Converts to extremists

I was listening to NPR's Talk of the Nation last week and they were talking about a Belgian Woman who was a suspected suicide bomber. The woman was born in Belgium and converted to Islam. There are lots of stories about the shock and surprise of the people from her town. People are shocked that someone they know could do this.

I like this quote from the Yahoo story.

Experts said converts to Islam like Degauque are often easy prey for extremists because their search for a new identity can make them impressionable.

I was thinking about this woman and Jose Padilla, a.k.a. the Dirty Bomber. It is easy for me to see how someone from the West could be sucked into something like this. You look at life in the West and it is easy to see why someone might reject it. No matter where you stand, you have to compromise often just to live day to day life. Depending on what you are looking for in a new religion. I could see people I know rejecting the West. If someone rejects the West it is easy to see how someone could decide to fight the West.

Tonight is the premiere of Sleeper Cell on Showtime. I wonder if they are going to do justice to this topic or not. I want to see this show. I think this is something we will see more of and not less of.


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