The only problems I have with religion come from the higher ups in that particular religion. I find that they overwhelmingly corrupt what is meant to be a very positive thing for a lot of people, including myself.
I just wonder what the general consensus is in the Middle East in regards to your "average" Muslim. Based on the recent elections, it seems to me that the average Muslim in the M.E and North Africa adheres to the kind of Islam that we're all talking about here.
Documentaries like this really make me question Ron Paul's (Sorry Free) ideology that our foreign policy is the root cause of Islamic terrorism.
I'd like to touch upon a few things in this post so I'm glad you mentioned them.
Take any insurgency, poorly run company, or relationship where domestic violence is present...in short, just about any type of conflict you can think of. In all of them there is a certain amount of passivity by one or more of the "sides" or populace. You'll have those people who oppose the negative acts taking place, but they stick their heads in the sand and ignore them. Some may resist, but most will just act like nothign is wrong. That may be out of apathy or fear or a pragmatic view of the situation, but whatever the reasons or causes, there is a passive element involved.
That is how the strong prey upon the weak. That is how a minority can control a majority. When the masses fail to reject the extreme elements of their organization they've become as guilty as the extremists themselves. Morally, ethically, or legally, they are playing a role in perpetuating those negative behaviors. So whether or not the mass of Muslims agree with the extremists is irrelevant to me, they support them and that is aiding and abetting in our court system.
With regard to Ron Paul, he is right and he is wrong. I think he's oversimplified the root cause of Islamic terrorism. While he may be correct on some levels, he's way off base on others. Besides, even IF our FP caused islamic terrorism, in how many instances did we have other options? UBL and company continuously cited our presence in Saudi Arabia as their motivation; whether that is their true belief or just an excuse doesn't matter. They cite coups like Iran's in 53, but neglect to mention the UK's role and neglect to mention that essentially once the Shah was punted in 79 that we were equal in Iran. They overlook other equally disasterous moments in American foreign policy and the fact that the wronged in those cases didn't rise up and start sliting throats. Some people just need to hate and I think that's part of what we have here.
Humans tend to oversimplify anyway. In US history, the Revolutionary and Civil Wars were about "taxation without representation" and "slavery" respectively, right? Of course not, they were much more complex than that. Ron Paul is dumbing down his reasons, or maybe he believes them, and in either case I'm insulted or amazed that someone who claims to be smart is actually a window-licker.
Besides, the GWOT is about 1000 years overdue in my opinion, not because of our religion or politics, but because of the Islamic religion and/ or politics.