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.
But the facts never sink in. And here is still more disconfirming evidence of the idea that if we just give jihadis enough money and job opportunities, they will become loyal and productive citizens.
“AMU PhD scholar joins Hizbul Mujahideen in Kashmir, expelled,” WION, January 8, 2018 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
Mannan Bashir Wani, a research scholar from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has reportedly joined a terrorist group in Kashmir.
The research scholar, who hails from Kupwara in Kashmir, was today expelled by the Aligarh Muslim University authorities in the wake of reports alleging that he may have joined a terrorist group. A team of senior AMU officials sealed Mannan Basheer Wani’s room this morning immediately after they received a letter from the Aligarh Superintendent of Police about his alleged “nefarious” activities, university officials said.
Also read: Highest number of Kashmiri youth joined militant groups in 2017: Report
A recent Facebook post hints that the 26-year-old scholar joined the group “Hizbul Mujahideen”.
Wani, in a Facebook post, was seen holding an assault rifle. The caption of the picture indicated that he joined the group on January 5.
According to a media report, the research scholar was driven to join the militant group after he was humiliated by the armed forces in November 2017. He said the car he was travelling in was stopped four times by armed forces and each time he had to get down to prove his identity.
The report also said that he was mocked by an army officer from resembling a militant commander. The picture caption said that his code name is Hamzah Bai.
Wani, pursuing PhD in Geology at Aligarh Muslim University, had taken a break from his university to visit his family in Kashmir.
A local news agency stated that Wani hails from a well-off family and is a son of a lecturer….