Dispatch from the Front X

In this dispatch, my correspondent has some additional thoughts on the role popular support, or implied support from various parties, plays in driving jihadis.

A lot of these tribal societies, being so much more tight knit family wise, give any bad guys pause when doing evil since they know it will often be known to all involved. That's one reason so many areas with a strong insurgent presence do so well. The whole is in on it and if they approve, the young men go for it.

Once enough social pressure is brought to bear either with sheiks, muktars, mullahs, family patriarchs, etc activity can wane. Some of these jihadis or even suicider wackos keep their intent secret because they know the family won't approve. Unlike a lot of palestinian communities where the whole jihadi martyr ethos is venerated there isn't a lot of sense of that in Iraqi society.

One thing I was glad to see with the Britain attacks was the overwhelming groundswell of condemnation against such murderous perversions of islam. Something sorely lacking so often in other areas of weighty influence, like say, Saudi.

That, mullah support and blessing of "jihad", so many experts indicate, is one of the single largest contributors towards violent militarism. We see it all the time, x village has got a mullah who preaches and urges on the muj.

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