[ek_hornbeck]

Islamists are very good at infiltrating and converting mass movements. Neither the Palestinian nor the Chechen independence movements were initially Islamist. The PLO was mostly secular and even had some Christians, but they (Fattah) are now marginalized by Hammas. Similarly, Chechens weren't especially pious Muslims until their civil war started in earnest.

Along the same lines, a lot of uprisings against dictators in the Middle East started out as secular and "democratic," only to be hijacked by better-organized and armed Islamist groups.

The lesson to be learned by the more sane and secular "freedom fighters" is not to make deals with Islamist devils if you want to avoid being tarred withe the same terrorist brush. Both Chechens and Palestinians have failed to do so.

[spetznaz]

Exactly! Couldn’t have said it better. Essentially, if you grill some good meat, and then you let the drunk uncle come and take a crap on those juicy succulent ribs, what you are left with is inedible and hazardous stuff to be disposed off as soon as possible. (Now you see why I said you said it much better than I could). In the same way, the Chechens may have had a point or two, but when they started killing innocents in the name of Islam they shelved themselves right next to Al Qaeda and shat-on barbeque ribs ....all destined to be disposed off in the most effective way possible.