Chrenkoff notes that, according to a new study, the “typical recruit to al-Qaeda is Western-educated and has a wealthy, professional background.”
Chrenkoff uses this study to debunk (once again) the argument about the “root causes” of terrorism, i.e., that poor people become terrorists to take a stand against poverty and social injustice, writing that most “revolutionaries and terrorists are narcissist for whom ‘the people’ are merely an excuse and a prop in a never-ending drama of self-actualization.”
The article he cites from The Australian notes further than not only are most al Qaeda members from upper-middle-class homes but “60 [percent] were [also] college-educated, often in Europe or the US.”
Educated in Europe or the US. Makes one wonder about what American and European universities are teaching upper-middle-class students from Arab lands. Many publications and blogs have noted the anti-American atmosphere at many institutions of higher learning. Do bad ideas there have awful consequences?
Hat tip: Polipundit.