[wretchard]

Marxism and radical Islamism represents a revolt of the intellectual and cultural elite against what they perceive as a disgustingly vulgar capitalist culture. Historically, the leadership of both these movements springs, not from the poor, but from the well-to-do classes of a society.

You can think of radical Islam as Marxism with Che Guevarra's beret replaced with a turban and the beard grown a little longer.

The strange implication of this is that the front line against terrorism isn't on some distant hillside in Central Asia, but in the battle of ideas in the capitals of the world. Osama Bin Laden simply has the guts and military skill, but the ideas he carries in his head are those of the cultural elites who may find in large numbers throughout the media, the culture industry and the academe.

[XBob]

very well put - "The strange implication of this is that the front line against terrorism isn't on some distant hillside in Central Asia, but in the battle of ideas in the capitals of the world. Osama Bin Laden simply has the guts and military skill, but the ideas he carries in his head are those of the cultural elites who may find in large numbers throughout the media, the culture industry and the academe. "