I'm not a psychologist or a social worker, but it seems to me that there is an extraordinary number of Islamic psychopaths out there compared to other religious populations. People who randomly murder strangers to satisfy a lust to kill are still kind  of rare in Western countries, so much so that when these crimes are perpetrated it is big news, extensively covered by the media.

Serial killers Paul Bernardo in Canada and Jeffrey Dahmer in the States capture the attention of the general public due to  their atypical, extraordinarily inhuman disregard for the sanctity of life and the attending inability to feel compassion or remorse. Outwardly, mass murderers look like regular people, yet they are a soulless bunch, unable to have empathy, feel pity or have mercy. Apparently, in the case of Moslem psychopaths, not even for themselves. They readily self-destruct, too. Mankind's most innate, basic instinct is survival — staying alive — yet they throw their lives away fully aware of what they are about to do.

Incredibly, snuffing out the lives of innocent men, women and children, including one's own, is an almost daily occurrence in countries with an Islamic population. And the fact that babies and children such as 10-month-old Shalhevet Pas and 12-year-old friends Koby Mandell and Yossi Ish-Ran were targeted and brutally murdered boggles the mind of any decent human being. No doubt the murderers of these innocent children have brothers and sisters or even sons and daughters of their own. Their inability to see these young harmless individuals as someone's child is horrifying, and is a blatant indicator of how sick the society they come from is — a society that publicly parties and celebrates the butchering of these babes.

Most amazing is that the murdering is not restricted to "infidels" whose annihilation, in some kind of twisted logic, can be "justified" by the Islamics as holy war. Moslems are blowing up co-religionists: rug kneeling, Koran thumping worshippers of Allah just like themselves! Earlier this month dozens of Iraqi Moslem children were blown up or burnt to death by a suicide bomber as they received candy from an American G.I. Almost every day Iraqi soldiers or policemen or just people shopping in the marketplace are beheaded, shot, or blown up by their "brethren." Last week, 88 people, mostly Egyptian hotel workers, were prematurely sent to their graves by suicide/homicide bombers "in retaliation for crimes committed against Moslems." Isn't what they just did a crime against Moslems?

So how do you explain what seems to be a very high number of Islamic psychopaths in terms of their cold-bloodedness?

My guess is that it stems from how the Islamic world, particularly the extremists, treat their women. They view their wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters as inferior entities, to be covered, isolated, and prevented from going to school or having gainful employment (Afghani Taliban style). In some Moslem countries women can't vote or drive. If a Moslem girl minding her own business is assaulted by a man, the hapless girl is viewed as having dishonored the family and often ends up brutally mutilated and/or murdered by her father and brothers, who can only sleep in peace once the "stain to the family honor" is removed. The victim is the guilty one, deserving of extreme punishment.

How can a woman raised in a culture that despises her and who basically views her as an animal on two legs possibly love her sons, knowing they will grow up to be tormentors like the rest of the men in her world? And how can she respect her daughters, knowing that they will grow to be sub-human objects like her? She can only feel the scorn that one slave has for another.

Children raised by mothers who are cold and emotionally distant — who, along with their fathers, seemingly have no problem with their killing themselves (and who may actually encourage them to do so) — are likely to end up as cold-blooded sociopaths. Children deprived of affection usually grow up to be emotionally disturbed. They in turn raise children like themselves, hence a nation of mass murderers.

Conversely, Jews as a people are compassionate, and dedicate their energies to tikkun olam — "repairing the world," alleviating suffering and pain. I believe this is because they have mothers who adore and cherish them. From them they learn love and kindness and consideration. Those with Yiddische mamas are considered by many to be blessed.

So why are Jewish mothers renowned for being loving — almost to the point of overdoing it? Because they in turn are loved and cherished. In Judaism women are valued and respected. Wives are honored by their husbands and children, all of whom sing their praises. Every week on Shabbat, women are told how wonderful they are.

The daughters of Yaacov are put on a pedestal while the  daughters of Ishmael are relegated to the dung heap, thereby undermining their collective emotional health and well-being.

Our cousins have much to learn from us.

Copyright © 2005 by Cheryl Kupfer. 

Cheryl Kupfer is a columnist for The Jewish Press.

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