The Theological Drivers of Jihad

Two horrific acts of murder took place in Europe this October, within a few days of each other. One was the stabbing of English MP David Amess by a UK citizen with a Somali heritage, Ali Harbi Ali. The other was the killing of five Norwegians by Espen Andersen Braathen, a Danish citizen.

These two attacks were different in many ways. One targeted a public figure, a well-known politician, in a church; the other picked off random targets in a supermarket. One was a knife attack; the other was executed with a bow and arrows. What the attacks had in common, apart from both taking place in Europe just a few days apart, was that both attackers were Muslims, one born a Muslim and the other a convert, and the victims were non-Muslims.

After the UK event, some media reports seemed strangely inappropriate. For example, an early report in the Australian, after noting a police report that the attacker was a Somali, speculated as to a possible connection with the fact that Amess “has been…