frontline: al qaeda's new front: al qaeda today | PBS: "'It turns out that the terrorists are very much like us,' he says. 'They're not really all that different.' In a 2004 speech, Sageman explained, 'Most people think that terrorism comes from poverty, broken families, ignorance, immaturity, lack of family or occupational responsibilities, weak minds susceptible to brainwashing -- the sociopath, the criminals, the religious fanatic, or, in this country, some believe they're just plain evil.'
But Sageman found that three quarters of his sample came from the upper or middle class. The vast majority -- 90 percent -- came from caring, intact families. 63 percent had gone to college, as compared with the five to six percent typical in the third world. 'These are the best and brightest of their societies in many ways,' he says."
But Sageman found that three quarters of his sample came from the upper or middle class. The vast majority -- 90 percent -- came from caring, intact families. 63 percent had gone to college, as compared with the five to six percent typical in the third world. 'These are the best and brightest of their societies in many ways,' he says."
