The Deep Intellectual Roots of Islamic Terror — ‘ “Many Americans seem to think that bin Laden is

just a violent cult leader,” said Michael Doran, a

professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. “But the truth is that he is tapping into a minority

Islamic tradition with a wide following and a deep history.”

Although many Muslims are horrified at the notion that their faith is being used to justify terrorism, Mr. bin

Laden’s advocacy of jihad, or holy war, against the West is a natural extension of what some radical

Islamists have been saying and doing since the 1930’s. These radicals were jailed, tortured and often

executed in their home countries, particularly in Egypt during the 1950’s and 60’s, for their attacks on

Western influences and their efforts to replace their own regime with an Islamic state.’ NY Times [“FMHreader”, “FMHreader”]