3 ms·

I believe it is a bit more complex. From the point of view of the bomber this is certainly true. But there are also people using their gullibility. I have read

by seren 11y ago

I believe it is a bit more complex. From the point of view of the bomber this is certainly true. But there are also people using their gullibility. I have read multiple times that Isis has amongst its member ex Baathist officer from Saddam, Ba'ath party which was at least originally more secular and left-leaning. I am pretty sure that some of these people are not that into the religious aspect, except as a recruiting and propaganda tool. The way I see it is that using the "Islam" brand is great way to have funds and international support/appeal. In the same way, in the sixties, you had plenty of nationalist movements all over the world that were claiming to be Communist. Sure it was also the hand of Moscow at work, but for local people, that was also a great way to secure some funding/weapons/etc from USSR. Also some of the bomber have allegedly married in Syria, possibly with children, I am not sure what would happen to their family if they defected.

jules 11y ago
There are certainly multiple things at play here. I think the three main ones are: 1. Religion 2. Politics 3. Personal gain For instance the politics around hating the west and hating Israel, and personal gain in sex deprived young men getting to rape women in Syria and getting a salary that's 5x as much as the average Syrian. These three parts are intertwined and can't be separated from each other. Most media focuses solely on #2, but a theory built solely around #2 does not explain the behaviour of ISIS very well, whereas a theory built around all 3 aspects fits the data very well. As for the idea that high ranking members of ISIS do not truly believe in the ideology, and they are just manipulating everyone for personal gain, it is possible but I consider it unlikely. The leader of the Heaven's Gate suicide cult also committed suicide himself along with the others. And George Bush is himself a true Christian believer. I consider it unlikely that ISIS is an exception. It is interesting that the only people equipped to intuitively understand the sincerity of the metaphysical beliefs of a suicide bomber are those who are or were in a cult or fundamentalist religion. For instance Megan Phelps-Roper who left the Westboro Baptist Church does understand this.

by seren 11y ago

jules 11y ago

There are certainly multiple things at play here. I think the three main ones are: 1. Religion 2. Politics 3. Personal gain For instance the politics around hating the west and hating Israel, and personal gain in sex deprived young men getting to rape women in Syria and getting a salary that's 5x as much as the average Syrian. These three parts are intertwined and can't be separated from each other. Most media focuses solely on #2, but a theory built solely around #2 does not explain the behaviour of ISIS very well, whereas a theory built around all 3 aspects fits the data very well. As for the idea that high ranking members of ISIS do not truly believe in the ideology, and they are just manipulating everyone for personal gain, it is possible but I consider it unlikely. The leader of the Heaven's Gate suicide cult also committed suicide himself along with the others. And George Bush is himself a true Christian believer. I consider it unlikely that ISIS is an exception. It is interesting that the only people equipped to intuitively understand the sincerity of the metaphysical beliefs of a suicide bomber are those who are or were in a cult or fundamentalist religion. For instance Megan Phelps-Roper who left the Westboro Baptist Church does understand this.