The Object of Their 'Disaffection'

Why would young Muslim-Americans want to run off to Somalia and join the holy war? An unnamed American official (quoted in a WaPo article) thinks he has it all figured out:

Fourteen U.S. citizens have been charged with terrorism offenses in federal courts this year, including Faisal Shahzad, a naturalized citizen from Pakistan charged in a failed Times Square car bombing. The investigation leading to Saturday's arrests bears similarities to a 2009 case in which 14 men in Minnesota were charged with recruiting young Americans to train with or fight on behalf of terrorist groups in Somalia.

"There's been a whole slew of disaffected youth in the United States willing to become radicalized and take action, either overseas or here," one federal law-enforcement official said. "Several years ago, people were saying this is a problem primarily limited to Europe. But clearly, we're seeing more of it here."

Clearly. And clearly the problem isn't one of "disaffection" but of the siren call of jihad, a most compelling and alluring call (since the pay-off is so damned sexy).