42readers expect. For instance, it’s often suggested
that the 9/11 hijackers couldn’t have been true be-
lievers, because they went to strip clubs before they
carried out their suicide mission. However, to me,
there’s absolutely no question that these men be-
lieved they were bound for paradise. I think many
people are confused about the connection between
outward observance and belief.Nawaz That’s right.
Harris The 9/11 hijackers were not suicidally de-
pressed people who went to strip clubs and then
just deci ded to kill themselves along with thou-
sands of innocent strangers. Whether or not they
went to strip clubs, or appeared pious in any other
way, these men were true believers.
Nawaz Yes. The strip club thing is a red herring, be-
cause even in a traditional view of jihad, when you
believe you’re engaged in an act of war, you’re
allowed to deceive the enemy. So whether it’s es-
pionage, or going undercover, or war propaganda,
within traditional thinking—as revived by modern
jihadism— it’s permissible during war.
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