Mughal

Does that mean we are going to have more burqa clads terrorists?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3594982.stm

Garnet

I doubt I will ever understand things like this:

It just seems horribly brutal and primitive. If people really believe stuff like this, then yes, it seems likely that more women will be terrorists.

Umbrage

When you've got nothing to live for, you'll find something to die for.

These people aren't stupid, you just have to understand the culture. They have no Internet, no TV, no secular radio, state-controlled print media, and very few secular books. Practically their only source of information is their local imam (holyman). A very powerful person, he even selects the names given to the children of his people. During daily services, the imam preaches that Islam is under attack, that these peoples' collective identity is being anniliated. Islam is so restrictive, it even dicates how a person ought to go to the bathroom (enter the bathroom with the left foot, lean on the left cheek, etc).

Sooo... preach xenophobia, remove all contradictory sources of information, install a highly regimented daily routine, mix in a bit of abject poverty. It's no mystery why the Middle East is a breeding ground for terrorism. But! It's not because they are evil or stupid. Given that enviroment, you too might see martyrdom as salvation.

As a side note, don't take everything you hear spoken so literally. Arabic is a *very* figurative and expressive language. It is very unlike English (short vowels are optional and in most cases it doesn't matter in what order the words are arranged) and doesn't translate well.

Garnet

I appreciate your comments. It does make this a little more understandable to my Western mind. To clarify though, to me it is still brutal and primitive. Neither of which are comments on intellect.

I shall keep in mind your comment about Arabic not translating will and being very figurative and expressive. Nevertheless, I can't help but shudder at the things spoken about in this article.