People by nature are impressionable, there's absolutely no doubt about that. When somebody on a stage says make some noise, people tend to make some noise.

I think we've evolved to respect leadership as it's the fundamental basis of a civilised society that's apparent throughout the animal kingdom. A big loud voice was probabl a handy way of stopping us eating each other.

I went to the US recently and was absolutely astonished by the TV and radio preachers. I've seen them in parody but didn't realise just how shameless they are.

They simply appear on TV and radio and say, "send me $300 and a miracle will happen within a month," or "if you send me $1,000 your business will take off". There was no disguise, cunning tricks or sleight of hand, it was just, "give me money because I'm religious."

It was so ridiculous that I didn't think anybody could fall for it... until they'd cut to a shot of an American football stadium packed with tens of thousands of people hanging on every word.

So the tragic reality is that, unfortunately, being a good leader does not necessarily mean you're a good person. You can be as thick as pigst, a total aholes or evil to the core, but if you have the right patter you can get people to listen to you.

Pyramid scheme

I think theres an element of not being able to adapt enough to be able to succeed in mainstream society.

If these people can't fit in and succeed in the mainstream (or think that the mainstream has let them down) then they can end up searching for somewhere more accepting (i.e. Islam) and end up wanting to lash out against popular society in anger.


I've seen and known of a fair few muslims who try and fit into popular society (with all the sex and drinking etc), but just don't know how to as its so foreign to how they've been brought up. Once they gave up trying they ended up turning the other way and becoming more hardcore in their beliefs as a sort of survival mechanism I'm guessing. Rather be a confident religious person than a feeble member of mainstream society. Sad.

People have a structure they live within and justify actions using this.

During vietnam it was because my commander told me to, in extremism it's because a higher authority said do...humans are power hungry, violent, tribal in nature and never satisfied - they just need a mechanism to ratify against as a coping strategy.

Buddhist peaceful right? Someone has provided them with a framework where they are rationalising killing other people!!!

Who the hell wants 72 virgins anyway. That many women, none of whom know what to do. What a nightmare. And you'd never get in the bloody bathroom, and as for Match of the Day, forget it.

Not to mention 72 mothers in law.

No, give me one woman, who knows how many beans make five. In fact, I think I'll stick with the wife, if it's all the same to you.

I thought you were going to do that Frankie Boyle joke.

"Forget 72 virgins, I'll give you 20 wes... or one woman from Dundee."

I wonder if that will ever change. Can't see it happening this century anyway.

Brilliant - surely that would make an excellent sketch?

Reminds me of this:

I think the whole 72 virgins thing is a misnomer. I very much doubt that is what the majority of terrorists to commit their acts -infact to think so is just stupid IMO.

One of the main (more recent) reasons will be the fact that see people like them being killed en mass abroad by the west (i.e foreign policy) - with the internet it is very easy to focus in on all the suffering and possible inequalities in the way muslims are treated or perceived. I think that is what drives it.

And essentially as someone said, smarter people can get others to do their work if they can find people who they can hook on specific issues.