The idea that poverty and ignorance cause terrorism has led the U.S. to shower billions on Muslim countries, hoping to win hearts and minds and alleviate what mainstream analysts doggedly believe are the root causes of terrorism. But it has been known for years that poverty doesn’t really cause terrorism at all. The Economist reported in 2010:
Social scientists have collected a large amount of data on the socioeconomic background of terrorists. According to a 2008 survey of such studies by Alan Krueger of Princeton University, they have found little evidence that the typical terrorist is unusually poor or badly schooled.
In the same vein, CNS News noted in September 2013:
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.”
The Times Online reported the following as far back as April 2005:
Three-quarters of the Al-Qaeda members were from upper middle-class homes and many were married with children; 60% were college educated, often in Europe or the United States.
And here we go again.
“Islamic State recruits are above average when it comes to education, according to World Bank report,” AFP, October 6, 2016:
The data shows clearly, the report said, that “poverty is not a driver of radicalization into violent extremism”
Recruits to Islamic State (IS) are better educated than their average countryman, contrary to popular belief, according to a new World Bank study.
Moreover, those offering to become suicide bombers ranked on average in the more educated group, said the newly released study titled “Economic and Social Inclusion to Prevent Violent Extremism”.
The study, which aimed to identify socioeconomic traits that might explain why some are drawn to the Syria-based extremist group, made clear that poverty and deprivation were not at the root of support for the group.
Almost without exception, fighters joining IS’s Syria and Iraq-based forces had several more years of education in their home countries – whether in Europe, Africa or elsewhere in the Middle East – than the average citizen. The data shows clearly, the report said, that “poverty is not a driver of radicalization into violent extremism”.
Out of 331 recruits described in a leaked IS database, only 17 per cent did not finish high school, while a quarter had university-level educations. Only those from Eastern Europe were below the average, and only marginally so, according to the study.
“Foreign recruits from the Middle East, North Africa and South and East Asia are significantly more educated than what is typical in their region,” the Bank report said.
About 30 per cent of the recruits told the extremist group what positions in the force they wanted. About one in nine volunteered for suicide operations, and their educational levels were on par with those who sought to be administrators, the report said.
“The proportions of administrators but also of suicide fighters increase with education,” it said.
Most of the 331 recruits also reported having a job before travelling to join IS, also known as Daesh, according to the study….

Mong says
Why does it always have to be something other than Islam? It’s been staring them in the face openly declaring itself for the longest time and they’re still trying to find a cause. Sooner or later we’re going to have to face facts.
kessler says
Ok, so poverty is not a culprit. However, mental illness is the main reason why these people are easily radicalized. Not that there are any studies proving that, but facts are irrelevant. Please, please can we all just agree on mental illness?
ninetyninepct says
According to Justin, Muslim Syrians are all frustrated from being poor and therefore he must give them parkas to stay warm. It would seem that Christian Syrians are warm enough so he bluntly refuses to bring them to Canada.
Shane says
Why is Bieber running the Canadian government?
underbed cat says
No wonder why terrorist countries have given large donations to Hill, her educated voters.
Westman says
Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old [or educated] he will not depart from it. … ”
You can take secular ignorance out of a man more easily than you can remove the religious biases that he was taught in his youth. And when he is taught supremism and jihad……
lebel says
Conclusions of the paper: ““We find that Daesh did not recruit its foreign workforce among the poor and less educated, but rather the opposite. Instead, the lack of economic inclusion seems to explain the extent of radicalization into violent extremism.””
gravenimage says
New report: Islamic State recruits not driven by poverty, and above average in education
…………………
Yes–this has been proven in study after study. Yet is still a trope among Western apologists for Muslim savagery.
Warren Raymond says
The data shows clearly, the report said, that “poverty is not a driver of radicalization into violent extremism”
But don’t tell this to the Islamo-propagandists who’s problem is “Islamophobia” rather than those who follow their religious scriptures and “strike terror in the hearts of the enemy:”
Ministers from Islamic states on Thursday urged the West to make efforts to help ease the threats against Muslim youths posed by extremism and Islamophobia.
http://en.apdnews.com/xin-hua/503535.html
(Besides) the growing threat of Islamophobia, Muslim youths are also struggling with poor education and inadequate job opportunities…..
This comes from the same dogs who constantly call for us to be educated about Islam….
johan eary says
• If terrorists committed atrocities because of poverty, real or perceived injustices, lack of opportunities, etc, like some of the so called “progressive” politicians and opinion makers are always eager to suggest, then can somenone answer the following question.
• Why is it that we never see dirt poor Ethiopeans committing terror attacks, why is is we don’t see oppressed Tibetans committing terror attacks against Chinese targets, why don’t we see Congolese massacring people in Brussels, …etc, etc?
• Fact of the matter is that the vast majority of terrorists attacks are carried out by islamists who are motivated by ideology and intolerance.
thelastvirgingoat says
It is our western racist Euro centrist education system that drives young Muslim men and women to joining these organizations. We must close all schools and universities as soon as possible. Education is a DANGER to public safety!
Angemon says
One would think that a cursory look into, for example, Saudi Arabia, Iran or the UAE would be enough. But no, we need studies to confirm what’s there in the open for everyone to see.