As an ex-Muslim, I will explain why radicalisation is spreading like wildfire

As-salamu alaykum, <br><br>I used to be a Muslim, and used to be extremely radical. I was what you'd call an extremist, my views were extreme and I didn't think there was anything wrong with having this mentality. <br><br> I began to doubt the faith. I became more and more agnostic. I was a confused young lad, and had no idea what to believe in, I didn't even know why I was being raised as a Muslim. I think we all have doubts in life, and this was the case for me. <br><br>Funnily enough, I became much more extremist when a new imam came to our local mosque. He was extremely radical, but I never noticed this, and that's why I think radicalisation is spreading so quickly. I can see myself in these radicals. He was my mentor. <br><br>i will explain radicalisation as I see it. Please note that I am not calling radicalisation good or bad, but what I describe is the reason why I believe people become radicalised. <br><br>Radicalisation is spreading like wildfire because of one reason. **The reason is that we want to belong to something**. <br><br>When I was undergoing radicalisation, I was introduced to a new world, a world where people lived under the rules of god. I never new how comforting it was to live under his rules. **i felt like I belonged to something that was bigger than myself**. <br><br>I was introduced to the Quran and Sunnah. I was told that this was the book of god. **I was very naive, and I believed it**. <br><br>We humans are very social creatures. We need to belong to societies, we need friends, and we need to socialise. We like to use social media to meet new people. We like to play sports and team up with other people. We like to join clubs. <br><br>I think this is the reason why we get radicalised. Our mentors tell us that this is how we should live. This is where our need to belong to something kicks in. We want to live a life that is good. We want to live a life under god's rules. <br><br>I went to the mosque and was taught by my mentor. He taught me how to pray, what to say when praying, and what was wrong and right. I was taught about god, I learned about him and how loving he is. I learned where I came from and the purpose of life. <br><br>All these things made me feel like I belonged to something, and that was a comforting feeling to me. I wasn't alone anymore. I had brothers and sisters, and we had one goal: to follow god's rules. <br><br>Our radicals are also the same. They are normal people that want to follow the rules of god. They want to please him and live a good life. <br><br>I remember my radicals telling me that *If you kill a Muslim, you will also be killed*. Do you see what I mean when I say that radicals are normal people?<br><br>**In conclusion**,<br><br>We humans like to belong to something. We are social creatures. Radicalisation is spreading because we want to live a good life, and radicalisation makes us feel like we are doing that. <br><br>Please, if you ever meet a radical, just talk to them. Perhaps they will convert out of their faith and become more logical. <br><br> I want to emphasise that I know radicalisation is being spread for other reasons too, but I know that this is one reason. <br><br>**Assalamu alaikum**.