A non-Islam theory of Islamic terrorism committed by wealthy Muslims

A reader in Virginia writes:

The problem with the sons of wealthy Third Worlders lies not with their wealth, but in how that wealth was achieved. Nigerians, like Saudis, Yemenis, and other low IQ Third World people, produce little, if anything, of value. Their wealth usually lies in oil, oil made valuable by the White Man. Oil made extractable by the White Man. Nigerian industriousness had nothing to do with oil wealth. In fact, Nigerian industriousness does not exist. Strong men or tribal chiefs have elbowed others out of the way to get their hands on this oil (or foreign aid) money. And unfortunately, unlike intelligence, elbow power is usually not passed on to the next generations. Thus, young men such as this Nigerian bomber are not smart enough to make it in the West, nor are they violent or powerful enough (as their fathers were) to shove aside others at the trough of undeserved wealth. They are alienated losers, so they strike at an easy target and the source of their envy and resentment—the White West.

LA replies:

This is an interesting variant on the idea (I think it was V.S. Naipaul who said this) that the educated classes in Third World countries are separated from their native culture by their Westernized education, yet they’re not part of the West either. So they don’t fit in anywhere, and they can’t make it anywhere, and as a result readily turn to radical ideology.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at December 27, 2009 05:52 PM | Send