This is a naive viewpoint masquerading as cynicism.  There exist sane true-believers.  The puppet-masters are true-believers, as well.  It might be more uncomfortable to accept this fact -- but it is a fundamental truth that people out there hold competing values, and they&#x27;re willing to kill and die for them.  The &quot;opiate of the masses&quot; explanation is an old idea and fails at explaining revolutionary jihadism (as Marx failed to explain the world in general).