From purchasing pay-per-view pornography to smoking pot, many so-called Muslim terrorists prove by their actions that they aren’t motivated by devotion to religious beliefs, Leena Al Olaimy argues. Why do they actually turn to assault, and exactly what does that reveal about the simplest way to fight terrorism?

Al Olaimy sets the stage by providing an instant, thoughtful grounding in the birth of Islam in a barbaric Video game of Thrones–like seventh-century Arabia, the evolution of fundamentalist thought, about Compassionate Counterterrorism: THE ENERGY of Addition In Fighting Fundamentalism as well as the politics failures of the postcolonial period. She implies that terrorists are motivated by economic exclusion, lack of opportunity, cultural marginalization, and politics discrimination. That is why using pressure to counter terrorism is ineffective—it exacerbates the symptoms without treating the cause. Furthermore, data demonstrates military interventions led to the demise of just 12 percent of spiritual terrorist groups.

Combining convincing data with anecdotal evidence, Al Olaimy sheds light on unorthodox and counterintuitive strategies to address public woes that groups like ISIS exploit. For instance, she describes how Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has decreased terrorism while paradoxically getting more overtly spiritual. Or how Mechelen, the city with Belgium’s largest Muslim people, adopted integration plans therefore effective that not just one of its 20,000 Muslims still left to become listed on ISIS. Using religious beliefs, neuroscience, farming, as well as love, this reserve offers many uplifting good examples and—for once—an optimistic outlook on how we cannot just combat but prevent terrorism.