Does Poverty Cause Terrorism?
August 22, 2008
I delved into this question towards the end of this post about Aafia Siddiqui from last week. The answer is no. Here's yet another example affirming it:
AHMEDABAD: Many of those accused of planning and executing the serial blasts of Ahmedabad do not come from stereotypical backgrounds generally associated with terrorists - uneducated men from poor families. They are educated men with some form of technical training.
While this may surprise many, a recent study by two scholars from Oxford University says this is only part of a larger international trend. They have found that over the years, those with engineering degrees are over-represented in Islamic terror organisation.
Among the SIMI men Safdar Nagori is a mechanical engineer. Although, the man behind the 'Indian Mujahideen' terror email Abdul Subhan Qureshi alias Taufique is considered a computer whiz. Iqbal Shaikh holds an ITI diploma in electrical engineering while Gyasuddin Ansari has an ITI diploma in radio technology.
As I state in the above-linked post from last week, it's ideology, not poverty, that drives Islamic terrorism. As for our old friend Aafia Siddiqui, her bio isn't exactly a portrait of poverty and despair.
STAKELBECK ON TERROR Main Page >>
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
