Madam - Susan Philips's analysis of Islamic terrorism (Head to Head, August 13th) is somewhat misguided.
By emphasising that Islamic terrorism is rooted in sacred texts rather than political conditions, she presents a simplistic explanation of a very nuanced phenomenon. Religion is not the root cause of this form of violence. Instead, religious justifications provide terrorist leaders with a tool for inculcating a strong sense of "groupness" within the operational cell.
An example of this is illustrated in an al-Qaeda training manual. Throughout the text, prayer is referred to as behaviour, not thought. Militants are told to pray together to deepen group bonds. Militants are requested to pray until the final moments of their operation. This is to guard against them reneging on their missions, rather than to ensure entrance into paradise.
A full understanding of Islamic terrorism must take account of the political conditions under which terrorist organisations are formed, sustained and supported and the factors that make membership in such an organisation desirable. These include: how cultures of martyrdom are socially constructed, under what conditions audiences become susceptible to those who preach radical ideas, the life journeys of would-be militants and how individuals become radicalised further within a group setting.
An approach such as this will answer more questions than a deterministic attitude which assumes that, because one is a Muslim, all of one's actions must stem from this fact. - Yours, etc,
PAUL GILL, Government of Ireland Scholar, School of Politics and International Relations, UCD, Dublin 4.