The development of a jihadist's mind :: Jihad Watch

Tawfik Hamid in the Jerusalem Post (thanks to all who sent this in) reveals how he became a jihadist, and his trajectory follows exactly what I have explained here many times: as he grows more devout, and studies the Qur'an and Muhammad's example, he tends more and more toward jihadist views and hatred of non-Muslims. That's why it's so critical for Muslims who claim to reject all this to do a searching reevaluation and reinterpretation of core texts of Islam, as Hamid is doing. But the likelihood of this on a large scale is virtually nil.

What occupies the mind of a jihad-driven Muslim? How is such fervor planted in young and impressionable believers? Where does it originate? How did I - once an innocent child who grew up in a liberal, moderate and educated household - find myself a member of a radical Islamic group? These questions go to the root of Islamic violence and must be addressed if free societies are to combat radical Islam. To further this aim, I will explore the psychological development of a jihadi's mind through my own firsthand experience as a former member of a Muslim terrorist organization.

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