[billybudd]

The Islamic terrorist groups were and are being cultivated and funded by Middle Eastern governments seeking political control, a counterweight to the military dominance of the West. The problem is that the religious nature of the groups' political ideology has turned people like bin Laden (hasn't "been LaidIn" a long time) against their former sponsors. So the Saudi's Wahhabism has come back to bite them in the ass.
Look, my main point is that a lot of people here are confusing political ideology with religion. Sure, the radical Islam ("Islamism") has a religious form, but I really don't see how our present conflict is about theological differences. It just isn't. It's purely geopolitics.

[Burdened White Man]

The Islamic terrorist groups were and are being cultivated and funded by Middle Eastern governments seeking political control, a counterweight to the military dominance of the West. The problem is that the religious nature of the groups' political ideology has turned people like bin Laden (hasn't "been LaidIn" a long time) against their former sponsors. So the Saudi's Wahhabism has come back to bite them in the ass. Look, my main point is that a lot of people here are confusing political ideology with religion. Sure, the radical Islam ("Islamism") has a religious form, but I really don't see how our present conflict is about theological differences. It just isn't. It's purely geopolitics.

Why do you insist on biting yourself in the ass. Everthing you said in this papragraph was essentially sound until the last line. Political foeces in the middle east are manipulating their uninformed "Fundamentalist" masses. You cannot leave religion out of this and are fighting a losing battle to insist upon it.

[jdege]

The Islamic terrorist groups were and are being cultivated and funded by Middle Eastern governments seeking political control, in an attempt to keep them from overthrowing the Middle Eastern governments.

Which attempts have failed quite often.

(Remember Sadat?)