The question of why young British Muslims would turn against their own country is an urgent one. I have not yet seen an analysis of the phenomenon that is completely convincing, however. I wonder what the situation is among young American, and young Canadian, Muslims?
The following articles are interesting and provide a starting place for understanding perhaps.
[1] New York Review of Books, 11 August 2005, which has the following articles:
--- Peter Galbraith, "Iraq: Bush's Islamic Republic"
--- A review-essay on 5 books on jihadis, by Max Rodenbeck
--- A review by Brian Urquhart of Richard Haaass's book, The Opportunity: America's Moment to Alter History's course
--- Christopher de Bellaige, "New Man in Iran" [the newly-elected Ahmaninejad.
Look at www.NYBooks.com
[2] Prospect August 2005 which has the following articles:
--- "Dying to Kill -- Interviewing a British Jihadist"
Much more than just the usual 'we want to cut your throats' stuff -- the interviewee talks about the background and motivations of the current generation of suicide bombers.
--- A critical review of "The Power of Nightmares" [reprinted from The Nation].
--- Two other articles on Islam in Britain
and
--- An article by Tamara Chalabi [a relation?] on the problems of the people working on Iraq's new constitution.
Look at www.prospect-magazine.co.uk
The Humanists got a shock at the UN when they tried to introduce a bland resolution which just expresses the views of any civilized human being:
http://www.iheu.org/modules/news/article.php?storyid=156
And in case you think support for the bombings is an isolated thing, and completely aberrant, look at this:
http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/7_05/london_b.htm
Finally, from the latest Weekly Standard, is this article by Irwin Stelzer
http://www.theweeklystandard.com/Content/P...1kbaxp.asp?pg=2
No one understands this phenomenon -- I have watched lots of TV interviews with "experts" and panel discussions, and the amount of vapid cliches, impotent hand-wringing, and platitudinous truisms uttered with great conviction and even indignation, which pour forth from "experts" and members of the public alike, is depressing.
No one whom I've read has as yet made a connection with Columbine -- but I think there is one, at the psychological level.
Doug
