This is one of the most interesting threads I've seen here, shame I've joined in slightly late.
The form of Islamic extremism is not a terribly old phenomenon. The goals of Al-Qa'eda are difficult to define as it is not a rigid hierarchical organisation however this letter from Al-Zawahiri (described as Al-Qa'eda's main ideologue) to al-Zarqawi gives an interesting insight into their objectives:
http://www.fas.org/irp/news/2005/10/dni101105.htmlEssentially this letter would suggest that having UK and US troops in Iraq is ideal for Al-Qa'eda both because it brings the "infidel" geographically closer to the training grounds but also in a wider strategic sense.
It is a very interesting letter, it does explain a bit more than what you see on the news as to what their actual aims are. I liked his use of language it makes it much easier to read than the turgid stuff our politicians and religious leaders use, although I can't say I'm familiar with
As the English proverb says, the person who is standing among the leaves of the tree might not see the tree.
I'm assuming that this is the literal translation of the Arabic rather than al-Zawahiri actually not knowing the proverb to start with.
Author