To say that desperation, lack of hope and such are the source of terrorism cannot be squared with what we know of the 911 terrorists and their leaders.
Bin Laden, as we know, is a multi-millionaire. Dr. al-Zawahari, his number two, is an Egyptian surgeon. Muhammad Atta was a well-bred member of the middle class; sophisticated and well-connected enough to study advanced engineering in Germany.
Other conflicts involving radical Muslim groups do not involve,as far as we can see, desperation, or "oppression." What of today's blast in the Phillipines that killed 13 Catholics, or the gruesome events in East Timor not long ago?
Are you missing a religious component of this conflict that cannot be solved (as westerners believe all things can be solved) by providing "opportunity" (a/k/a money)? |
