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Recently, I was talking with an interesting Arab man who lives in our community, and he said, "Injustice leads to insecurity." This is an important point. Rather than just thinking in terms of "those" people, I think it's important to consider the circumstances that have polarized some Muslims. The move towards radicalism probably seems to them like a way of mobilizing in the face of the enemy. In this case, the enemy is perceived to be Americans and Israelis. Although people in the U.S. see Iraq and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict as separate issues, but Arabs see them as closely related.
To the best of my understanding, radical groups perceive terrorism as a means of communication/negotiation that they use when nothing else seems to work. However, what often happens is that governments get even more heavy-handed, and the cycle of violence continues.
Has anyone seen "The Battle of Algiers?" It was an old (1966) subtitled movie about the Algerian's struggle for independence, but it was amazingly relevent. I'd strongly recommend it.
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