Heathen Dawn

Take the terrorists' word for it, they did say they were doing it for Allah...

"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life" sounds so similar to "One Country, one People, one Leader". The keyword here is mono-theism: a single apotheosized leader whose decree is infallible. Monotheism is the root of evil here.

Jack the Bodiless

Religion (specifically, Islam: more generally, Abrahamic monotheism) played three fundamental roles here:

1. The promise of Paradise. How else do you motivate people to commit suicide?

2. The motivation of Jihad. They believed they were striking a blow in a Holy War against the Great Satan.

3. Bin Laden's grievance. He wants American troops out of Saudi Arabia. Why? Because they're oppressing the people and raping his daughters? Nope, because they're infidels trespassing on holy land.

Islam provided the motive and the means.

And any other religion can do this, if it shares those key characteristics: recognition of certain lands, peoples or customs as "holy", making an absolute distinction between believers and unbelievers (e.g. destined for Heaven/Hell), and promising a reward in the afterlife for those who show exceptional zeal in carrying out "the will of God".

Bree

<img src="graemlins/notworthy.gif" border="0" alt="[Not Worthy]" />