of the Synoptics by Bruno Bauer Volume 3 —o0o— 307 § 91 Respite. We do not need to make or seek the transition to dogmatic criticism. Although the historical criticism that we have exercised above has never used so-called dogmatic arguments, such as that this or that miracle is impossible, … Continue reading “§ 91 Respite”
183 IV. The House of Flavia and Judaism. I. The Invasion of the West by the East. Rome was not able to enjoy its power, at its peak, with a joyful heart. In the rising and setting of the sun, there were images of terror and danger that it did not feel capable of facing … Continue reading “BRUNO BAUER: Christ and the Caesars – IV. The House of Flavia and Judaism”
This week, about two hours drive due west of where I live, two police officers and a helping neighbour were murdered by a trio of “sovereign citizens” — for the “crime” of entering their property. The father of two of the trio, two brothers, had not heard from either of his sons in twenty years. … Continue reading “Sovereign Citizens, ISIS and Moonies — the common thread that binds them all”