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Jihadis Twice As Likely To Be Students of Science Than Of Sharia (telegraph.co.uk)

Bruce66423 writes: Time to cancel all the encouragement of studying STEM subjects, obviously...
The Telegraph is reporting that prominent jihadists "are twice as likely to have studied science at university than subjects related to Islam," citing a new report by the Centre on Religion and Geopolitics. "The report, which analyzed the histories of 100 of the most prominent jihadist leaders of the last three decades, said that despite claiming to be the sole interpreters of Islamic theology, they often had little or no training in the subject." Osama bin Laden went to a secular school and studied economics at college with little formal Islamic training, while the "underpants bomber," who tried to detonate a bomb in a plane over Detroit in 2009, got his degree in mechanical engineering. Of the 100 cases examined, "Around half had attended university, with 57 per cent of them studying science subjects, compared to only 28 per cent studying Islamic subjects."

16 of 201 comments (clear)

  1. Not surprising... by ilsaloving · · Score: 5, Funny

    People of science are far more likely to be using computers, and have far less patience for nonsense. Add a forced Win10 upgrade into the mix and... well...

  2. This topic again... by sciengin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This will be the sixth time we have submitted the same story over the years and by now we have become very good at it:

    https://slashdot.org/index2.pl...

    My opinion to this was and still is that Engineers make the better terrorists because they are the only ones with the necessary skills to excel at it.
    Art, Literature, Law and even Sharia students simply do not have the know-how nor the analytical mindset to take apart a problem (building standing, people living) and formulate an efficient solution (bomb) to archive the desired end result (panic, destruction and mayhem).

    1. Re:This topic again... by WoOS · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Plus, what I am missing is a comparison with the ratio in the overall populace. I.e. if four times as many arabian/muslim people were studing STEMM (last "M" for medicine) than Islamic Studies, then actually people studying Islam would be twice as likely to become terrorist.

      It is OK if the Tony Blair Faith Foundation wants to defend faith. But they should at least include basic statistical facts before writing articles.

  3. Makes perfect sense.. by Ostrich25 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Perhaps if they studied Islam a little more, they'd realize blowing shit up does not constitute religious devotion.

    1. Re:Makes perfect sense.. by Moridineas · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I love it when people (and President Obama is guilty of this too) white knight (and I hate that term) for other people's religions. Guess what, your opinion on what is real Islam is no more reputable or accurate than bin Laden's--both are merely opinions. You do not get to be the arbiter of whether other people are accurately following their religions or not. That's more or less how the Inquisition (and many similar movements across history and across the world) got started, and the end results are nasty.

    2. Re:Makes perfect sense.. by zapadnik · · Score: 4, Interesting

      FALSE.

      There is only one version of Islam, and that is the Islam of Mohammed. Everything that ISIS is doing is based *exactly* on what Mohammed did. Killing non-Muslims is condoned in the Koran and practiced by Mohammed. The quest to conquer the World was commanded by Mohammed (Koran 9:29 and 9:5). Beheadings were practiced by Mohammed. Pedophilia was practiced by Mohammed with Aisa bint Abu Bakr and Hussan and Hussein bin Ali according to the hadith. Sex slavery follows the Koran (Koran 4:3) and the example of Mohammed with Maria the Copt, Safiyya and others. etc etc etc.

      This is why Al Azhaar University in Cairo (the highest source of Sunni and Shia jurisprudence) refuses to declare ISIS as un-Islamic, because it cannot! The Islamic State (Caliphate) is following *exactly* what Mohammed did.

      Critical in the study of Islam is understanding the Doctrine of Abrogation. If you don't know this then you do not understand Islam at all. Fortunately for the Free World many Muslims are good human beings that don't understand Islam at all. Unfortunately for the Free World the pious Muslims that do understand Islam are very, very bad human beings.

      What I don't understand is how so many Slashdotters make strong statements about what they assume Islam to be, without ever studying the life of Mohammed or the actual teachings of Islam (not the propaganda version intended to neutralize the Free World).

      Bonus: the best news about Islam is that recent archeological scholarship shows that Islam is completely fictional and man-made (this should be obvious, but in this day and age to many these facts are not). The archeology and Koranic scholarship show that the claims of Islam about its origins CANNOT be true. Thus, since Islam is a totalitarian theocratic political ideology (with some superstition sprinkled on top) and not a "personal faith" it is morally just to oppose the Islamic World (Dar al-Islam) fighting to impose Sharia (Islamic Law) by force on Muslims and all non-Muslims alike. Check out the evidence against Islam based on archeology (sorry, this is presented by a Christian apologist as they're the ones paying attention - we atheists have been asleep at the wheel when it comes to Islam, and even some atheists bend over forwards to make excuses for jihadis !!!):
      "An Historical Critique of Islam's Beginnings"
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      The archeological evidence now shows Islam was created by Caliph (Arab Emperor) Abd al-Malik in order to advance Arab Imperialism. And thanks to the incompetent "leadership" of the Free World this imperialism is advancing rapidly again (for the third and possibly final time as the 57 member Organization of Islamic Cooperation seeks to fulfill their Islamic mandate to conquer the whole World and subjugate all non-Muslims into the Islamic political order).

      If you don't understand the meanings of the following words then you are not qualified to talk about Islam: taqiyya/muruna/tawriya/kitman; abrogation (nasik wal mansouk), al jihad al asgher versus al jihad al akhbar; the Sunna; the Sira;Reliance of the Traveller; ijtihad; Al Mahdi; takfir and fitna.

    3. Re:Makes perfect sense.. by digitig · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm more interested in how people who call themselves Muslim actually live their lives than whether that conforms to someone else's understanding of what true Islam is. And none of the Muslims I know seem remotely interested in killing me - some of them have had plenty of opportunity, but clearly can't be bothered. Maybe I've been lucky in the Muslims I've met, but there does seem to be quite a divergence between (your) theory and practice.

      --
      Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
    4. Re:Makes perfect sense.. by zapadnik · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You do understand that there is a difference between Muslims (people) and Islam (the totalitarian ideology), right? It is the same difference between Germans and National Socialism (Naziism). It doesn't matter what any Muslim does or does not do, the only authority in Islam is Mohammed, and he most assuredly wants to kill or enslave you (its up to him, whatever benefits the "emir" according to Sharia).

      What I don't get is why anyone would apologize for this evil ideology? Islam is pretty much the same as National Socialism - kill all the Jews, conquer the World, enslave everyone for the benefit of the believers, and blind obedience to the dictator (Hitler/Mohammed). Why would you make apologetics for this - especially since it is all man-made and designed to enslave your fellow human beings.

      Unless of course, you believe Islam is true and Mohammed actually existed - which is delusional since the archeological evidence shows that all the Arab temples at the time Mohammed was said to have lived don't point to where Mecca is, but to the Nabatean capital of Petra, and 100% did so from 630 Ad to 725 AD, and mixed percentages for the next hundred years. The whole Islamic story is a later fabrication and adaptation of the Nabatean cult of Dushara (see Koran 53:19-20) which worshipped square blocks called "ka'aba".

      Islam is the Scientology of the Dark Ages - created by evil men to control other men and (especially) women. Don't make excises to defend this lie !

    5. Re:Makes perfect sense.. by sjames · · Score: 4, Informative

      Let's look at the first passage you quoted. You do know that the 'they' referred to is people who have lapsed from their faith, right? And that the surrounding text says that they should be allowed to leave in peace if they will go. It even states that there is no point in trying to convert them back.

      Funny how a little context totally changes a thing. Throughout the history of religion, various nutjobs have taken bits and pieces of their preferred holy writing out of context and bent them for their own purposes. You should probably look those passages up yourself and read the surrounding passages.

      You should also know that Jews and Christians are explicitly NOT infidels according to the Quran.

      Of course, there are a lot of nutjobs in the Middle East taking a lot of things out of context but it is a mistake to paint all Muslims everywhere with the same brush.

    6. Re:Makes perfect sense.. by Xyrus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Islam is the Scientology of the Dark Ages - created by evil men to control other men and (especially) women. Don't make excises to defend this lie !

      Ever read the old testament? There isn't a hell of a lot a difference between the atrocities there and those found in the Koran. Same theme's too.

      If you think the Jewish and Christian religions are based on rainbows and kittens then you really haven't read the Torah/Bible/etc.

      --
      ~X~
  4. Autistic worldview by benjfowler · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I would wager it's exactly the same reason why so many nerds I went to university with turned into raving, foam-at-the-mouth libertarians:

    Wahhabism/Qutbism is yet another simple, crude world view, which makes sense to smart minority kids who have to deal with adversity and petty racism that most Slashdotters don't have to deal with. Never mind the fact that it's wrong.... seeing yourself as a king who is being held down by people you see as culturally and religiously inferior to yourself (and then getting a license to rape and murder at will) has a lot of appeal to impressionable young minds.

    1. Re:Autistic worldview by serviscope_minor · · Score: 4, Interesting

      From personal experience, people saying such things either have no idea what "liberal" means or are just flat out making shit up. I really am not bothered that you own a bunch of guns and shit. Maybe if I get rich and move, I'll see if I can fill in enough paperwork to own an L/40.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
  5. This is what scares me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And it's not xenophobia to question it (it's definitely not racism, either, as Islamic isn't a race). It's that most people think of Jihadis as being some cave-dwelling illiterate camel-herders halfway across the world, then call me names when I question the vetting process of the people we're letting into our modern, western, civilized nations. We've seen what's happened in Europe, yet it's still cliche amongst the liberals and elites to question an open border policy.

    You see, it appears that many fundamentalist Islamics are highly educated, in many cases (as referenced here) in the sciences, and many come from wealthy families. Combine that type of training and means with someone motivated to cause harm and you've got a perfect storm. At least here in the states, people like to compare fundamental Islam with Christian fundamentalists. Forgetting for the moment that Christianity's holy book doesn't call for the extermination of non-believers and infidels, most Christian fundamentalists are poor, very uneducated, and without the means (and in most cases, motivation) to cause any real harm.

    This being said, I don't for a second believe that every Muslim wants to blow something up or cause anyone harm. They probably just want to come here to get an education so they can better themselves. I've met them, and most seem like normal people. But it only takes a few suggestible people to cause one hell of a shit-storm. This is why I didn't understand the outrage towards Trump when he simply said we should take the time to make sure the Islamic people we are letting into our countries are not of the "kill-the-non-believer" persuasion. To me, it would be common sense to vet members of a religion that has sworn the destruction of western society into our western countries, but that makes me a "racist" xenophobe. Especially when the majority of Muslims that enter the U.S. in particular are military-age men here to attend our universities and earn advanced STEM degrees.

    But I digress, my point is when you live in country where it is illegal to NOT swear allegiance to Allah, even the rich, educated, jetsetting types that we in the western world equate with liberalism and atheism/agnoticism have the potential to be fundamentalist nutcases. And this is something that concerns me, whether it's fashionable or politically correct to do so.

  6. First they came for the scientists... by gavron · · Score: 4, Interesting

    As shown in V, an allegorical drama about aliens on Earth...

    First they came for the scientists, removing those who would show the world the horrors it was facing.

    Now "they" are saying that studying science is linked to (one day they will say "causes" but not yet) terrorism.

    That's right. Look on all science students with suspicion. They may be closet terrorists. Turn them into your government leaders.

    E

  7. Why go to college for religion? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If you're hellbent on blowing shit up, studying religion in college is useless. That's why you go for the scientific stuff instead. They don't teach you chemistry or offensive network penetration in a class about the Koran.

    Seems like this is being posed as a counter-intuitive idea, but it really makes perfect sense.

    1. Re:Why go to college for religion? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You are assuming they are starting with the intent of becoming a jihadi. Alternatively, if you start with next to no knowledge of Islam, it is going to be easier to be easier to be persuaded by other Islamists that becoming a jihadi is the proper Muslim thing to do.