Daniel Pipes
Mobile Edition
Regular Site

Power not Poverty
Reader comment on item: God and Mammon: Does Poverty Cause Militant Islam?

Submitted by Benjamin Orion (United States), Jul 22, 2005 at 15:00

This article persuasively argues an important point: it is power and not poverty that motivates the Islamic fundamentalists. We really need to spend MUCH more time thinking about this. It explains so much and puts militant Islam in its proper moral context. We always assume that conflicts are about redressing wrongs, whether real or perceived. It has become unfashionable to consider sheer lust for power and prestige as the driving force behind political or social movements.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.

Submit a comment on this item

Search by Enter name or date
Search Forum Comments:

Reader comments (10) on this item

Title By Date
Isolating causes... [251 words]ClydeMar 5, 2009 12:14
A complicated correlation b/w poverty and violence [39 words]ShanahanFeb 26, 2007 00:13
Islam is the cause [38 words]McGarryJan 19, 2009 05:05
The abject poverty of the UK homicide bombers of Mike's Place in tel Aviv. [77 words]Mike OJul 18, 2006 17:01
Simplistic [238 words]A studentMar 19, 2006 14:41
Poverty one of the biggest contributors. [229 words]bilalDec 5, 2005 13:08
⇒ Power not Poverty [76 words]Benjamin OrionJul 22, 2005 15:00
Iranian exprience [183 words]Shahin ShadmerJul 17, 2003 23:23
Only Muslims can solve this problem [214 words]BharatiJan 11, 2003 10:31
Financial Aid Alone Won't Solve the Problem But... [220 words]Joel DavidsonMay 22, 2002 01:53

Comment on this item

Name
Email Address (optional)
Title of Comments
Comments:

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.

See the 25 most recent outstanding comments.

Back to top of page