What factors have caused the popularity of Islamic fundamentalist movements in the Middle East and North Africa?
212756
The biggest factor is the meddling by the US in political and social affairs in the ME.  Most of this came from our incessant need to control nations that have OIL.  We need oil and will do anything to get it.\nWe overthrew and then had killed the Iranian leader Mossadegh and put the Shah in his place.  The Shah was a puppet of the US govt.  THAT is why Iran hates us.\nHowever, the next biggest factor is our unreasoning support of Israel, who was given Arab land and was forced on its neighbors in 1947. Arab leaders warned us about this but Truman ignored them, saying "Arabs don't vote.  jews vote."\nHe forgot about oil.  Oil in 1947 was $2 a barrel....
309656
Firstly by appearing the truth of Islam and approving that there is nothing in Quran or the prophet Muhammed's teachings calls for terrorizing others. And secondly to approve that Islam came to orgnize people's life based on respect and giving others their rights. Finally it is very important for American imperialism to realize that the US plans & strategies that led to the war in the middle East is the main reason that Muslims there decided to react against.
343875
It's been very under the radar but a Taliban like movement is happening in Somalia right now.  These Taliban like radical Muslims have taken over 1/2 of Somalia and turned it into radical Muslim state that is looking a lot like Afghanistan (before 9/11) and that means a serious terrorist training ground.  So that's why the US military is in the Horn because Somalia might turn into the next Al Qaeda training site and that would be much worse than Iraq.
569003
both, kind of. Religion and polictics feed off each other and when you mix them together..boom. Islam being one of the largest religions out there in conjunction with not many people liking america in general feeds the violence present today. While the warcry for islam increases, many muslims view the actions of the US and its presence in the Middle East as an intrusion of Christian oppressors in a Muslim land. Need I remind you of the Crusades?
47039
A lot of it is a result of propaganda. I don't think we *all* jump to the conclusion that *all* Muslims, etc. are overly reactionary, though they are the "enemy" right now and many here feel it's their "patriotic" duty to hate them. But we need to remember that only a fraction of the Muslim population is responsible for recent terror attacks, not the group as a whole. It just so happens that the most vocal group of Muslims is the part getting all the attention.\n\nThis is the problem of allowing too much religion into our lives. Faith in a higher power is fine, but too much "devotion" elicits fanaticism. Look at the Danish cartoon flap - now in Iran, Danish pastries are called "Roses of Mohammed" or something like that. That and (especially) the rioting and embassy burning is an EXTREME overreaction to what is really a piddly editorial cartoon. Regardless, we need to remember not to hate the Muslims for their religious beliefs, but we can hate the way they think they need to carry them out. I can't imagine any religion truly advocates such violence or reactionary behavior - if so, it's definitely not a religion worth following.
437350
Theres a little book out there thats a biography of al-Zawahiri, Osamas right hand man, written by an ex-militant islamist (who now prefers peaceful methods) Montasser Al-Zayyat who was imprisoned with Dr Zawahiri. In it he talks about the formation of Al Queda and other Islamist movements and talks about how generally, militant islamists aim to take over Muslim governments who they percieve as having a different view of islam, such as the Egyptian government or the Turkish, also of course to destroy Israel as a seconday goal. However al Qaeda is different, its the only one to openly attack America, and no-one seems completely sure why the change from the 'near enemy' to the 'far enemy' as Osama refers to us. So I cant give you a real answer as to their aims, but it might give you something to think about...
148476
It depends Islam has different branches too.\nAnd they are all different. Just like Christianity. Look At Ireland.\nBut main cause of terrorism is social when they do not have jobs and lost their families at war people are very sensitive and hurt they tend to turn in to the religion and there comes the mullah who use the religion for the power and money and brain wash these people.\nSo not all muslims are terrosits. \nBut I came from middle east and i think those wars will never end till the end of the time.\nI am a Muslim but the good gave people some common sense to use as well.\nIf god is going to send me to the heaven with those hijackers. I would prefer to go to the hell.
272116
Most ordinary muslims probably couldnt care less about ruling the world however the radical clerics who are behind terror and who hold a lot of power in most Muslim states do preach this.\n\nIt is known as the Ummah, which is a global islamic state, with sharia law.\n\nIn Nigeria which is a 50% christian and 50% muslim country, the muslim north has adopted sharia law, and are already stoning people to death for petty crime in line with 2000 year old laws.\n\nIn afghanistan during the Taleban rule, Kabul soccer stadium was the site of weekly beheadings.\n\nLive and let live I say, and Muslims have every right to believe what they do, but I will do everything in my power to avoid a situation where I have to believe it as well.
560980
Atheism has doubled in popularity in America in the last few decades. And statistics clearly show that more fundamentalist countries don't do as well. With any luck, this recent trend will continue and human beings will be free from their need for religion.
518809
You make some good points. It's amazing how so many people can deliberately ignore calls from Muslim leaders, even in "moderate" countries, to kill or convert all non Muslims. Were it up to me, we wouldn't give a penny to any of those monsters.
551508
Because some brands of Islam seeks to impose its views on the world by force. As to comparing religions, not really sure where you get that from; I have not heard many people doing such a thing.
182007
Peeps associate Islam with terrorism..it's a common stereotype. Since all the terrorism that has happened in the last 3 decades has had a link to Islamic extremists. but not all terrorists are Islamic, nor are all of them Arab...look at peeps in our own country, the murderers, rapists, and Mr. Mc Veigh..he wasn't Muslim, or of Arab descent, he was just plain nuts. Islam is a religion built around peace and family...not terrorism and murder. To answer your question about other religious extremists...yes, they do exist, and are very dangerous, but Western media sees fit to point the finger of blame at Muslims.
122033
It wasn't religion (or 'just religion'), it was a tribal differences.  Many parts of the world rely on tribes and clans as their basis for organizations.  The modern Western World has nothing really close to this, though ethnic "enclaves" in cities may suffice.\n\nSaddam's clan and their allies have been fighting the Kurds and Shia for a long time.  The Kurds, like the Shia, were a threat to his powerbase.  Very few scholars in the Western World understand these tribal... hatreds or animosities are the best words. \n\nThis tribal/clan allegiance also leads to fractionalization.  Clan chiefs (Skieks in Arab cultures), are sometimes bought off, threatened, or simply removed if the other clan has enough power or by internal conflict.  This is how the US was so successful in Afghanistan.  We caused a rift in the clans supporting the Taliban and Al Qaeda by paying off Shieks.  It works A LOT better than fighting them and their clan of 5000!\n\nSaddam bought off some opponents, especially Sunni clans.  He threatened others (i.e., the Shia clans), and simply exterminated the Kurds without much warning to the world, or the Kurds.\n\nThat's a short answer.  There are several books on the tribalism of the world (Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations” or even "Bush at War" goes into how clans can be divided without firing a shot)\n\nThough when it came to playing the Arab Media, Saddam would pretend to be very religious.  However, true to his NAZI sympathizer uncle (al Tikrit), he was an anti-religious national socialist.
589039
There are at least three different broad groups struggling for power.  It does look like the ones taking over in the south seem to support Jihad.
243570
9/11 was a stupid/futile attempt by radicalist muslims to get the US to turn it's back on Christianity and Judaism, and more importantly, Israel.  It is important however to understand that not all Muslims/Islamics follow this belief of war, in fact only a small percentage do.  Bin ladin is one of those few radicals, who twist the words of the Koran around to his will.  Most radicalist muslims in the middle east hold firm to the idea that no Israel full of Muslim holy sites is better that a Jewish Israel full of Muslim holy sites.  The reason why 9/11 was pointless: Bin Ladin thaught that but threatening the USA with planes of mass destruction would pull the Christain/Jew supporting nations out of the Middle East, but all it did was cause the invasion of two Middle Eastern nations and cause a fusion between Pakistan, Israel, and the Western nations, who have unified to stand against those who threaten the freedom and peace that is truly desired by so many Islamic, Christain, and Jewish people
357065
You're preaching to the chorus my man.  If you want the west to accept Islam then you have to convince the dangerous radicals that Islam is a religion of peace.  Don't tell us, tell them.  The only thing we care about is not being blown up.
611477
Even if an elite few ruled, there will still be a difference of opinion but it just may not be expressed in the same way.  Take Iraq, for instance.  Saddam and a few loyalists ruled the country with an iron fist and anyone who went against them disappeared overnight.  When the power was no longer in the hands of the elite few, the people rejoiced because they were able to finally express themselves after so many years of oppression.\n\nAs for 9/11, there were several factors building up for years that resulted in those events.  Basically, it seems to be a political conflict wrapped in religious rhetoric.  Osama and his buddies don't like the policies between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia and other mid-east or predominantly Muslim countries and so they use religion to stir up the masses of disillusioned people to wage a holy war.  They make it seem as if the U.S. is the enemy even though their own leaders are mostly at fault for their country's conditions.\n\nWars are caused by those who want something and either can't wait long enough to get it through negotiation or have no interest in waiting at all.\n\nWill it always be this way?  If you mean terrorism, then no.  There have been terrorists in the past (the anarchist movement is one example) whose groups used those techniques to try and get what they wanted but eventually it subsides and all that's left are small fringe groups that don't really do much except talk.