Looking back at the attack carried out by the El Bakraoui brothers in Brussels, Belgium, I cannot help but notice how news media, intellectuals and politicians blame “Islam” or ISIS for this tragic event. Such a conclusion is overly simplistic and lacks a deeper understanding of what drives young men to act out violently.

The two Belgian brothers who blew themselves and 31 other people up started out as carjackers and bank robbers before graduating to terrorism, as pointed out by the New York Times. Khalid, 27 years old, participated in at least four carjackings and a bank robbery in the fall of 2009. On October 27, 2009, he helped kidnap a bank employee and stole 41,000 euros at the Brussels branch of AXA bank. In September 2011, the Belgian authorities finally nabbed Khalid. A court convicted him of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, possession of stolen cars, and possession…