I was recently struck by the insights of a once-radicalised Muslim who was answering the questions of a Radio 4 journalist. His comments helped sharpen my focus on something that had previously been more of a hunch.
The basic point is that Western secular observers are not best placed to understand what makes the suicide bomber ‘tick.’ In a sense they too are so ‘radicalised’ that the psychology of religion is beyond their powers of analysis. Put simply, they don’t do theology well.
Not just another psychopath
As the interviewee pointed out, the Manchester bomber (and his like) was not just another psychopath, nor deprived, nor damaged by abuse. He probably never watched pornography, or did drugs, or touched alcohol. Never spoke blasphemous words, or listened to explicit pop music. Instead he prayed earnestly and worked honestly for his family’s welfare.
