Let me begin by saying that most Muslims think that the group Boko Haram, whose name translates roughly to “western knowledge is sinful”, is a pack of lunatics.

Boko Haram, which is currently raising havoc in Nigeria, has the rejection of all western education as one of its core goals. Their early leader, Mohammed Yusuf, stated in a 2009 BBC interview that the concept of a spherical earth was un-Islamic, as was the idea that rain originated with evaporated water (it is rather a gift from Allah). Mohammed Yusuf, himself, was reported to have a graduate education, speak English fluently, and drive a Mercedes.

But here’s my real question: if western knowledge is sinful, how come Boko Haram is using YouTube as a recruiting tool? Yes, I know about cognitive dissonance and hypocrisy; but isn’t this like having a pig roast to make people want to keep kosher? What kind of mind would be cruising the web and say to himself “Boy, this video on the evils of using the Internet is really convincing! I’ve got to Google this!”