Almost every religion has zealots who are willing to use religion to support their hatreds and bigotries. With over 1 billion Muslims in the world, Islam has its extremists too.

Islamic extremists go by a number of names, al Qaeda being the most famous. They receive support from various individuals, movements, and countries.

It is important to understand why Islamic extremists target the U.S.

• Believe that western influence is polluting the minds of its people and keeping them from following the true path of Islam.
• Want to set up a fundamental Islamic government similar to what the Taliban set up in Afghanistan, and feel the U.S. is a major roadblock in achieving this goal.
• Want the U.S. to stay out of Middle Eastern affairs and this includes support for Israel (originally more an Arab/Israeli issue).