Now and then a terrorist actually takes the trouble to explain his motives. London's Daily Telegraph reports on the trial of the man who murdered Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh:

    Mohammed Bouyeri, a baby-faced 27-year-old with dual Dutch-Moroccan nationality, broke his vow not to co-operate with the Amsterdam court by admitting shooting and stabbing his victim last November.

    "I take complete responsibility for my actions. I acted purely in the name of my religion," he told its three-strong panel of judges.

    "I can assure you that one day, should I be set free, I would do the same, exactly the same." . . .

    Bouyeri then turned to the victim's mother, Anneke, in the public gallery, and told her he felt nothing for her. Mrs van Gogh watched as he read out from what appeared to be a statement: "I don't feel your pain. I have to admit that I don't have any sympathy for you. I can't feel for you because you're a non-believer."


This had nothing to do with Israeli "occupation" of "Palestinian lands," America's "unilateral invasion" of Iraq, "torture" of prisoners at Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib, the widening "income gap," or any of the other litany of complaints that the terror apologists trot out.

According to this terrorist, Islamist terrorism arises from religious fanaticism and hatred, plain and simple.