MYTH AND CONSPIRACY
Reader comment on item: [Michael Barkun on] Old Conspiracies, New Beliefs

Submitted by DONVAN (United States), Jan 13, 2004 at 12:29

The human need for myth and the human weakness for obedience to authority may be the lethal combination we see manifest in the Islamic psyche. While we are engaged in a war on militant Islam, we need to focus on decoupling these dual aspects of human personality. Several studies cofirm that subjects will do seemingly outrageous acts if in proximity to an accepted authority figure. This combined with an aggressive and vague mythology with a religious authority figure and suicide bombings, terrorist activities, have a nexus. Interruption of the mythology may help to frustrate the actions...

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