The Roots of Hatred: How the Terrorist Problem Began and What to Do

Terrorism itself has been around for centuries. It has arisen in many cultures from Hinduism, to Judaism. It has been dealt with (and not dealt with) in the past in a variety of ways. What I want to talk about today is the roots of the terrorist problem in the Arab nations of the world, and what we can do about it.

To fully understand the terrorism problem, we need not look to the past 3,000 years as I and other have previously suggested, but to the past 30. This is because it is in this time period that the thriving cultures of the Arab nations, from Iraq to Lebanon, have gone from forward thinking and prosperous, to war ravaged and poor.

The problem starts in the 1950's and 60's. Here, Americanism was revered and many Arab nations attempted to mimic America's success and forward thinking policies. With leaders like Gamal Nasser of Egypt, the Arab world was trying to take the step forward into modernism. Republics were formed, civil liberties instituted and everything was on course for success. Then everything fell apart. Nothing was implemented correctly and suddenly these American ideals poorly utilized led to dictator's and a step backward in Arab culture. Women's rights were stripped, fundamentalist Islam was born and the beginnings of the Arab problem began.

This failure of the Arab regimes lead to a disillusionment with America, something which is exploited by terrorist movements. Youth's looking up to America, wanting to study in America, and wanting their countries to be like America felt like America was looking down on them, like they weren't good enough. This fact is exploited by terrorists in a specific demographic: young, impressionable, angry young men.

But perhaps most shocking of all is that many of the young people who choose to become terrorists are not poor and uneducated. Consider this, Mohammed Atta the lead terrorist on American Airlines Flight 11 grew up in a home that was not particularly religious and where studies were put first. He got good grades, and then went to Cairo University where he received a degree in architecture. At this point, he was still not very religious. Then he went went to Germany to earn his master's degree, and everything changed. Mohammed Atta the well schooled student became Mohammed Atta the terrorist.

It seems that this is a pattern. Previously un-religious young Arab men who move to foreign countries to study, are looked down upon by the western inhabitants. They then move back to the more conservative ways that make them feel at home and safe. From there they get into militant Islam, and there is no turning back.

So a disillusionment with the west created by feeling like an outsider, prompts young men who are angry at being treated as inferior to terrorist groups lead by charismatic leaders who twist the words of an inherently peaceful religion to spew fire at their perceived "oppressors."

Great, so what do we do about it?

We take a multilateral and multifront approach to correct misconceptions, turn public opinion and cut the knee's off the terrorist groups who are a threat to our way of life.

The first thing to do is turn public opinion away from terrorism, specifically in the young person demographic. We set up charities, and massive food drops. We emblazon our name on everything and hire an experienced PR firm to help.

The second thing to do is set up schools to correct misconceptions about the West that many young people are brought up with in the Arab world today.

We make it seem ridiculous to be a terrorist, show the people Islam as it was intended, as a peaceful religion.

Then, we take care of the existing terrorists. We find them where they are hiding, and we kill them with covert operations. No invasions. Nice and clean.

Now if we cut their heads off with covert ops, they can't regrow because their source for recruits has been turned against them.

Then we pull out of Iraq, do something that doesn't involve an invasion about Iran, and deal with China, North Korea and Russia.

See you soon.