Quote Time with a Question

Seems that all I have time for these days is quote time...

"While nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer,
nothing is more difficult than to understand him."

– Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky

There are those who argue about terrorists that we should just, "kill 'em all!" Then there are those with this mindset, who say that we should try to understand them.

Anyone out there think that we need to try to understand evildoers? Anyone know what the Torah perspective might be on this?

It might be interesting to know, in considering this questions, that studies on the history of terrorism state that while the term, "terrorism," comes from the "Reign of Terror," (in France following the French Revolution,) that the first record of terrorism (according to the official historical record) says that it was perpetrated by *gasp* Jews:

"Beginning in 48 A.D., a Jewish sect called the Zealots carried out terrorist campaigns to force insurrection against the Romans in Judea. These campaigns included the use of assassins (sicarii, or dagger-men), who would infiltrate Roman-controlled cities and stab Jewish collaborators or Roman legionnaires with a sica (dagger), kidnap members of the Staff of the Temple Guard to hold for ransom, or use poison on a large scale. The Zealots’ justification for their killing of other Jews was that these killings demonstrated the consequences of the immorality of collaborating with the Roman invaders, and that the Romans could not protect their Jewish collaborators."

(Source: Library of Congress Report on the Sociology and Psychology of Terrorism)

Hm. Does that wrinkle any foreheads?

(Any Rabbis out there who want to do an, "Ask the Rabbi," type of post in reply, feel free to contact me.)