We have seen time and time again in the Christian faith as well... Charlatans who use and abuse selected and cherry picked passages of faith texts to move individuals to go 180 degrees from the basis of their faith for purposes of power..

I cannot believe we have there are people coming from all over the world to join such a despicable organization.. I could not believe Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple either..

Brainwashing does not just happen to individuals in person.. it can happen on the internet too..You get people who are isolated and fearful of life.. and they are so easily manipulated..

and the religion that is embraced by peace loving people all over the planet is really critical.

Those that lump them all together make a critical error and do nothing to help eliminate this kind of extremism.

Charlatans have always known how to target and prey upon vulnerable individuals. And when nothing else is being offered, they are easy pickings.

Many times it seems people who are sucked into something like this, are really quite brilliant. They even will read and see that what they are taking in is truly opposite of the declared religious or philosophical standings.

Pinto did an awesome op on community. And it applies to this as well I think. Its lost souls as it were .. people seeking something..

Charles Manson comes to mind.. I was reading an article about a young Turkish woman who has joined ISIS because she feels safe there?

Its a mind set you could almost reach out and feel pity for, if they were not so committed to destroying anything they deem the "other"..

Fear of the "other"... the basis of so much destruction historically..

In fact, highly intelligent people might be very socially isolated and feel marginalized. Think nerds who never fit in. They are good prospects for recruitment.

I also like pinto's OP on community. It's really important, whether it is religious or not.

I recently flew back to the US from Turkey and sat next to a wonderful and very intelligent young muslim man. He expressed much fear and anxiety about muslim extremists. I think he, not they, represent the status quo.

Fear of the other seems always to be tied to irrational prejudice and ignorance. That's why I am really supportive of the programs which teach kids about other religions and those with no religion.

The most effective weapon against religious extremism is secularism. Liberal and moderate believers can insist the extremists have it wrong all day long - the extremists can just turn that criticism right around back at them. And both camps are equally right (or wrong).

Secularism reduces the political power of religion across the board.

Any more than ISIS does.

If people are being drawn into this for religious reasons, it seems to make sense to promote religious alternatives.

That appears to be all he is doing.

their religion, not in the service of U.S. foreign policy.

It's a deadly path no matter who does it.

Now that I'm agreeing with trotsky, I better check my blood sugar.

This is a situation where religion and foreign policy can't be easily separated, but it is also an area in which I have very little knowledge or experience.

I guess I would defer to the Obama administration on how to approach this.

I don't think there is an obvious solution.