LEE HARRIS WONDERS WHY WE’RE AFRAID OF THE F-WORD: “Fanatic,” that is:

To Ghazi and his followers, the overwhelming odds against them made no difference in their calculations. It simply did not matter to them. They still refused to compromise or surrender. They accepted in advance the death that awaited them, and with a fatalism that we in the West find virtually incomprehensible.

Such suicidal behavior is not militancy; it is fanaticism. The militant may be prepared to risk his life in battle, but it is always a calculated risk. The fanatic is not given to such calculation. If his cause is lost, he will still refuse to compromise or surrender. Not only will he prefer death for himself, but he will choose it for his entire group, including his own family.

Though in fact Ghazi was trying to cut a deal for his own escape, and probably would have donned a burka to escape the siege if he could have. The true fanatics are a bit further down the chain of command, and might more properly be labeled “chumps.”

Nonetheless, the entire essay is worth reading.