I respect Islam but this aspect is troubling...

Saw this item over at the Daily Dish. Sullivan comments on the the 251 deaths in Saudi Arabia as a result of the pilgrimage.

Excerpt:

There is a huge difference between seeking holy death or being indifferent to death as a spiritual matter, and suicide bombing. Christ, after all, chose death when he could have stayed alive. Martyrdom is not a uniquely Muslim concept. But it is useful to remember that Western liberalism's attachment to life faces here an ancient and powerful enemy. If harnessed to a political movement, the indifference to death is the biggest and most potent weapon of mass destruction the world knows. Because it cannot be deterred.

Some people place human behavior exclusively on the doorstep of economics and dismiss the influence of ideology and theology. I wonder how they react to hearing about this kind of analysis?