US gov’t policies were used as excuses. The real reason behind terrorist activity is western culture. Freedom represents a threat to traditional Islamic values. As such, Islamic leaders must promote a jihad against the west in order to convince young Muslims that western culture and freedom is evil. Otherwise the younger generation growing up now will absorb western culture through the Internet and satalite TV’s and western fashions and music.
Western culture is global thanks to new technologies and teenagers can grow up with many of the same likes and dislikes in all corners of the world. Islamic terrorism is a last ditch effort to fight off modernism and the 21st century.
US gov’t policies in the middle east are brain dead stupid, but they aren’t the real reason for 9-11. Western culture and it’s influence over young Muslims is the real reason for 9-11 and all Islamic terrorism.
Sort of. So many keep posting that they attack us becuase they want to expand, and that is not wholly right. Listen to what the Islamists talk about, and you will hear that they are MUCH more angered by the fact that Muslim countries are not under Islamic law than the fact that the United States is not under Islamic law. What's the biggest crime in Islam? Apostasy - leaving the Muslim faith.
You're right that it is Western culture that is destroying Islamic rule. But attacking Western culture doesn't get any traction in the Middle East, because it's acceptance is a voluntary act of the people. Our military presence, however, is not a voluntary act of their people, and gets a lot of traction on the Arab street, which allows bin Laden to recruit terrorists, raise funds, etc.
That's not to say that our military doesn't have a role. We need to protect secular governments in Muslim countries from Islamist coups. We need to support secular overthrow of Islamist governments. But that should be the extent of our military involvement.
We have a lot of advantages to win with - our culture is eating away at Islam, the Muzzies have the great tendency to slaughter each other as much as us, and they are complete idiots when it comes to traditional military strategy.
As far as Iraq goes, it is time for the Iraqis to fight their own war against the Islamists, both the Al Qaeda Sunnis and The Iran-backed Shia. We can offer support, but our men need to be off of the front lines.