11/08/2026
It's their tradition, their way of life. They have normalized it _ It's not religiously influenced. They choose it, born into it _ and hence they are very proud of it. They don't fear ammunition. Armed banditary is their source of livelihood. It's what they learn. They cherish it.
The use of religious phrases—such as Allahu Akbar ("God is Great")—by violent actors is a calculated tactic of ideological corporation.
While these groups frequently use religious rhetoric, security analysts, historians, and mainstream religious scholars emphasize that their actions are a profound distortion of the religion they claim to represent.
Several key factors explain why criminal and extremist networks incorporate religious slogans into their violence:
1. Ideological Masking and Legitimation
For groups engaged in illicit acts like kidnapping, extortion, and murder, religious rhetoric serves as a tool to reframe ordinary criminality as a "sacred duty." By wrapping their actions in religious language, perpetrators attempt to sanitize horrific crimes, masking financial greed, power struggles, and lawlessness under a veneer of righteousness.
