Terrorism and The Middle-Class

[Dominick]

Why is it that so many of the terrorists are of middle-class origin? I would appreciate if individuals could provide me with articles on the topic.

[Kropotkin Has a Posse]

What kinds of terrorists, though? Propaganda of the deed-ists, Islamic fundamentalists, or state terrorists?

[Dominick]

Excuse the vague nature of the question. I was referring to Islamic fundamentalists, such as those that committed 9-11 and the recent UK terror plots.

[Dr Mindbender]

Best guess is they come from the petit beourgiouse school of educated fundamental theism (students, priests etc). Not unlike their christian and jewish counterparts. Well to do education would also explain their aptitude at bomb-making.

[rouchambeau]

I would say that most terrorists are part of the more marginalized classes. I think it's just the big names, like Bin Laden, are more well-to-do.

That's just my guess.

[Kropotkin Has a Posse]

I think the poorest Islamic fundamentalist footsoldiers are acting not out of strong ideological conviction but out of dire economic necessity. They can only hope to survive on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Like I remember reading that the wages for a Taliban fighter are much higher than for a labourer.

But the fact that the bombers themselves are typically better off but still feel committed enough to die for their cause probably has more to do with cultural or social alienation than economic alienation.

[koler]

Look at what they are living in. Look what they have gone threw. The real question here is why the do what they do. And religion, subconsciously has little to do with there anger. The west has enslaved there countrymen. I speak of macro capitalism. It is western factories, and western markets, and western oil refineries that run there countries. Or at least these infrastructure are built to supply the west. The wages are low, the hours long, the conditions like that no person in the west could fathom. They strike out of anger, out of hate, out of lust and fear. They see the spread of western thought as a threat to there way of life, and that it is. Western thought is in essence capitalist thought. In a place like the middle east, were boarder have less meaning, building a fence is enough to kill somebody. (metaphor) You see, they are the slaves of our comfort. They labor so that we can gas up our cars, and swipe our credit and debit cards. Though there acts are not justified by this, they do have, under the religious BS a smiler desire to uproot the system we too have little patience for. One must ask who the real terrorists are? The Islamic Fundamentalists, or the West? But this question is loaded. Both are. In separate ways, they both use fear to control the masses. Both have succeeded, from a certain point of view. I'm ranting, possibly treason. *flees scene, tosses hard drive into microwave, shredes documents and burns them*

I answered nothing *failure*

[MarcX]

Originally posted by Ulster [email protected] 03, 2007 12:23 am
Best guess is they come from the petit beourgiouse school of educated fundamental theism (students, priests etc). Not unlike their christian and jewish counterparts. Well to do education would also explain their aptitude at bomb-making.
they couldn't make bombs for shit in London at least brings a shame to the name of bomb making not that i wanted anyone to die

but they should be shot for there shitty bomb making lol

and for there social class i have a feeling that the poor have less time to think about terrorism and more time worrying about money and food.

You might have a hard time thinking about religion ideology if you cant find food

mazlows pyramid of needs states this well enough

[Matty_UK]

It's because the middle class is incapable of being the dominant force in a revolution.

Working class can use strikes and lock-ins, the middle class is incapable of any sort of constructive mass action so tends toward isolated acts of terrorism.

[SpikeyRed]

I think if your talking about "Middle Class" terrorists that are coming from Middle Eastern countries, then, you have to be carefull and realise that "middle class" in the Mid East is nothing like Western Middle class at all! On that, I have a firm beliefe, and have had since before I discovered serious leftism and marxist economic thought, that these people are so disenfranchised and poor and suffering, that they are radicalized easily because of their desperation. I think if there were strong 'leftist' (and I mean Western) leftist movements in the mid east\Islamic world then perhaps you could get some usefull prolaterian uprising, but religion dominates these people.
I suppose you could loosely compare these people too the people of Nazi Germany supporting Hitler, because of their economic situation and Hitler taking advantage of that.


I have a feeling perhaps though your talking about western 'home grown' fundamentalists, like those in Britain who were raised there but carried out attacks for Al-Qaeda. In this case, I don't think it's so much a case of Economic conditions that drive these people to terrorism, I think it's a social alienation.
What I mean by this is, that racism against First gen British (or anyother 'western' country) Arab muslims, creates some kind of identity crisis for these people as they grow up, and in an attempt to create an identity for themselves they search for their cultural roots and such, and due to perhaps chance conditions of finding some radical clerics or others in their area, they are 'converted' and travel down this road.
You have to remember, just because your middle class, dosen't mean you don't suffer from oppression\discrimination such as racism.

Thats my two cents