This would be an obvious point, just like the fact that Islam is not a religion of peace, were it not so often denied. CNS News noted in September 2013 that “according to a Rand Corporation report on counterterrorism, prepared for the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 2009, ‘Terrorists are not particularly impoverished, uneducated, or afflicted by mental disease. Demographically, their most important characteristic is normalcy (within their environment). Terrorist leaders actually tend to come from relatively privileged backgrounds.’ One of the authors of the RAND report, Darcy Noricks, also found that according to a number of academic studies, ‘Terrorists turn out to be more rather than less educated than the general population.’”
They’re motivated by ideology — by their beliefs. But since that line of thinking leads directly to Islam, Western leaders and analysts search endlessly for some other plausible explanation — a search that leads them farther and farther away from reality.
“Osinbajo: I’ve seen rich people join terrorism,” by Isiaka Wakili, Daily Trust, October 20, 2015:
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says apart from those participating in terrorism for money, he has seen well-to-do people being recruited into the act.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Tuesday, quoted his boss to have said this at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday while receiving the United States Special Envoy on Counter Terrorism Communication, Rashad Hussain.
“There have been those who were lured into participating in terrorist acts for money. Nonetheless, I have seen people who are well-to-do being recruited into terrorism”, the vice president was quoted to have stated.
He said the Federal Government would organise a campaign involving civil societies, the youth and non-governmental organisations with a view to providing “positive counter narratives against those of violent groups like Boko Haram”.
The vice president also hinted that the government would set up a crisis communication centre that provides information on violent and extremist ideology, especially in the North-east.
According to the vice president, the centre will help to “define and disseminate positive narratives that expose the evil of terrorism”.
“For some strange reasons, something that appears so completely mindless and almost insane gains currency in a way that gets regular recruits. It’d have been understandable if the campaign of the terrorists preaches better life, equity and such other lofty ideas; but when the narratives of the insurgents have no such hope, it is intriguing that the message gains any currency”, he added.
The statement quoted Hussain to have told Osinbajo earlier that based on the United States’ experience and the happenings in other parts of the world, the Boko Haram terrorist group has a strong propaganda in the media.
The envoy was also quoted to have emphasised that the media propaganda of the sect had to be countered.
According to him, although many people have rejected Boko Haram, the voices of the minority are being played and re-played in the media causing “content imbalance”….

parousia says
As a Nigerian, I can boldly say that every Nigerian knows that the Boko Haram kind of terrorism is not caused by poverty, but rather by Islam. We are not that into this PC thing in my country….reality stares us in face every day and we recognize it no matter how much it is disguised.
There is a lot of lessons to be learned from what happened in Jos, Plateau state.
Bamaguje says
You mean every non-Muslim Nigerian…
Many Muslims in the Islamist north disingenuously insist Boko Haram is not Islamic.
mortimer says
Nigerian Muslims should take a serious look at authentic Islamic jihad and decide if they can continue to identify themselves with such a Death Cult.
Authentic Islam is jihad…jihad is not a mistake or an aberration, but REAL, TRUE ISLAM.
How can a good person be associated with this savagery?
Sh. N. says
Well said !
There are real Muslims and phantom Muslims. Real ones believe they are the best creation of Allah who represent him on Earth and all earthlings should obey them or die. The other ones attribute all good things and beauties in the world to their own Allah and phantom Islam. Understanding and dealing with the first group is easy. They are the enemy – bloodthirsty enemy.
The main problem is dealing with the second group who naively believe and support a peaceful imaginary Islam which in turn deceives us. We think it is a religion of peace because a bunch of submissive gullibles and followers of their lier leaders think so and say so. These ones are the real threat. These fools, who have fooled us, are easily manipulated by their mullahs and in a blink of eye will transform to fierce executioners. They will behead unbelievers with shaking hands and wet eyes. Because they believe in peace.
sidney penny says
“They’re motivated by ideology — by their beliefs. But since that line of thinking leads directly to Islam, Western leaders and analysts search endlessly for some other plausible explanation — a search that leads them farther and farther away from reality.”
What gem.Short and sweet ,clear and to the point.
Is anyone debating you on this? Anyone?
sidney penny says
The poor argument does not work because there is poverty everywhere,
India ,China,Haiti,South America,Africa
Angemon says
And don’t forget there’s poverty in first world countries as well. Let’s see:
– Poor, non-muslim people in, for example, Germany or the US, aren’t blowing themselves up or joining islamic terror groups
– Worldwide, both rich and poor muslims have joined islamic terror groups.
The conclusion of the “enlightened” ones? Why, it’s poverty, disenfranchisement, lack of opportunities, etc. *BZZZZZZZZZT* Wrong answer – it’s islam, stupid!
mahghan says
There are a number of reasons why Islam is tolerated and embraced in many parts of the world these days. In the West Islam is embraced by many governments because of business reasons. The West buys petroleum from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, etc. then sells high tech arms to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, etc. For both parties it’s a good deal. The Arab countries that purchase the petroleum are all vile, primitive despotisms run by dissolute feudal-type so-called governments.
Another reason is that naive people believe that because Islam calls itself a “religion”, there must be something about it. But a study of the history of Islam will note that it’s a crude plagiarism of the Jewish Folkloric narrative–the Old Testament–founded on the Torah,Talmud, etc.– of the Bible a the New Testament also based on the revolutionary teachings of Christ, a personage of Jewish descent. The Arabs mired in Stone Age paganism wanted something to counter the influence of Christianity in the area and came up with a narrative poached and plagiarized from Jewish folklore but set within the context of primitive Arab desert culture with all its cruelties and inequalities.
That’s why Islam claims to be a continuation of the Jewish narrative but under the leadership of an Arab named Muhammad. Initially, Muhammad and his followers tried to induct the Jews and Christians of the Arabian Peninsula into the new movement. But these long established communities naturally rejected Muhammad as a copy-cat fraud and conman. This enraged Muhammad and his followers thereby explains the eternal hatred that Muhammad and Islam have for those who refused to embrace Islam–especially the Jews. The result was that Muhammad’s Islam set out a violent rampage, brigandage, and rapine that won him and Islam the whole of the Arabian Peninsula and eventually the whole of West Asia, North Africa, parts of Europe and parts of the Indian sub-continent. Islam was spread by the sword and violent injunctions that led to whole cultures being forced to embrace its ideology. The mostly ignorant and illiterate recruits were kept in check by a set of obligatory daily rituals that made them believe that they were strict adherents. And individual who announces that he/she must go to pray 5 times a day and must wash up before doing so–only a fool must believe that God would care whether one prays washed or unwashed–believes that he/she is a Muslim without ever having read the Qur’an, the Hadiths, and the Sira in their entirety. Such persons learn to recite some verses in Arabic without knowing what they mean. But for many, these rituals add purpose to their empty lives and lead them in any number of cases to violence and cruelty all in the name this concocted Arab religion.
If you take one million persons who are wealthy there would be at least 50 who would be susceptible to the simple but regulated lifestyle of the devout follower of Arab Islam: pray 5 times a day, follow the injunctions of Muhammad and await Paradise and its 72 virgins and rivers of alcohol(wine). Bored but weak-minded wealthy persons could see some salvation in Islam’s simple-minded recipes–even when they are called upon to engage in extreme acts of murderous violence. Take again 1 million males, at least 50 would be prone to rape under appropriate circumstances and another 50 would be disposed to suicide under the appropriate circumstances. So it is with wealthy persons who embrace the wicked injunctions of Islam.
mahghan says
There are a number of reasons why Islam is tolerated and embraced in many parts of the world these days. In the West Islam is embraced by many governments because of business reasons. The West buys petroleum from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, etc. then sells high tech arms to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, etc. For both parties it’s a good deal. The Arab countries that purchase the petroleum are all vile, primitive despotisms run by dissolute feudal-type so-called governments.
Another reason is that naive people believe that because Islam calls itself a “religion”, there must be something about it. But a study of the history of Islam will note that it’s a crude plagiarism of the Jewish Folkloric narrative–the Old Testament–founded on the Torah,Talmud, etc.– of the Bible a the New Testament also based on the revolutionary teachings of Christ, a personage of Jewish descent. The Arabs mired in Stone Age paganism wanted something to counter the influence of Christianity in the area and came up with a narrative poached and plagiarized from Jewish folklore but set within the context of primitive Arab desert culture with all its cruelties and inequalities.
That’s why Islam claims to be a continuation of the Jewish narrative but under the leadership of an Arab named Muhammad. Initially, Muhammad and his followers tried to induct the Jews and Christians of the Arabian Peninsula into the new movement. But these long established communities naturally rejected Muhammad as a copy-cat fraud and conman. This enraged Muhammad and his followers thereby explains the eternal hatred that Muhammad and Islam have for those who refused to embrace Islam–especially the Jews. The result was that Muhammad’s Islam set out a violent rampage, brigandage, and rapine that won him and Islam the whole of the Arabian Peninsula and eventually the whole of West Asia, North Africa, parts of Europe and parts of the Indian sub-continent. Islam was spread by the sword and violent injunctions that led to whole cultures being forced to embrace its ideology. The mostly ignorant and illiterate recruits were kept in check by a set of obligatory daily rituals that made them believe that they were strict adherents. And individual who announces that he/she must go to pray 5 times a day and must wash up before doing so–only a fool must believe that God would care whether one prays washed or unwashed–believes that he/she is a Muslim without ever having read the Qur’an, the Hadiths, and the Sira in their entirety. Such persons learn to recite some verses in Arabic without knowing what they mean. But for many, these rituals add purpose to their empty lives and lead them in any number of cases to violence and cruelty all in the name this concocted Arab religion.
If you take one million persons who are wealthy there would be at least 50 who would be susceptible to the simple but regulated lifestyle of the devout follower of Arab Islam: pray 5 times a day, follow the injunctions of Muhammad and await Paradise and its 72 virgins and rivers of alcohol(wine). Bored but weak-minded wealthy persons could see some salvation in Islam’s simple-minded recipes–even when they are called upon to engage in extreme acts of murderous violence. Take again 1 million males, at least 50 would be prone to rape under appropriate circumstances and another 50 would be disposed to suicide under the appropriate circumstances. So it is with wealthy persons who embrace the wicked injunctions of Islam.
Arab colonialism has such a stranglehold on many of the people of Nigeria that they don’t understand that when parents impose Arab names on their children and dream of becoming a “Hajji” that they are willfully embracing Arab colonialism. And much worse when such persons commit serious crimes against their fellow citizens to placate the Arab god of Islam.
Angemon says
Why should it be otherwise? They must be educated and wealthy enough to be able to access islamic material – I can’t imagine that an illiterate goat herder in Pakistan can easily get his hands on the hadith collections.
duh_swami says
For some reason the number 9:111 popped into my head. It
d better to jihad with money than without it.The terrorism is the same, but the hotel room and hookers are better quality…
mortimer says
The United States Special Envoy on Counter Terrorism Communication, Rashad Hussain states that the messages of Boko Haram are overrepresented in ‘the media’. This is absurd.
The messages of Boko Haram are normally not reported at all because journalists don’t have a clue about the jihad doctrine and ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST IN LEARNING ABOUT IT! Journalists have a MAGICAL BELIEF that there is an explanation of jihad in POLITICAL SCIENCE. Because journalists are mostly irreligious, they have no idea how OBSCURANTIST and DETERMINED Muslims are…nor how anti-EUROPEAN they are.
Such journalists PLAY INTO THE HANDS OF THE JIHADISTS and treat the terrorists as DESERVING, UNDERPRIVILEGED juvenile delinquents who need our understanding and compassion, rather than treating them as the CUNNING, VICIOUS animals that they really are in fact.