Of course, as a result of the liberation of Iraq and the eliminations of Saddam and the no fly zones, we no longer have troops there and did not want them there in the first place.
With these nut case Arabs, it is necessary to formulate a major grievance against those who have somehow screwed with Mohammed's palaces or whatever.
It seems these major grievances are needed to build the hatred up to the level where individuals no longer fear death and will do as commanded.
Rabble rousing 101 is what I call it.
The real reasons are in the mind of the leader who is most certainly inspired by hatred and a lust for Christian blood.
I think that about covers my assessment.
These are not nut cases, but rather, true believers who still have a 9th Century view of the world. I lived for five years in Saudi Arabia, which has two of the three holiest sites in Islam. The ruler of Saudi Arabia has the title "Custodian of Two Holy Places (or Mosques)." Millions of pilgrims come there every year on the Haj. It is the goal of every Moslem go there once in his/her life. Non-Muslims are not permitted to go into Mecca or Medina for any reason. In Saudia Arabia, the practice of other religions is not allowed nor are the symbols like crosses allowed to be worn. You cannot have statues portraying the human form, which is why the Taliban defaced the two ancient massive Buddha statues bordering the central province of Bamiyan. They were constructed during the second and third centuries
UBL has tapped into the religious fervor of Muslims. This is the reason he is so dangerous. There are well over a billion muslims in the world and it is the fastest growing religion.
I agree with Bernard Lewis that we are dealing with a clash between Islam and Modernity. Having lived a total of nine years in three Islamic countries--Iran, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia--and visited many more, I view Islam as more of a cult than a religion. To be a believer means investing a great deal of yourself in Islam, including praying five times a day, fasting during the day for a month every year, etc. Shari'a Law governs the Islamic state. Reform is going to be very difficult and dangerous. Pakistan has the bomb and Iran is working to get one.