The rationality weapon

Six years ago, I argued that promoting scientific thinking in the Muslim world was one key to undercutting the ideologies of terror. I still think that's true, but as I acknowledged then, there's also the danger some of that training will backfire, as with the MIT-educated woman who's believed to have worked for Al Qaeda:

One of the more elusive and mysterious figures linked to Al Qaeda -- a Pakistani mother of three who studied biology at MIT and who authorities say spent years in the United States as a sleeper agent -- was flown to New York on Monday night to face charges of attempting to kill U.S. military and FBI personnel in Afghanistan.

Worth reading in full, notwithstanding the L.A. Times writer's odd wording that the suspect did "what virtually no other woman has accomplished -- work her way into the clubby inner circles of Al Qaeda's command and control." Clubby? You'd think she was playing golf or something.

(Via Instapundit.)