I agree entirely. Nothing helps create an extremist better than having their family killed by a "repressive external force". If you put yourself into an ordinary Iraqi or Afghan's shoes for a minute as an example, it's quite easy to see where the hate comes from.

Well, I am a minarchist, and I don't want a government that needs to be responsive to the wishes of the people. The government is not a genie and should stick to executing its one legitimate function - protecting the rights of the citizenry. Ideally, there would be no way for the majority to veto the rights of the minority or to award to itself special privileges at the expense of others.

I don't think anyone is that stupid or clever. It's always important to rely on hard evidence rather than conspiracy theories, a hunch or just plain ole prejudice. Most US debt is owned by Americans, for decades Japan owned the most US debt (and still owes the second most after China). Japan didn't exactly take over the US did it? And don't forget about foreign debt owned by Americans. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_of_the_United_States

And vice versa...

You'll be more popular than my thoughts.

I basically mirror yours but the polar oppisite.

Without Muslims we wouldn't have these bombings/terrorims/acts of evil/disgusting people.

That's sounds stupid and narrow minded I know that, but at the end of the day, what can you do. You have a religion that has a substantial fringe that isn't being dealt with by their own people. Most Muslims although maybe not sympathetic to this fringe (I actually believe they are though, but that's purely speculation as I don't know enough to make such public general comment officially and I don't want to be attacked by the politically correct) certainly look away from the problem.

There's not enough of a voice from the Muslim religion as a whole condemning the terrorist acts - i.e murdering innocent people.

Look here now we have people like you who I guess aren't of Muslim faith looking for logical answers of what WE as westerners can do.

That says it all, I'm yet to see any statement from any Muslim EVER making such a sensible post/statement on the internet or in public who isn't politically motivated to make such a remark - and they only say it to quell the people like me complaining that they don't as a one off.

If there was such group in the moderate area, we wouldn't have the problem we face and I wouldn't need to make such posts as this.

(not having a dig at you at all in the above, just your post caught my eye)

Of course.

You mean the IRA were/are Muslim?

If the City wasn't evacuated, it'd have dwarfed September 11th... (approx 75,000-80,000 people would normally have been working/shopping etc in the city centre. Several blocks had to be torn down.

The lopsided 'The Third Jihad' was made by a so called devout American Arab Muslim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XUub1no1qw 

Personally I don't see how you could be a truly devout Muslim and make that documentary. Might as well just admit Islam (and other religions) have no place in the 21st century and become atheist Richard Dawkins style (minus the bigotry). 

I agree with both you and Proclus. Western terror (and that's what it is) contributes to rising Islamic terror but Islamic terror must be fought as it is such a terrible clerical fascist ideology that wishes to impose it's belief on others by force but it cannot be fought with military might alone, there needs to be a comprehensive review of Western Foreign policy in the region, it's been pretty atrocious. You don't exactly have an Iraqi tank, foot soldier, fighter bomber and attack helicopter outside your window do you? And one of the main contributors of the rise of Islamic fundamentalism has been Saudi Arabia, a major Western ally for the last 60 odd years and has been under the security umbrella of the US for that time too. How ironic is that?

I agree, I also agree with proclus. Which might sound contradictory - I think it has to come from both sides. Won't mince words, there really are two sides to this whatever the politically correct tools want to say.

I believe the west is doing far more positive in terms of dialogue (or attempting to) than the Muslim population.

Of course there's the fact that wars are being fought in "their" countries but the point is, that's where it came from to begin with. Colonialism ended getting on 50 odd years ago, we leave you alone, you leave us alone. :)

But yes, religion has no place in any society if it's causing others who aren't involved an inconvenience of any description let alone death. If the others in that religion aren't making the effort to curtail extreme elements of that religion - then they are part of the problem. It's pretty simple, if I was a devout Chrisitan and there was a substantial amount of terrorism taking place under the Christian name I would make damn sure that my voice is heard that I don't agree with it and want it to stop. It would be bringing shame on my beliefs.

I'm hearing nothing of the sort from Muslims.

Which leads me to believe that in all Muslims, there is a small something that actually thinks...You know what, although I won't murder and bomb myself, I sympathise with the motives for their actions.

War is one thing, terrorim is another. War is not terror no matter the parallels they share, they have differences that make them totally different things not that I agree with the war in Muslim countries but something isn't 1. evil or 2. not evil.

Completely different.

You're talking about terrorism over occupation issues.