I'm trying to empathise with them... I get why people become radicals of other kinds... but saying no music, no sex, live by the book, behead those who disagree... what part of that makes people think "I want to get into this, this sounds fun"?
The Arab world has valid grievances, which motivated 9-11 for example, but there's more to it than that.
Islamophobia is so hard coded into people's minds they don't realize when they're being that, also how is Yahia from Iraq joining ISIS to "liberate" the Middle East from U.S. imperialism and to establish a "Khilafa" and give freedom to "Muslims" to practice any different to Corey from Iowa joining the U.S. army to "liberate" Middle-Easterners from dictatorships and to establish "democracy" and to give "freedom" to women.
Islamophobia is so hard coded into people's minds they don't realize when they're being that
oh yea I know. Also when OP said "I get why people become radicals of other kinds" I'm 99% sure they were only talking about white radicals, which is why I included Hindutva
your examples are different only in the sense that Jimbob from Paris, Iowa is getting paid 20x more than Yahia
Unless Corey is gay, or doesn't align with a worldview of a Binary Gender, or wants to do coke and heroin openly on the weekends, or wants to listen to non-white rap, etc ,etc.
Gay/enby/heroin addict won't join the US military, but that's not really the point.
All I'm saying is that the US Military allows various acceptable forms of vice, suitable for the kind of people who might join up, whereas Islamists are far more restrictive.