The Rationality of Radical Islam

Why do Islamist radicals engage in high-cost/risk activism that exposes them to arrest, repression, and even death? At a group level, it appears perfectly rational: zealous contention places enormous pressures on adversar ies and increases the likelihood that the group will achieve its objective. Robert Pape's study of suicide terrorism provides some empirical evidence that ex treme forms of activism do indeed produce concessions from opponents.1 Yet, although extreme tactics may be deployed as part of a logical, coherent, and rational strategy to maximize group goals, is it "rational" for the individual per petrators? Why not free-ride off the efforts of others rather than jeopardize personal self-interest? We argue that radical Islamic groups offer spiritual selective incentives to individuals who are concerned with the hereafter. Although some radical Is lamists are compelled by economic incentives or personal psychological needs that may have nothing to do with religious conviction (the need for revenge against perceived oppressors, a need for a sense of empowerment, or a desire for prestige), religion matters for many. In cases where individuals take spiri tuality seriously, movement ideologies offer strategies for fulfilling divine duties and maximizing the prospects of salvation on judgment day. In essence, these ideologies serve as heuristic devices or templates that outline the path to salvation. Where individuals believe that the spiritual payoffs outweigh the