Originally Posted by Fluglehrer

As far as anyone knows, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, has a doctorate in Islamic Studies. I think he has a pretty good idea of what's in the Quran and how to interpret it TO SUIT HIS OWN AGENDA. He's found a lot of like-minded folks who grew up marinated in the Quran.

Originally Posted by Fluglehrer

I have a great deal of empathy for the young Quran believers, following in the path of their prophet and seeking to please Allah. I think they are totally sane. They are wired like any other human, but the software loaded in their heads is much different than someone who has studied in the Western liberal tradition. Given what little experience they have of the world, considering what mental furniture they are working with, and comparing them to some of the misguided rubes (of comparable age) who are students on US campuses, I feel more a sense of loss at what could have been than anger at them personally. This isn't about mass insanity, this is about people with a strong belief system (and a long heritage of that system's dominance from Spain to the Philippines) acting on their beliefs. You can call it crazy all you want, but I think you should stare at the problem a little longer before writing them off as lunatics.