Why four young men who called Britain their home and who enjoyed the rights and privileges of British citizenship would carry out such horrific attacks is a question not easily answered. It is possible that they wrestled with an identity crisis. As second-generation British Muslims (for three of the four at least), they perhaps felt alienated both from mainstream British society and from the home country of their parents, victims of what Rushdie refers to as “double unbelonging,” and this may have made them more susceptible to radical Islamist teachings. But this is merely speculation.

QUESTION: This is flagged as speculation even by the author. Worth probing: is there empirical evidence connecting identity alienation to radicalization, or is this just a plausible narrative? XREF: Connects to Rushdie's concept of 'double unbelonging,' a broader theme about immigrant identity that appears across postcolonial literature and social theory.

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 398