Why Westerners Are Joining Jihadi Movements

Michael Muhammad Knight blames the American value system for breading jihadis in the Washington Post dated 3 Sep 2014. Knight was a wannabe jihadi who never was. He ditched his Catholic high school in upstate New York to study at a Saudi-funded madrassa in Pakistan twenty years ago. He gave his account on the jihadi appeal to Westerners.

GI Joe Cartoons

Knight had grown up in the Reagan 80's. Lyrics in the G.I. Joe 's theme song, "fight for freedom, wherever there's trouble," had a great influence on him. It lead him to assume that individuals had the right — and the duty — to intervene anywhere on the planet where they perceived threats to freedom, justice and equality. As a result he believed "that working toward justice was more valuable than my own life".

The Heroic Glamor

Fighting for the oppressed and protecting the safety and dignity of others had a heroic glamor. Doing your part for king and country just don't fit the bill. These heroes wannabe would fly across the globe to throw themselves into freedom struggles that are not their own to attain greater honor. For Knight, this is a "very, very American thing to do".

Might is Right

War movies subtly groom their viewers to love violence and view military conquest as a benevolent act. It glorifies military sacrifice. This is reinforced with medal of honors. That is what brave men do. Might is required and necessary to bring about a world in the vision of the oppressed. If it requires giving up your life to achieve this end, then your sacrifice is worthwhile and heroic. Your death would be perceived as honorable.

Holier than the Blood of Martyrs

Knight made an interesting comment. He said that the traditionalists told him that he would be more useful as a scholar than as a soldier. They reminded him of their prophet's statement that, "the ink of scholars was holier than the blood of martyrs". I believe this is the main idea behind Knight's walking away form the jihadi's path. If only jihadis had reflected on this harmonious path, the world would be more peaceful.