Engineers over-represented in islamic terror groups?

A startling expose of the seedy underworld that is engineering has found that those people with a degree in engineering are severely over-represented in violent islamic extremist groups (full article). According to the study, engineers account for only about 3% of the (male) populace of the arab countries in question, while the terror groups examined were 44% engineering graduates. As an engineering grad myself, and a 'shiftless' [get it?] twenty-something arab male, this study strikes close to home. What about being me (apparently) makes me want to be a terrorist?

My first thought is that the study used a biased sample: they interviewed only those terrorists who were caught. A possible reason that engineers are more likely to be caught might be the explained, as all complicated theories are, by the plot of the movie "The Dark Knight". [Spoiler alert] The joker employs some talented criminals to help him rob a bank, and then once they complete their tasks, he has them killed so he doesn't have to share the loot with them. However, violent islamic terrorists aren't stealing money, they're just trying to damage, kill, terrify, etc. In addition, the engineers who were caught would be angry at being used, and possibly inform on the rest of the organization. So maybe it's not a biased sample.

Engineers are good at figuring things out and making things happen, so here's my hypothesis: If you get a bunch of angry people together, sure they'll talk about doing something about it. But they won't get caught for talking. An engineer will draw up a blueprint for how the objective could be achieved. For good or for bad, engineers make things happen.

The paper looks at tons of data, and here I distill some interesting bits:

-Engineering professors in the US are 58% conservative, compared with 34% of scientists

-Engineering professors are also very religious: 67% versus 49% of scientists

-Globally, violent left-wing groups have almost no engineers, while violent right-wing groups have more (especially in the middle east)

The paper concludes that a combination of two things caused engineers to be over-represented in violent islamic groups. First, after the oil crisis last century there were fewer jobs for engineers. Second, there is something about the engineering mindset which correlates religiousness, conservatism, and the engineering profession.

Foot fungus, thirst are the terrorists' victory

If you've flown on a plane in the past 8 years (which you have), then you know what I'm talking about. Those people, who allegedly hate our way of life and want us to suffer, have succeeded. First (not chronologically), the shoe bomber. Yeah, he didn't blow up a plane with his shoes, but consider this. How many Americans have had to stop what they're doing, hunch their crippled, feeble backs over, and take off their shoes? And then walk barefoot right behind that guy with the terrible feet? (Those of you who know me know I'm talking about myself: terrible, awful feet.) It's a lot like death: absolutely everyone has to go through it, and we all look stupid and uncomfortable while it's happening. Next, the "drink bombers" or whatever we're calling them now. The people who tried to make a bomb out of liquids brought onto the plane in huge sports drinks bottles. They're the reason we can't bring on any liquids larger than 3 ounces. No drinks, no lotion, nothing.


How can we fight this new terrorist threat? Stop flying? Wear socks? Drive? Or we can turn these things around, by having airports offer free foot baths to everyone. You'd have to show up an extra hour early, but I might fly just to get a foot bath. Also: free drinks! Open bars at all airports. Imagine what the terrorists would think when their schemes only result in us engaging in more hedonistic pleasures they hate so much: alcohol, enjoying that foot bath way too much, gambling on which of us will be "randomly selected".