Fact: terrorists scare the hell out of me.
I do not understand the drive to slaughter other human beings in the name of a holy war. As far as I’m concerned, mass murder seems to contradict the tenets of love, forgiveness, and making an effort to do good for others that I learned in ten years of CCD.
Of course, I’ve read the Bible extensively since then and have studied other religions, learning to my grief and eventual cynicism that there’s an unfortunate correlation between organized religion and violence. From the Crusades to the Israeli-Palestinian mess to 9/11 and everywhere in between, shedding the blood of the innocent as a necessary by-product of God’s glory has been a recurring theme.
Even with that knowledge, however, it’s still possible to be taken by surprise at the ingenuity—and truly depraved nature—of terrorists.
Especially when they’re women.
I know that sounds sexist, that extremist women are just as likely to exist as extremist …
