Religious Motivation Is Real by Russell Blackford

Russell Blackford argues that religious motivation—particularly in cases of jihadist violence—is often downplayed or denied in Western discourse despite clear evidence to the contrary. Using a recent terrorist attack as a case study, he contends that labeling such acts as unrelated to religion obscures their ideological roots and hinders honest analysis. Read this article and find accompanying references at: secularhumanism.org/2026/03/religious-motivation-is-real/ About the Author: Russell Blackford is a conjoint senior lecturer in philosophy at the University of Newcastle (Australia) and a regular columnist for Free Inquiry. His latest book, The Tyranny of Opinion: Conformity and the Future of Liberalism (2019), is published by Bloomsbury Academic. Subscribe to Free Inquiry: https://secularhumanism.org/subscribe/