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Elizabeth Habina Instructor: Malcolm Campbell Honors English 1103 11/8/13 To The Extreme On September 21st 2013, a group of militants, as the media refers to them attacked a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya. They killed dozens of people, took several more hostages, and had a stand-off with Kenya police and soldiers for four days. Im sure youve read much of the media coverage, because much of it is quite fascinating, so I wont bore you with a detailed account of it. But, the point I must emphasize on is that it was done for the sake of Islam, and victims were questioned on their knowledge of Islam. That knowledge, or lack thereof, either saved them or was their demise. The terrorists murdered the ones who they encountered that didnt know the answers to the questions, but let fellow Muslims exit the mall safely during the attack. During the whole play of events, the terrorist group Al-Shabaab took responsibility for the attack and explained via Twitter that it was to recompense for the Kenyan military taking action against Muslim groups in Somalia, which is where Al-Shabaab is primarily located. Though it is thought that a majority of the terrorists died whether by Kenyan military or the collapse of a couple stories in the mall, it could still be considered a mild death compared to what other Islamic radicals do for the sake of their beliefs. Multitudes of radical Islamic followers have committed suicidal attacks by strapping themselves to bombs or various other methods. If youre anything like me, you have to find this phenomenon very fascinating. What causes ordinary people to commit such extraordinary acts of violence?

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Before we begin to dig deep into the profound reasons behind these actions, first I believe it is imperative to have a somewhat good understanding about Islam as a religion, so as to help our perspective as we explore the psychology of these extremists. Now, we wont really discuss the Islamic religion in too much detail, so it will just be a brief overview of some key points. In the year 610, the prophet Muhammad had a revelation while staying in Mecca from the angel Gabriel. Two years after the revelation, Muhammad would begin to preach using what was revealed to him. These teachings would later become the foundation of the Koran. Islam actually didnt start out so violently and with a passionate hate for other monotheistic religions. Actually, the Koran has many of the familiar names from some of your favorite Bible stories. Some notable people that are mentioned in both the Koran and the Bible include: David, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Solomon, Job, Elisha, Mary, Elijah, Joseph, and Jacob.(Wikipedia.org) It also includes an account of the birth of Jesus, but it differs considerably from the one in the Bible, notably in denying theat Jesus was the Son of God. According to the Koran, there is only one God and His prophet Muhammad. In Islam: A Short History, author Karen Armstrong notes that Muhammad did not come to cancel the older religions, to contradict their prophets, or to start a new faith. He only sought to give his people access to the same God of the Jews and the Christians. Armstrong also points out that the Koran commands Muslims to respect the beliefs of Jews and Christians, whom the Koran calls alb al-kitah, a phrase usually translated, People of the Book, but which is more accurately rendered people of an earlier revelation. (Islam: A Short HistoryArmstrong) In the Koran, there is a passage that directly addresses this: Do not argue with followers of earlier revelation otherwise in a most kindly manner (Koran 29:46)

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Now, its time to discussThere are quite a few some interesting stats concerning Islam and worldwide terror. According to fbi.gov, in 2008 over 50,000 people were killed, injured, or kidnapped worldwide in terrorist attacks. Of the 15,765 deaths caused by those attacks, 9,556 were civilians with the primary method of attack being and armed assault, and the primary facility of attacks being vehicles. In those attacks, Islamic extremists were the most common perpetrators, taking claim of over 50% of the attacks. The second highest group consisted of unknown perpetrators, so the number of Islamic extremists could actually be higher. Of 15,765 deaths, 9,556 were civilians with the primary method of attack being an armed assault, and the primary facility of attacks being vehicles. (fbi.gov) Jacquelyn Loupis, professor of Psychology at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College believes that the primary way one becomes a terrorist is by the upbringing. She feels that many terrorists were raised in an extremist Islam family, and that that upbringing is a huge factor in whether or not a person becomes a terrorist. Especially in more domestic-related terrorism, Loupis feels that upbringing has less of an effect, and alienation and possible discrimination are key factors. Referencing the more recent Boston Bombers, she mentioned that the suspects appeared to never have felt accepted, despite living in the Boston area for over a decade. (InterviewLoupis) Keeping the idea of upbringing in mind, Andrew Silke, author of Holy Warriors, tells how terrorists are a pretty heterogeneous group, though, and the range of people who become involved in terrorism is vast. They can vary in many different ways in terms of education, family, background, age, gender, intelligence, economic class, and so on. Consequently, the manner in which they become a terrorist can also be very different. Factors that played a key role

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in one persons decision to become a terrorist may play a significantly smaller role in the decision of others, or may not have had any factor at all. (Holy WarriorsSilke) In the book Islamic Terror: Conscious and Unconscious Motives, author Avner Falk says that narcissism can be found in a majority of terrorists personalities. Because of this, narcissistic rage is the key to understanding Islamic terrorists. Heinz Kohut (1913-1981), a psychoanalyst, described narcissistic rage as the need for revenge, for righting a wrong, for undoing a hurt by whatever means, and a deeply anchored, unrelenting compulsion in the pursuit of all these aims, which gives no rest to those who have suffered a narcissistic injury- these are the characteristic features of narcissistic rage in all its forms and which set it apart from other kinds of aggression. (29) But what is behind suicidal attacks? Suicidal attacks give life the ultimate meaning because of the noble cause associated with the attack. Islam differs from Western religions, because suicide is not directly related to depression or mental disorders, but is linked to a very spiritual act. Western religions, instead, tend to discourage suicide. Amongst fellow Muslims, suicide attacks are viewed as very brave and courageous, and people view the attackers as people who have a very strong sense of spirituality. In their communities prior to the attack, men, typically in their late teens or early-twenties, are widely known as kind, generous people who had strong religious beliefs. The attacks are normally retribution for the injustices that the radical Muslims feel are being taken out on the global Muslim community. The terrorists feel that they are sacrificing themselves, not only to God, but for the whole Muslim community by standing up for the poor treatment Muslims feel that they receive by the hands of Western nations and people. When planning a suicidal attack, the terrorists choose locations carefully, with the hopes of killing as many as possible to make up for the sacrifice of life the terrorist is committing. For

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instance, an attack that only killed one or two people would not be seen as worthwhile, but an attack that kills five-plus people would be considered good. Popular opinion perceives terrorists as psychologically different than everybody else because of the extreme violence of many terrorist attacks. The vast majority of research actually has shown that the perpetrators are not psychologically abnormal. On the contrary, many studies have found that terrorists are psychologically much healthier and far more stable than other violent criminals. Committing an act of extreme violence does not automatically mean that that person is psychologically distinct from the rest of the population. Although a few psychologists believe terrorists are mentally abnormal, their conclusions are based on very weak evidence. Many psychologists who have actually met terrorists face to face have nearly always concluded that they were nowhere close to being abnormal, and they really had stable and rational personalities. (Silke) Jacquelyn Loupis, professor of Psychology at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College has a different opinion, though. There must be something wrong with them, she says, Their behavior is dangerous and dysfunctional. What Is Psychology?, a textbook written by Ellen Pastorino and Susann Doyle-Portillo, mentions one of the main criteria for behavior to be considered abnormal is the level of impairment. (496) This takes into affect whether a persons behavior interferes with a persons ability to function and/or causes distress to that person or others. This definition is the primary reason Professor Loupis feels that terrorists could be diagnosed with some form of mental disorder. When asked what type of disorder she thought it could be, she that it could be some form of delusional disorder. Going off of this, Falk explains how several psychoanalysts have found similarities between terrorists personalities and the psychiatric descriptions of narcissistic and borderline

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personality disorders. (Islamic TerrorFalk) A narcissistic personality disorder can cause an individual to have a high-level of self-importance, to be paranoid, to become preoccupied with dreams of beauty, power, love, and success, have a belief that he or she is exceptionally unique and can only be understood by certain other people, a lack of empathy, and to take advantage of others. But what is behind suicidal attacks? Suicidal attacks give life the ultimate meaning because of the noble cause associated with the attack. Islam differs from Western religions, because suicide is not directly related to depression or mental disorders, but is linked to a very spiritual act. Western religions, instead, tend to discourage suicide. (Miller) Amongst fellow Muslims, suicide attacks are viewed as very brave and courageous, and people view the attackers as people who have a very strong sense of spirituality. In their communities prior to the attack, men, typically in their late teens or early-twenties, are widely known as kind, generous people who had strong religious beliefs. The attacks are normally retribution for the injustices that the radical Muslims feel are being taken out on the global Muslim community. The terrorists feel that they are sacrificing themselves, not only to God, but for the whole Muslim community by standing up for the poor treatment Muslims feel that they receive by the hands of Western nations and people. (Silke) When planning a suicidal attack, the terrorists choose locations carefully, with the hopes of killing as many as possible to make up for the sacrifice of life the terrorist is committing. For instance, an attack that only killed one or two people would not be seen as worthwhile, but an attack that kills five-plus people would be considered good. (Miller) I was on the internet one evening when I discovered an article from the Kenyan mall attack that was thought-provoking and brought forth some different emotions. In an article by The Daily Mail, there was a four year-old boy, his six year-old sister, and mother in the mall

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during the attack. The childrens mother had been shot in the leg while hiding. The attackers asked if there were any children left and the mother responded that there were. The little boy told one of the attackers that he was a very bad man. And, surprisingly, the terrorists let the mother, her children, and some other children free from the mall. They even gave them candy bars, one of them telling the mother that Please, forgive us, were not monsters. And he begged the mother to convert to Islam. (Hall) Its a story that seems too good to be true. I was skeptical at first, and still am. Candy bars given to children by terrorists during an attack? In a way, to me its actually kind of funny, especially since the boy was photographed wearing an I Love New York t-shirt. But oh, how I want this story to be true! And I will treat it like it is. It shows that there still might be some strain of a human left; that theres still a capacity to love even in the abyss of hate that they have created. It is proof that these perpetrators as they are often referred to, are not robots programmed to kill- they are people who think and feel. Dont get me wrong- my new motto isnt go hug a terrorist, but you have to remember or realize that we are dealing with people here. And as I wrote this paper, I thought more and more about it. Is there really a definitive answer to my question of why Islamic terrorists commit these attacks? I dont think that there is, and I dont feel that it lies in research and analysis. Dont we all search for a purpose? Doesnt that guy sitting on the bench, playing with his phone question what hes doing? What about the waitress taking your bill? Or the CEO of a major company sitting at his desk? Theyve all probably wondered about it once or twice, and so, probably, have you. I see these terrorists as people who rely on their religion to provide them with a purpose. I see them as desperate to leave a mark; to find a sense of belonging when they had none before.

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This seems too simple of an answer to my question. Why did I bother with all this research then? A lot of the points I mentioned really do factor in with many Islamic terrorists. But I feel that every single person who has committed a terrorist act in the name of Islam has something in common at the heart: Theres a piece missing that they are desperate to find. It might not be the answer were searching for or the one we want to find, but maybe it has more to do with the heart than maybe the mind.

Works Cited Armstrong, Karen. "Islam: A Short History." United Kingdom: Weidenfield & Nicolson, 2000. Print

Dawood, N J. The Koran. New York: Penguin, 1985. Print

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Falk, Avner. Islamic Terror: Conscious and Unconscious Motives. Praeger Security International, 2008. Print. fbi.gov, Web. 22 Oct. 2013 Hall, John. Kenya shopping mall attack: Four-year-old British boy freed and given Mars bar after telling armed militant 'youre a bad man. The Independent. The Independent, 24 September 2013.Web. 7 November 2013. Loupis, Jacquelyn. Personal interview. 31 October 2013. Pastorino, Ellen; Doyle-Portillo, Susann. What Is Psychology? Canada. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013. Print. Silke, Andrew. "Holy Warriors." European Journal of Criminology. 5.1 (2008): 99-123. Print. .