Islam is not the real source of the problem.

If we forget about Islam for a minute and actually start profiling the people who commit terrorist acts we find quite a few similarities. The first is that none of them are high or even medium achievers. They were generally poor performers at school, work in low paid jobs and have few if any career prospects. They either have no relationships with women or their relationships are compromised by infidelity, exploitation, bullying or outright violence. Many are hyper-masculinised, engaging in body building and steroid use and, like our own Ivan Milat, they are fond of taking selfies holding weapons.

These young men are found in all societies and they have always been an important resource for political extremists. In the 1920s the Nazi party in Germany recruited young violent thugs, put them in uniforms and called them the SA. They were supposed to “protect” Nazi rallies from disruption but their real job was to beat up political opponents and Jews. The  Communist Party had its own paramilitary force to match them. In Northern Ireland, violent young men were enlisted by both the IRA and the Loyalist defence groups and sent out to kill each other and a lot of innocent civilians.

The practice of recruiting not-too-bright, low-status, angry young men to commit violent acts has been around for hundreds of years: the only thing that has changed is the method of recruitment.

The Nazis had to personally approach young men who came to their meetings and ask them if they wanted to join. Osama Bin Laden was radicalised by a teacher at his high school. Prayer groups, sporting groups and other social gatherings have served as forums where potential converts are identified and approached. However, the advent of the Internet has brought with it the possibility of  recruitment over distances of thousands of kilometres. Far more effective than pamphlets, and much easier to hide, websites can deliver text, propaganda videos and on-line contact with others already in the organisation.

The Internet also enables remote activation. The genius of ISIS (if we can use that word) has been to see that you don’t need to call your recruits to a meeting, give them uniforms or weapons or even plans. No need to synchronise watches: you simply instruct them to kill non-Muslims by whatever means you have: kitchen knives, axes, a truck and so on, at  any time that you can.

It is important to remember however, that though many of the murders and massacres we have witnessed have been instigated by ISIS, these angry young men are likely to take up arms for a range of causes. Anders Breivik, the Norwegian mass murderer, shot 77 young Nords because he was opposed to Muslims. Gavin Long, the Baton Rouge police killer, was acting out of hatred for white people as was Micah Johnson the Dallas shooter.

So what kinds of people are likely to commit terrorist acts?

The potential terrorist is typically a young male who has little prospect of significant achievement in mainstream society. He is likely to have learning difficulties and low academic achievement. He is unlikely to have mature or equitable relationships women and may express conflict over sexual matters where adolescent attitudes to sex are mixed with deep misogyny. He is likely to feel isolated or discriminated against because of his ethnicity or religion and is likely to react with exaggerated chauvinism in relation to his own cultural heritage and bigotry in relation to others. 

Other predictive traits include aggression, narcissism, intolerance of others’ views, an explosive temper and involvement in petty crime. Most significantly, he will be a young man with a poorly developed sense of self who is looking for, or has found, a male role model on whom to base his own identity. That  male role model may be a teacher, a religious leader, a para-military leader or just a more experienced and charismatic member of a political or terrorist organisation. What he sees in that role model is the person he want to be: a man who is strong, confident, respected, part of a supportive band of brothers.

If society does not offer these poorly-formed, resentful, young men opportunities to achieve a sense of value, ISIS, neo-Nazi groups, motorcycle gangs, drug syndicates and other anti-social organisations will.