Why They Cheer The Terrorist Attacks

I'm listening to The Looming Tower right now by Lawrence Wright. Awesome book. I can't recommend it highly enough. It details the creation and rise of Al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood in particular and the Islamist movement in general. Wright is no neocon and as a matter of fact, I think he's a bit of a lefty. In any case, the book is brilliant, following the lives of several key players as if it were a spy novel.

The one thing that has jumped out at me so far is the explanation of why Muslim civilians cheer successful terrorist attacks. In Islam, things happen because Allah wills them. When the Israelis beat the tar out of the Arabs in the 6 Day War, for example, the conclusion from the devout Muslims was that the Islamic world hadn't been sufficiently Islamic and Allah had turned against them. The solution was to be more Islamic than ever. The imposition of Sharia on everyone they can get their hands on is an effort to please Allah that he might will more good things on them.

When Islamists fly planes into buildings and kill thousands, when they shoot up Paris or blow up Brussels, the infidels have been killed because Allah willed it. Allah willed it because the Muslims have been sufficiently devout. In a way, the civilians are cheering their own piety as much as the military victories. The success of the Islamist attackers is a reflection of the relationship between Allah and the Muslim world.

It's like a student cheering when they get a good report card.

Wait until I show my Imam! He's going to be so proud of me!