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Than maybe the world needs to try and understand this radical sect. Though, as mentioned above, that's a bit difficult.


I agree, on both counts. My biggest complaint about the West's interactions with the Muslim world in general, and the groups we refer to as terrorists specifically, is that there seems to be so little interest in asking questions. Questions such as "why are you so angry towards us?" I know that sounds like a very childlike, simple question, but I believe sometimes those are the most important ones.

I think that the West underestimates how strongly the "memory" of the crusades and the stories of Saladin resonate with a lot of people in the Muslim world. The atrocities committed by Christians against the Muslim world far outweigh anything the so-called terrorists have done in the intervening centuries. And people forget that, or try to wipe it away by saying "oh, that was so long ago." Well, Nazi Germany was a long time ago, too (granted, orders of magnitude of difference as far as time is concerned), but that's still fresh in everyone's mind. So I think Israel is a huge part of the problem, and so is the fact that Iraq has been invaded by "crusaders" once again. When they hear King George talk about "God" and the "struggle in Iraq", how can they not think about the crusades?
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Dave