Another interesting book about terrorism, read one book you like and it leads you to more! I liked a lot of the statements in this book. It was definitely one that I mused over taking notes. "Male children raised in cultures of violence are more likely to become delinquents or violent criminals. Not surprisingly, many of the terrorists described in this book grew up in failed or failing states where violence was commonplace." It was odd to me to see abolitionist classified as terrorist, since they were doing what was morally right, but I guess doing it by violent means created that classification. "For these reasons, Lincoln supported punishing the terrorist abolitionist, even though he concurred entirely with their cause."
"Writing this book has helped me to understand that religion is a kind of technology. It is terribly seductive in its ability to soothe and explain, but it is also dangerous. Convents such as the one I visited as a child may make good people better, but they don't necessarily make bad people good. They might make bad people worse." "What is so deeply painful about terrorism is that our enemies, whom we see as evil, view themselves as saints and martyrs." "attacks sometimes have more to do with rousing troops than terrorizing the victims. Bin Laden, for example, appears to believe that spectacular attacks made him more appealing to his followers. In his words, people follow the strong horse, and abandon the weak one."
The chapters talk about cults in America, The Middle East- Hamas as well as other organizations, the jihad in the Philippines, the radical right Jewish Groups, and the anti-abortionists who kill doctors.
I thought the fourth chapter where one of the people Stern interviewed was insightful when they started discussing the United States. His point of view was "Americans think they've succeeded in using the Internet to occupy the whole world. They're mistaken. Some people use the Internet to promote the most extreme fringes of Islam, using the tools that America gave them. and other people use the Internet to promote the most vicious neo-Nazi ideology." "There's nothing left of what America used to be...In America, People have no education, no religion. They play with computers, television, pop music.These people have no values to fight for. This is the way fascism is created psychologically. First by absence of values. Then by accepting violence." He goes on to say "America emphasizes the individual to the extent that the individual becomes nobody." I see a lot of truth in these statements. Internet has allowed hate groups to bond with other hate groups in other countries with relative ease. The statement about American people having no values, is also becoming true, and no pride, I am from an area of the country where people move across the river because one state offers higher welfare benefits and more children equals more money. (OK I am getting off my soapbox now- back to the book) It was very well written and insightful. She was risking her life interviewing like she did, but brought back such interesting material.
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