Reddit mentions of The Modern Middle East: A History

I doubt I will convince anyone on this board, but I feel compelled to share a viewpoint that will hopefully get people thinking more critically.

> Relgion is just one part of the complex motivations that cause these groups.

This is true, but has little explanatory power. There are many groups of people with complex motivations that do not look anything like ISIL or the MENA.

The key difference is how much of one's identity is explained by their religion. All people are inherently rational beings, some moreso than others, but all operate under a constant risk/reward method that guides their behavior. Those that are submersed in secular humanism and enlightenment values (most people in the developed world), allow bargaining and rational discourse to guide their views and community forward. They empirically argue for what is better, and can therefore be empirically proven wrong if their view falls short. Their risk/reward is tied to verifiable events; which makes them practical and predictable (and according to history, progressive).

The risk/reward differential for those guided almost entirely by religion is skewered away from empirical confirmation and towards subjective and spiritual inputs. Rewards like eternal life in a golden paradise with all of one's dead relatives are heavily coveted when all a believer has to do is follow a few tenants in life to achieve the ultimate payoff. As such, there is little incentive to improve the empirical world when the payoffs are far smaller (no need for the worldly desires), hence the ease at which people are willing to throw their lives away for the "afterlife payoff."

So, this is an ideology unlike any other, one that rejects our world, our reality, for the unverifiable afterlife. In a way, they aren't even living in our world, they are living for the next. Imagine being raised in that worldview from birth, an omnipresent influence from all your loved ones, local scholars, friends and strangers. Every aspect of entertainment, school, and work, subtly push this view into you. The actions of ISIS (and other radical conservative groups) suddenly becomes very understandable.

> The idea is that these groups are misusing the important social/cultural and personal position religious institutions and ideas have in order to indoctrinate people to their own ends. Religion does somehow give these people influence and power though really its the murdering, the weapons, the support from criminals and foreign governments, the fear and the pain that do most of it.

I don't have enough time to answer this, because the full answer (and there are answers to all of that) is something to write books out of. Specifically, the best version, for anyone that wants to put in the time to really understand what happened.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/019021886X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486913966&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=gelvin+modern+middle+east

If you want something that is a bit more modern, James L. Gelvin's The Modern Middle East: A History is a good history during the Ottoman Empire to now. I had to read it for class and I thought it gave a good basis to expand further upon.

EDIT: It does go into some background in Egypt because of the Ottoman rule in the region, but it still is good information nonetheless. Also, the "Our Read, Listen & Watch List" has a lot of things that you might enjoy, though I cannot vouch for any specific piece because I haven't had time to dive into it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019021886X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

/u/HambNotLamb is right in that a completely unbiased source is hard to find. Hitchens and Carter both have something of an axe to grind.

The best bet is probably scholarly writing where the author has tried to approach the subject with neutrality.

I would highly recommend "The Modern Middle East, A History" by Dr. James L Gelvin. It is often used as a textbook in undergraduate courses on the Middle East. He touches on Israel and Palestine in the book, but also gives you a more comprehensive view of the roots of Arab Nationalism, Pan-Arabism, Jewish Nationalism, and the many pieces of the conflict. He has also written a book exclusively on the conflict, but I can't comment as I haven't personally read it.

If someone gives you a simple answer, chances are it is incorrect.