A number of columnists chewing over the root causes of terrorism in Egypt have taken a surprising turn and avoiding the now-standard list of empty platitudes. That’s not to say they get it right, but at least they’re escaping the usual narrative. In a column for Al Masry Al Youm, Amr El Shobaky flatly says that Daesh’s success in finding recruits in Egypt is due to the political exclusion of major factions, not Al Azhar’s teachings or the media. Largely echoing his sentiment, Al Shorouk’s editor-in-chief Emad El Din Hussein says that the blame is misplaced on social issues such as poverty and poor education, pointing to the fact that many Daesh recruits are from relatively privileged economic backgrounds and are well-educated. Former Bahraini Education Minister Ali Fakhro bravely takes to the pages of Al Shorouk to say that GCC countries, not Egypt, should be put under the spotlight for being a breeding ground for extremism. Meanwhile, Ashraf El Barbary takes aim at the House of Representatives’ speed in rubber-stamping President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s decision to impose a three-month state of emergency, saying it implies heavy-handed security measures are the state’s only way forward.