The temporal horizon is much longer than that Clive. The cartoons became the final target, the process started much further back. The brothers were in care for their teenage years it seems, and so far as we can gather, didn't show any signs of coming under the influence of radical philosophy. Iraq provided the vehicle. This is where they seem to have had their first exposure in trying to recruit, albeit they appear to be on the fringes of a poorly managed network. Ultimately a life of deliquency and petty crime follows. One of them spends a bit of time in prison, where even then he appears to have been a bit player. It was in prison however that he appears to have fallen under the influence of this Finsbury guy (forget his name - the one mentioned in an earlier post).
Unless you're suggetsing that Paris social services are operating a clandestine madrasa (which I hope you aren't) I think it's difficult to suggest that the Kouchai brothers were having jihad "drummed into them from a young age". Both their paren ts were dead at 14 and 12 and they were in care. The fact that one of them in his later years appears to have fancied himself as 'street gansta rapper' would indicate their influences were decidedly western.
I think you're being just as culpable in applying a sweeping broad brush here and you've come up short. You made a little more sense when you suggested there was an element of victimhood about them too.
I can accept that there is a hardline in some cases which is pushed from an early age. I can accept that some of this falls on reasonably 'well off' people like Mohammed Atta, who don't possess the disconnected mitigation. There is one assumes, a reason why the 9/11 hijackers were hand picked, as a degree of intelligence was clearly needed to execute that attack. I can also accept that if you've grown up in Baghdad you might easily develop a genuine grievance as opposed to the slums of Paris whereby your resentment can't be as connected. I have to say though Clive, in this case I don't think the evidence really supports your prejudged position. These are much more classic cases of organiser identifies and exploits vulnerable minds
Unless you're suggetsing that Paris social services are operating a clandestine madrasa (which I hope you aren't) I think it's difficult to suggest that the Kouchai brothers were having jihad "drummed into them from a young age". Both their paren ts were dead at 14 and 12 and they were in care. The fact that one of them in his later years appears to have fancied himself as 'street gansta rapper' would indicate their influences were decidedly western.
I think you're being just as culpable in applying a sweeping broad brush here and you've come up short. You made a little more sense when you suggested there was an element of victimhood about them too.
I can accept that there is a hardline in some cases which is pushed from an early age. I can accept that some of this falls on reasonably 'well off' people like Mohammed Atta, who don't possess the disconnected mitigation. There is one assumes, a reason why the 9/11 hijackers were hand picked, as a degree of intelligence was clearly needed to execute that attack. I can also accept that if you've grown up in Baghdad you might easily develop a genuine grievance as opposed to the slums of Paris whereby your resentment can't be as connected. I have to say though Clive, in this case I don't think the evidence really supports your prejudged position. These are much more classic cases of organiser identifies and exploits vulnerable minds
