Engineers of Jihad

Two sociologists from Oxford University wrote what to my untrained eye looks like a pretty thorough study on the educational background of members of extremist Islamic groups. The study observes that many Islamist extremists are well educated (well above average number hold college and higher degrees), and that a disproportionate number of them were trained as engineers. The paper is 90 pages long but it's an engaging reading; I've spent better part of an hour browsing through it. Part of the attempted explanation is that (i) people who choose to study engineering are ambitious, (ii) prefer a neat, well designed world that behaves according to definite rules and (iii) if disgruntled, are more willing to resort to extreme measures. I am not doing justice to the study, but reading it reminded me of the comic book supervillains who fought Batman, Spiderman and other superheoroes while plotting to take over the world.

Message to take home? Be nice to us engineers or feel our wrath, bwahahahaha..!