So what's the appeal of radical Islam to these young relatively wealthy Western recruits? Why does the Yemeni-American jihadist Anwar al-Awlaki attract so many disciples?
According to Theo Padnos, in an excerpt from new book Undercover Muslim: A Journey into Yemen in the Sunday Times (£), a major factor is....women:
Many of the young westerners who’ve been turning up in Yemen to study the Koran over the past 10 years have left behind a history of troubled, in some cases anguished, relations with women. Many have visions of a local bride — the deep, submissive eyes, the black clothing — dancing in their heads. [Mick Hartley] Read more
