The Convert's Zeal? Or Our Cluelessness?

Why are so many jihadists converts to Islam? is the question asked by Daniel Benjamin, writing in the Left-leaning Slate Magazine.

While Mr. Benjamin postulates deep psychological impulses, it's really not all that complicated.

First of all, Mr. Benjamin should know that Islam as such has no `converts'. According to Islam, we are all born Muslims, and thus people who have lived as non-Muslims, say the shehada and submit to Islam are known as `reverts'.

This isn't a mere play on words. A corollary of this doctrine is that non-Muslims are being `rescued' from kuffar (non-believer) status, and that it must be accomplished by any means necessary, whether it's dawa (persuasion) taqiya and kitman ( lying to infidels to advance Islam) or jihad( holy war against the infidel).

Now that we have that little piece of information firmly in hand, the next part of the puzzle is `in Islam, who's doing the most active recruiting of converts?'

Mostly, it's the Saudis, who preach a hardline Islamist wahabi form of Islam.Aided by helpful friends in high places and billions of strategically spent dollars, it is increasingly this radical form of Islam that's being presented in Saudi controlled mosques, madrassahs, in Islamic studies departments in Universities and other forums.

And the imams, prison chaplains, madrassah teachers, textbooks and university professors are presenting this version of Islam to the next generation of Muslims, and of course, to reverts.

Not only that, but in the case of university students, a prime source of reverts, what they're being told in Islamic Studies courses dovetails nicely with what their other Leftist professors are telling them about America, Israel, globalism and Judeo-Christian/Western culture in general.

Or to put it more simply, it's not so much the zeal of converts so much as it is who's converting them.

Any wonder that they're being increasingly radicalized and jihad friendly?