Somali piracy is making headlines. After the dramatic death of three of them and an impressive rescue of an American hostage, the Somali pirates didn’t wait long to get back to business as usual. What strikes me is the courage of these young men to brave the ocean and hijack big ships.

Poverty has something to do with their behavior. Clearly, however, they are using sophisticated weapons and boats suggesting that there are people with money behind these young men. They are not fanatics of Allah even though, in the name of Allah, they are threatening to kill.

Since Somalia is an Islamic country, it would not be a surprise to see Osama Bin Laden put resources in that lawless country to hit the West. Being hopeless and poor can make people do terrible things. As the Indians of South Africa say, “Poverty makes thieves, like love makes poets.”