Another horrendous act of terrorism has taken place and people like myself who are on media speed-dial under \u201cCelebrity Muslims\u201d are thrust in the spotlight to angrily condemn, disavow, and explain\u2014again\u2014how these barbaric acts are in no way related to Islam.<\/span><\/p>\n For me, religion\u2014no matter which one\u2014is ultimately about people wanting to live humble, moral lives that create a harmonious community and promote tolerance and friendship with those outside the religious community. Any religious rules should be in service of this goal. The Islam I learned and practice does just that.<\/p>\n How is it about money? When one looks at the goal of these terrorist attacks, it\u2019s clearly not about scaring us into changing our behavior. The Twin Tower attacks of 9\/11 didn\u2019t frighten America into embracing Islam. The fatwa against Salman Rushdie didn\u2019t prevent the publication of The Satanic Verses. Like all terrorist attacks on the West, they just strengthen our defiant resolve. So the attack in Paris, as with most others, isn\u2019t about changing Western behavior, it\u2019s about swaggering into a room, flexing a muscle, and hoping to elicit some admiring sighs. In this case, the sighs are more recruits and more donations to keep their organization alive. They have to keep proving they are more relevant than their competing terrorist groups. It\u2019s just business.<\/p>\n