There's a level of religious zealotry in that region that Christianity hasn't seen since the Middle Ages, or even maybe since the Roman Empire when Christians would gladly die as martyrs at the hand of Roman persecution. Martyrdom is a very popular idea among Muslims even today- people just consider their lives less valuable than an overall cause and would gladly die for it, I guess. It's really not that alien of an idea in the United States, as Martyrs are held in regard even here. The majority religion of the country is based on the word of a martyr... but for some reason, it seems when most Americans see Muslims with this kind of devotion to their cause, they don't understand it. I don't really get why not, but what ever.