Religion, mental health, and terrorism: Public perception

The link between mental health and crime has been examined multiple times and the findings are inconsistent. The same notion applies to terrorism, however there is evidence that public perceptions are influenced by the defendant’s mental health. Due to the inconsistencies, this study examines whether religion, and mental health disorders, are factors for involvement in terrorism, whilst investigating the public perceptions. This pilot study utilised a sample of 156 participants through opportunity sampling (37 males & 118 females), with most participants being between the age of 18–24 years. The findings suggest that amongst other factors, the religion of the terrorist is a catalyst for the opinion of the public on whether he/she is guilty. Governments and related organisations, in cooperation with the media, should inform the public and increase awareness regarding the increased likelihood of falsely perceiving terrorists as mentally ill based on religion, and other background factors.