Comment from a stay in the Middle East: deceit, cowardice, and illogical thinking

“The fundamental understanding that ISIS/ISIL is a barbaric enterprise is enough to know, in many ways. I spent nearly a year and a half working in the Middle East. Over that time, I often experienced a level of deceit, cowardice, and illogical thinking from my hosts and their Middle Eastern advisors that was the most baffling thing I’ve ever seen, and which thwarted progress on many fronts. And this was all coming from people whose intentions were often, or at least started out as good. ”

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My best friend in Lamu, Kenya, a Swahili-speaking Yemeni, once told me that I should be killed because I had inadvertently left a Quran on the floor and that the only reason why he or someone from the local mosque would not do it was that he was trying to protect his best friend. Twisted logic?

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These are comments from people who have worked in areas that are majority Muslim and Arab.   What does this mean for the struggle against the Islamic State?