The Other Side of the Rubicon: Social Mechanisms of Reality Construction in Religious Terrorism

Abstract

This paper discusses a number of different ways that the religious terrorist sees his world and how he reacts to it. First, religious terror is defined to focus the discussion. Second, the religious terrorist sees secularization as a major threat, and why he must resist this trend. Third, humiliation is discussed and how this justifies his actions. Social disengagement is also discussed, and how the terrorist sees that governments and outsiders are against him. There is also an additional section on why Islam has within itself the elements that lead to terror, and why Islam is so different from other faiths that do not lead to this path nearly as much. Conclusions and policy proposals are given.