historian said:
Islam has been a problem for the world for 1,400 years, ever since Muhammad started his wars of conquest.
Too many don't realize that because they don't know much history and have blinders on.
So are we fighting a holy war? If so, I think we will find the opposition is much more willing to die for their beliefs than the run of the mill American.
Any debate about modern ME quickly turns into an escalating chicken and egg argument. Did the terrorism beget western response and aggression, or did the western aggression beget the terrorism. The reality is there is plenty of blame on both sides if you look at it from a macro level, and the US has anything but clean hands to claim innocence. That doesn't justify the attacks on innocent civilians, but neither does the terrorist attacks justify the wide spread retaliatory efforts which have, in turn, lead (directly or indirectly) to much death and suffering for millions of people in the region.