Why are there so few Muslim terrorists? With more than a billion Muslims in the world--many of whom supposedly hate the West and ardently desire martyrdom--why don't we see terrorist attacks every day? Where are the missing martyrs?In this startlingly counterintuitive book; a leading authority on Islamic movements demonstrates that terrorist groups are thoroughly marginal in the Muslim world. Charles Kurzman draws on government sources; public opinion surveys; election results; and in-depth interviews with Muslims in the Middle East and around the world. He finds that young Muslims are indeed angry with what they see as imperialism--and especially at Western support for local dictatorships. But revolutionary Islamists have failed to reach them; as can be seen from the terrorists' own websites and publications; which constantly bemoan the dearth of willing recruits. Kurzman notes that it takes only a small cadre of committed killers to wreak unspeakable havoc. But that very fact underscores his point. As easy as terrorism is to commit; few Muslims turn to violence. Out of 140;000 murders in the United States since 9/11; Islamist terrorists have killed at most three dozen people. Of the 150;000 people who die each day; worldwide; Islamist militants account for fewer than fifty fatalities--and only ten per day outside of the hotspots of Afghanistan; Iraq; and Pakistan. The real bulwark against Islamist violence; Kurzman finds; is Muslims themselves; who reject both the goals of the terrorists and their bloody means. With each bombing; the terrorists lose support among Muslims. Incisive and authoritative; The Missing Martyrs provides much-needed corrective to deep-seated and destructive misconceptions about Muslims and the Islamic world. The threat of Islamist terrorism is real; Kurzman shows; but its dimensions are; so far; tightly confined.
#4258336 in Books 2010-12-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.50 x 1.30 x 9.30l; 1.35 #File Name: 0199743185344 pages
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