an Orthodox friend wrote in message . <> > One -must- ask though, -why- has Islamic fundamentalism grown in the

> last fifty years or so. Thats when the storm erupts into opinions,

> causes, allegations, hatreds and animosities.

> Peace and grace,

My theory:

Arab culture was flourishing while Europeans were still living in caves…

Then… European Renaissance, Industrial Revolution, European traders pilfering precious metals and other substances from the rest of the earth – and, according to one theory, the invention of spectacles, which allowed twenty years’ more useful life for European craftsmen…

Meanwhile, in the Middle East etc., except for a few who got filthy rich from oil, the pervasive religio-cultural (and, in many places, geographical) climate did not foster entrepreneurial industry, and as the West’s wealth increased exponentially during the last fifty years, a culture of aggressive shame developed in Islam-majority countries. Put into that mix a few fundamentalist firebrands, Israeli contempt for and humiliation of their Palestinian neighbours; and global communications so that CNN/Hollywood can take poor people into Western cities and homes – and the development of portable explosive technologies….

Well, need I say more?

Shalom! Rowland Croucher