kebdall: I was slow to grasp that concept, but I think there's agrement on that now as well. That's an example for "had mudcat changed your thinking." I don't think it changed where I would have gotten to on my own, but it helped the process. My inutitive process was "I don't care why he's doing it, we need to make him stop." We'll get in touch with his feelings later.

To be clear, however, I think the more important point is we need to understand the thinking of his potential recruits and supporters. And that involves understanding what they (not so much the converted maniacs) think of what he says and does. It also involves identifying clearly who such potential recruits and supporters are, exactly. They are not drawn from broad populations of the Muslim world; they are highly specific, even if geographically diverse, peculiar populations.