Two months after the October 7th attacks on Israel, I wrote that the murderous rage the attackers expressed is probably not the result of any political issue, but, most likely, it was displaced anger/rage from child abuse. As a former abused child (beatings)—former because I gave up the anger—I'm very familiar with the feelings of rage and nihilism it provides. Those feelings were never directed against my father (when he gave up the anger, we reconciled) but against the world. I should add that long-term PTSD (the name of where the anger comes from) is genetic. As far as I know, everyone is susceptible to it short term (post-trauma). I estimate it runs in my family.

So, I started looking for evidence. It turns out that there is a great deal of evidence that child abuse—whether beatings or sexual abuse—is normative across the Muslim world. The first thing I found was a Reddit commentary under the heading “Child Molestation in Arab Countries”:

Just a background about myself, I’m 26 years old guy from Saudi Arabia.

Looking back at my own life, I realize now how common sexual assault towards children is, but I always thought that it’s probably something I did that attracted those pedophiles because I have been molested more times than I could count, or that I’m just unlucky. But the more people open up to me, the more I realize it’s SO common. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration if I said that EVERY single person I have talked to about this have told a similar story.

Islam proscribes alcohol and drugs, which might provide some relief for the rage. Instead, it all gets directed against Jews and infidels. That’s very handy if you want to conquer the world. Which the followers of Islam are commanded to do. 

One report is not definitive. Are there others? Are there studies? Here is a short list:

• The hypocrisy of child abuse in many Muslim countries - Shaista Gohir
• A profile of violence against children and adolescents in the Middle East and North Africa
• Child maltreatment and protection in the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council countries: A scoping review
• Parents’ Knowledge and Perception of Child Abuse and Neglect in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia
• Sexual chaos in the Arab world drives some of its grotesque violence

Abuse-based PTSD cannot be discounted as a driving force in major historical events. Hitler, Marx, and Stalin were all abused as children. That the abuse was normative in their cultures (see, e.g., Germanic parenting) does not change the psychological effect it had on these children and their ability to channel that culture range to their benefit.

Image by AI.