If you want these jihadis to go away, then stop torturing and killing innocent civilian in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places. They did not invade our country, we did. The 911 hijackers were Saudi's and we are paying billions in aid to the Saudis so they can produce more of it. The US wants an excuse to invade other countries (Iran is next).

The current three major religions (judaism, christianity (even though jesus was a jew murdered by his own people) & islam stem from the middle east & all have aggresive attitudes. I prefer the softer & more humanist creeds of the east viz, Buddhism, Taoism & Shintoism. They don't breed religious warriors like the famous sanctimonious world leaders who emerged from their churches  & the very next week bombed the sovereign nation of Iraq. History will show how evil Bush,Cheney,Blair & Australia's Howard were.Well Blair's gone, Howard is about to go & in 14 months the world will be well rid of Bush & Cheney. Perhaps then the world will settle into a more peaceful planet. As an avowed atheist I will say "Thank god".

Are you telling me that randomly shooting innocent civilians and carpet bombing the entire villages in Iraq and Afghanistan is not hatred and not terrorism?

Take a nation of 135+ million people,add an education of continous hatred for anyone not Muslim.  Infuse assault weapons and place nuclear weapons on the side.
And you have a recipe for regional destruction.

This is a very complicated puzzle..

Evangelical Christians support republicans. Republicans help big oil companies maintain high oil prices.
High oil prices support outdated middle-eastern societies (and radical Islam).
So in effect Christian right indirectly support radical islam and then also advocate war against those societies!!!

How can we break the perpetual cycle?

In reply to dm, 20 years ago as a young man I picked up a Koran to read just out of curiosity. It espoused so much violence that I determined that this could not be the will of a loving God.  

I have traveled in the Mid East quite extensively,and
beleive me when I say the clerics for some reason want to dictate policy to us.  We cannot afford to let them do this unless, the American people want to
learn how to speak Arabic.  Which will enable us to
understand the man in our back yards telling us to
vacate our premisises. Bob - Indiana

Those schools are simply an islamist way of brain-washing their next army of terrorists. We do need to get the hell out of the middle east for the most part... but who the hell would be dumb enough to trust Iran with a nuke?... that being said... whoever let pakistan have 45 is on my sh*t list. lol.

Bravo Richard, an interesting and important story....I wish we could impart to these children in the madrasas, that we are not waging a war on Islam, all we want in the US is peace. I agree with lnp, everyone here is too busy working, paying bills and raising families. I wish the world were a better place, i pray a more peaceful place.

if the "holy warriors" hide behind their women..and shoot from there..it is THEY who kill their OWN civilians...as reprisal is inevitable....you cant blame those who defend themselves for civilian losses..sad as they are...they are acceptable losses to the taliban...who think that to care about this is weakness..( morons )

Ask this reporter "Richard Engel" how he knows that Pakistan has  only 30 to 40 nuclear weapons when in fact  10 years ago it tested  the most advanced 6-miniature atomic  bombs in 2-days.He thinks that Pakistan is only developing 3 to 4 atomic bombs per year to counter India whose military power is 5-times that of Pakistan.I seriously believe this reporter needs to go back to school ,to learn about competing military mights.""
 

No matter what, our foolish actions in Iraq only exacerbated and justified these backward primitive tribes and their brand of islam.  The equivalent can be found here in the Rapture freak Evangelical nutjobs who want to hasten attacks in the Middle East to hasten the rapture. They are soon leading to this with another war in Iran. But it is really annoyhing that Islam is now being considered Arabism and Arabs who have never known to be fighters in the past 200 years are an insult to these mountain men when it comes to war and fighting.  

I think it's rather sad that America, a country based on religious freedom and a country that pretty much tore itself apart fighting slavery, is accused of wanting to enslave anyone.

Read the Koran. It is a blueprint for world domination. Christianity and its allies were only ever pushing back. Even the Crusades were a reaction to retake Christian lands. There is no "war on terror" there has been a reactive, defensive war against Islam since its inception and adoption of conquest as a means of propagating its beliefs. True Christians don't seek to destroy all Islam or force all Muslims to convert. They only seek to be left alone and for the truth to have a fair hearing in a free and open marketplace. When Muslims want to live in peace with us, we can live with that.

There has not been any sustained peace in the middle east for the past three thousand years, and with the continued influence of the madrasas schools, where children are brain washed for eight hours a day to hate anyone and everyone who is not following their particular radical form of Islam, they are practically insuring that their won't be peace for at least the next three thousand years, if ever.

You still fail to equate the madrassa with a Jihad school. What is wrong with learning quran. I am from Pakistan and having lived there, a toyota 4x4 (Tacoma or 4Runner in US) is a very popular vehicle specially to travel in rough terrains. Just because people are learning Islam does not mean they are going to brainwashed behind the curtain. You did not see any weapons training, no suicide bombing training yet the author is bent on putting it in the context. Everything that you said is a fact about the US domination on Muslims. I don't see US stopping Israel from anything OR telling India to fix its act up in Kashmir or telling Russia to stop killing in Chechnya. It is a fact that US policies are biased and until they change; no amount of advertising or PR attempts will work to change the mindset over there.

The youth of Pakistan would be very well served if these Madrasas taught technical trades like machine working, plumbing etc. in addition to the Koran.  Even the Indian government is stupid enough to waste money on Madrasas which do little to nothing in preparing their young wards to lead productive lives as they grow up.

Richard the problem is not Islam or the teaching of fundemental Islam in Pakistan but the political turmoil in the Islamic world, turmoil they blame on the USA.

From their prospective they see the USA talk about freedom, spreading democracy yet support some of the most repressive regimes ( and most Islamically fundementalist) in that region.

Although our support of Israel is not popular in the Islamic world it really is the support of the vicious regimes that has hurt us.

We support the Saudis, the Kuwaitis and all the other Arab totalitarian regimes. President Bush, and other past presidents love to refer to the Saudis as " our friends" and we support General Musharaff in Pakistan.

We lecture the Islamists about democracy but after we sacrificed our youth to liberate the people of Kuwait in the 1990's we simply handed the country to "our friends" the Kuwaiti royal family who reinstated the Islamic fundementalist royal monarchy.  Mind you this is not a constitutional monarchy but an absolute one.

We support the Saudis, a brutal totalitarian regime who detain, torture, and kill dissidents in Saudi Arabia.

We support all the minor despots who rule the myraid oil kingdoms in the Persina Gulf region.

Now these Arab regimes are incredibly rich states where the wealth is split among the decedant, unislamic acting royal families who wine and dine in St. Tropez on their mega Yachts while the poor citizens are forced to follow Islamic law upon penalty of death.

In Pskistan we support a military general, who has clothed himself in the finery of the democratic process, and only people in Pakistan who have said the empreror has no cloths are the Fundemental Muslims. We, on the other hand simply look the other way and supply planes, guns and money to maintain this dictatorship.

Islam is not the cause of the problem but the only solution that is being offered to these poor disenfranchised people, ironically offered and financed by the very regimes that are subjugating these people.

They support the Madressas and teach the poor and disenfranchised that the problem is not the opressive regime but it is the United States of America.

The only real solution is the slow erosion of support for these despots and the democratization of the middle east and Islamic world.

The Pashtun region is lost.  They need public education, and equality laws.  Economic oportunity usually works to modernize societies however this region is far too difficult to enter even by Pakistan's own police and army.  It is astounding that Osama Bin Laden is living their freely while our highest level government officials have known about his approximate location for years.  If we can't infiltrate the region with all our resources then how could any organization possibly establish any new programs or laws?  I really doubt that our CIA has any interest in locating OBL.   Prove me wrong.

if interested read quran youll get answers to everything

In a somewhat parallel fashion the right-wing-religious-wackos in the United States teach the same kind of hatred.  Some even go so far as to sanction murder at abortion clinics because their "religion" doesn't like it.  And they make up absurd stories about how being gay is a "choice" rather than an inherent orientation.  Tolerance:  only for their followers who mutually rubber-stamp "The Theory" they preach.

It's no wonder these schools continue to prosper.  We have yet to lift a finger against those truly responsible for the rise of Al Qaeda and the attacks on 9/11:

www.asecondlookatthesaudis.com

So long as we turn a blind eye to the root of our problems, we will not make one inch of progress in the War on Terror.

Of course the U.S. wants to enslave all moslems it is our turn. We want your oil and anything else of value Islam has. We want you to feel free to load up your car with as much T.N.T. you can get your dirty hands on and go for a drive. Pack as much explosives you can find in your stinking village in a vest along with say nails and glass and go shopping or to a resturant. Blow youselves up go to heaven,noone here is going to miss your worthless presence. So waste what little time you have and repeat the Koran fifty thousand times then die moron.

Of course the U.S. wants to enslave all moslems it is our turn. We want your oil and anything else of value Islam has. We want you to feel free to load up your car with as much T.N.T. you can get your dirty hands on and go for a drive. Pack as much explosives you can find in your stinking village in a vest along with say nails and glass and go shopping or to a resturant. Blow youselves up go to heaven,noone here is going to miss your worthless presence. So waste what little time you have and repeat the Koran fifty thousand times then die moron.

if the argument is that the actions of America ("the war on terror; or, a retaliation and reaction to the attack on 9-11-01) are the cause of the expansion of the teaching of hate against America, Israel, the West, etc. -- how can the writer or those who blame America for the expansion of the hate-schools be so sure that there would not be an expansion of the schools in any event; and, what is there alternative to defense and retaliation to those who did and would again (first attack in NYC was in '95 during Clinton admin; no retaliation and still another attack -- so that didn't work)?

One of the things that we have to realize, in fact the whole world needs to realize is that extremists exist not just in Islam, but in all other religions. Hindu extremists have been known to be violent against Muslims in spite of having co existed with them since centuries, Christian extremists have bee known to kill doctors who have performed abortions in the United States simply because they felt it was against God and muslim extremists we all know. We tend to blame the faith I could as easily say christianity is sick because extremist christians have executed doctors just because they gave a person the right to make a decision. If that isnt cruel , what is?
I dont defend the actions muslim extremists take, but just so that everyone here thinks , tell me how many people have died in Iraq since the US invasion? I can bet my life they were more than the ones in 9/11 attacks. Even while we're sitting here looking at our computer screens people in Iraq are dying, some women and girls in palestine are being raped. And so many more atrocities that we dont even have stats on. The reaction by these extremists is wrong, but perhaps instead of blaming them the world should also see what it is that they are reacting to and then make judgements.

This war in Iraq and Afghanistan appears to be largely a failure.  Why? Because in the minds of Iraqis and Afghanis is doing little to nothing for them in actually improving their lives.  How it benefits the United States and the West is very clear, it keeps the oil flowing, which is what the West needs to prosper.  But the American security and economic policy of maintaining the oil flowing to the West and keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of oil rich Islamic Nations appears heavy handed and one sided to Muslims.  

How this benefits Iraqis, Afghanis, and the greater Muslim world is less clear to them because their less developed economies are not able to generate similar wealth from their oil resources.  They can sell their oil to the West or the Far East, but that's about all they can do with their oil to generate wealth.  To them, their raw oil resources are literally a raw deal because they can’t generate the same wealth, which they feel they deserve for selling such a valuable, and increasingly scare resource that produces such wealth in industrialized nations in the West.  

What Muslims don't realize is that the world's oil is the lubricant that keeps the world economy humming and resources and trade flowing.  Without, the oil world will go currently go into recession.  To them because the are not seeing equivalent wealth created in their countries as what they believe they see in the West, they see little to lose if the oil stops flowing and somewhat irrationally they think that perhaps ending the oil trade will even expand and increase their wealth if they do not export their Oil & Gas.  The fail to realize that the West has other raw materials and resources as well as manufacture resources that are available to them as well by trading this resource.  

The large reason Muslims in the Middle East do not currently have such wealth is, their infrastructure is often poorly planned and lacks smart investment, Their industry is often poorly run and invested in because it has difficulty attracting investors and is not competitive in world markets.  Often their goverments' authoritarion rule, corruption, and poor economic polices hurt them.  People often lack the ncessary higher education, specialization, professional, organizational, and technical skills needed in today's ecomomy in order to prosper.  

In addition, high birth rates and high numbers of young adults in these countries make it diffuclt to adequtely employ undereducated and a under trained population in countries with limited infrastructure, manufacturing, corporations, and natural resources outside of oil and natural gas.

What they fail to realize is that there are literally hundreds of millions of unseen Americans and Westerners that are also not much better off economically and financially than they are, except for the fact that there are more opportunities for disadvantaged people in the West because of the more developed infrastructure, and better use of and access to capital and resources.  And because of well developed and mature Western institutions and a more open society, an inclusive political system, and most importantly there are more educational and employment opportunities in the West and this allows more efficient distribution of scarce resources and the effective employment of smart, skilled, legitimately qualified, and talented labor.

The reason the War on Terror is largely a failure is because it is specifically a War on Terror.  It only strengthens the terrorist's cause by directly engaging them military and making the West look aggressive against Muslims in the Middle East as the fighting is occurring on their soil with various Muslim casualties involving the innocent as well as insurgent and terrorist enemy combatants.  The War on Terror is better fought with an offer of an olive branch and dialog leading to various concessions and agreements for cooperation and coexistence in the future.  

On the other end, our security would be better secured with various less visible and intrusive under the radar cloak and dagger operations.   CIA working on the inside with other operatives and allies to assassinate or capture the most dangerous men and terrorist organization that are unwilling to cooperate, negotiate, and make peace with the U.S. and the West.

Currently, to our detriment, our mission is largely seen as highly visible military one and less as a diplomatic one.  It would have been wiser to keep the high profile military out of it as much as possible and left local people running the show without our military presence backing them up instead of their own people.  This heavy American military involvement looks bad to most Muslims.  And makes the local government look like a puppet government at the mercy of and being manipulated by the United States.  Such a weak government unable to stand on its own without U.S. involvement and participation looks impotents like it does not have the populist support of the local people and Muslim leaders.

We should have instead worked with their leaders diplomatically to achieve these security goals.  The Bush Administration really failed to achieve its objectives.   It did do its homework, set reasonable objectives, or address the problems that this War on Terror foreign policy would create.   They did not give the military objectives and humanitarian failures and crises enough consideration and planning before deciding to go to war in Iraq and Afghanistan.   Nor did the consider the serious economic impact going to war would have on deficit spending, the National Deficit, and the combat effectiveness of the military and the other costs that are incurrent by War and these military operations.   I give President Bush and his entire administration and F for failing to deal with situation appropriately and effectively.  Their policies have cost us a lot more money with few positive results, or economic benefits, and little if any short or long-term stability in the Middle East.  al-Qaida and Muslim dissatisfaction with the United States have only grown and been nourished by our Wartime and military ambitions in the Middle East.  And oil security, eliminating the nuclear threat, and peace and Democracy has not been achieved while only exacerbating and increasing Muslim hatred and disillusionment with the United States.

I am of the personal opinion that it would help matters greatly if more leaders were to adopt the Dao of the Shaolin.

You're so nieve j doe. It no longer matters what nationality the 9-11 hijackers were. These militant terriorists are now everywhere. Pakistan. Somalia. Philippines. Indonesia. Find them and kill them is the only solution. Use the 'parent' countries governments to do it whenever possible.

I would like to send a comment out to j doe. One we are not killing them for the profit of American corporations. Two you might want to re-check your compass. Was it not the muslims who kicked the zionists off there land in the first place and then built a mosque on top of a holy zionist temple. Three there is more human trafficing and prostitution going on in Arab countries than in Eastern European countries, so don't get all holy on me. I should know I have fought in these countries for over 31.5 months now and have seen all kinds of crooked Muslims. Lastly I would like to state that your beloved Muslim and Arab brothers can be bought for any amount of money just look at the reconciliation that is going on in Iraq. One minute they were al-Qaida. The next they are coming over and having tea with us and telling us where the real bad guys are located. As for any religious school, I don't think that they are a good idea. Especially if they are extremist schools based on Islamic beliefs. Oh yeah none of the terrorist are from Pakistan yet?!

none of the people who have put in comments appear that they really know a bit about islam---and most of all the history----all comments are based on hear say---even the writer has very carefully tried to show a biased picture of the madrissas---i would suggest him visiting some of those in the big cities all arround the world to know what it is and what knowledge is really being imparted----picking up one from afghanistan or iraq or palestine is just trying to show one side where people are the oppressed ones -----  

You guys are plan idiots plan & simple.  These schools teaches nothing but pure hatred.  True, the majority of the hi-jackers was Saudis, but all of these jihadist have one thing in common "hatred" for anyone that isn't muslim" point blank & simple.  As a matter of fact, if you haven't dealt with these jihadist before, please keep quiet.  

Since these people believe we are their enemies we should respect their beliefs and then proceed to utterly destroy them.

why dont wwe read the Quran and Life of Prophet of Islam to know the facts.

UK created pakistan,the US made sure of pakistan's survival since its formation.Even now the US corporate greed for oil is funding the saudis @$92 a barrel. All safer alternaties have been put on the backburner,until recently, ethenol was not even considered. These saudis beleive that oil is ALLAH's weapon against the infidel and beleive that ALLAH will pump more oil into their wells if they fund jihad against non sunnis, ie the west. So rest assured of a big casatstrophy soon. In this modern world the law of Karma against all those who allowed pakistan to be created will materialise sooner rather than later

I remember watching Al-Qaeda on "60 Minutes" in the Eighties. We were told what was going to happen and we did nothing. Now we hear about these Madrassas, we know what these fanatics are going to do. I suspect our response will be the same as in the Eighties. God help our children and give them strength for what will happen in the 2020's.

Why is it that Christians like to say "Christianity has evolved to be accepting and tolerant" when many of them openly condemn homosexuals and other groups that don't subscribe to their lifestyle?  There are plenty of people right here in America that would use the cross to murder and supress others given the opportunity.  Thank the founding fathers for the secular government they left us, otherwise America would be just another fanatic theocracy.

Assalam Alaikum
(means peace and blessings of Allah be on all of you)

Dear brothers and Sisters

I know many of you have formed opinions about islam after seeing your local broadcast i would suggest to see the true islam just read the quran.

Forget about Madrasas in Pakistan.All government schools in Pakistan are called Madrasas. Most of your reporters have no knowledge of foreign cultures particularly in Muslim countries.Therefore , you should ignore their abservation as rubbish.Also,this reporter even goes further beyond his mental capacity to state that Pakistan has only 30-40 nuclear weapons like he knows everything.If Pakistan can test 6-nuclear bombs in two days 10 years ago then how this Einstien knows that they are manufacturing only 3 or 4 every year

Pakistan is the epicenter of terrorism. Ismamic Fundamalism is nurtured and exported here. Its govt. and isi are neck deep in it. If us does the mistake of believing in Pakistan and its rulers, IRAN, Syria and other muslim countries will soon have Nukes. Not just nukes. Nukes Made in Pakistan. Thats the ultimate goal. and ulike russians, they will not fail to deliver at your door steps. The first Nuke against free world, will have lable.. Made in Pakistan.

Louie ur right Christians went thru this several hundredv years ago. Help Muslims come out of this. Solve the Palestinian problem. The root cause of all hatred towards such a wonderful country & good people ..I love America

Take the oil out of this situation and it would unravel within a calender year. We have seen this problem coming for four decades. I have to wonder why the highways of America are not lined with windmills and solar cells.

LNP writes: "I wish there was some way to impart to the world in general that most Americans are too busy working, taking care of their families, and just trying to pay the bills to care about 'enslaving' foreign peoples."

LNP, you don't need to. Your government is doing it for you.

These largely Saudi-funded hate schools are producing future nutball jihadi terrorists. Pakistan is slowly disintegrating partly as a result, and eventually Saudi Arabia needs to be held to account. In the meantime, we will need to step in and secure Pakistani nuclear weapons when necessary, but hopefully that can wait until we take out another source of nutball muslim terrorists: the dictatotrs running Iran. At least Syria was properly cowered for a time as a result of the recent Israeli strike on their North Korean-aided nuclear facility. The next 2-5 years will be very interesting, as nutball islam explodes, and is ultimately crushed.

Sick. Those poor kids. :(
I wish jihadis and their supporters understood that if we wanted to wipe out Islam and Muslims, like they say and teach their children we do, that we would have done it already. Without losing a single American soldier.

I always find it insulting that these articles always seem to blame terrorism on the "war on terror " that somehow if it werent for that there would not be any terrorest. Well where did the ones who blew up the trade centers and our embassies and the Cole come from ? What did we do to make them hate us then because im sure it was our fault, if you listen to them. Im sure the Nazies and the Japanese would also tell you it was our fault too. All I can say is the Muslims who preache hate only want one thing and that is to kill or convert as many non muslims as they can and I say to them all ,You have awaken that sleeping giant again and he is mad as hell and he is coming to get you . They started this fight they have been wanting it for years and now they got it .You dont punch the biggest kid on the block in the nose and then call him a Bully when he whips your A--.

The day Islam becomes a religion of peace will be the day that a Jewish Synagogue, a Roman Catholic Cathedral and an Assemblies of God church sit next to the Kaaba in Mecca Saudi Arabia.

  Can we trust a people whom are brainwashed by religeon. We hear of many places in the middle east that gather people together to sing songs of hatred as childhood songs in school. Remember what the Jews learned in WWII. " If someone say that they want to wipe you out. Listen!" If this dogma of hatred against the west continues then we may see another 9/11 or worse! We need to stay in the middle east to keep the war away from our shore and let those whom wish us harm know that we are close and ready to act if Islam means us harm.

It is true, the Quran does teach against violence and hatred, and it says to "treat all people lile they were your own brother", but it also says that when someone threatens your whole lifestyle, country and people, by corrupting your government, and stealing yout money for the interest of a certain invading people, tham it becomes time to retaliate,if not peacefully, then by the method used upon you.

Yes dear Richard you are confused indeed. This is not a dignified time to be a Muslim. Our government is killing them by the hundreds of housands yet you do go wondering why is it exactly that a people being politically, militarily, spiritually persecuted are reacting violently.

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