Great documentary, encourage everyone to watch it to open a dialog with all.Watching this i don't know who frustrates me more.... the radicals or the radicals.... (think about that statement, i mean both the American and the middle eastern radicals).All i do know is people are dying needlessly, but i don't have any answers (apart from slicing the nuts off the guy who maimed the bear - i'd be first to line up).I think we are all at fault, how can we reset the clock is my question.I read the other comment here and wanted to suggest to anyone reading these comments check out the movie for yourself and make up your own mind.I think that all education is good for you, but it's up to you as to how you use it.

Lawrence Wright's film is fascinating and thought provoking. I read Wright's book The Looming Tower in 2006 and it was the first time I felt I had a clear understanding what the war with Al Qaeda was all about. In this film, Wright explores similar territory and provides an explanation of the philosophy of groups like Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Both share a view of the world that is repugnant and alien to our liberal western sensibilities. We value human life, scientific progress and equality for women and they don't. Wright explains that the Islamic world resents the material and military success of the West. The rise of terrorism has been a way for some extremists to obtain payback for the years of humiliation. While the West has mostly rejected religious fanaticism, Wright shows that parts of the Islamic world are now embracing it. Many regard their failure to compete with the West as a punishment from God. Because Muslims have rejected the true path they need to embrace fundamentalism to achieve God's forgiveness. They therefore reject modernity and oppose Arab leaders like Anwer Sadat who favor secularism. Al Qaeda wants to eliminate what it sees as our corrosive influence in the Middle East. However it is not clear why God isn't punishing us, the infidels for our blasphemous ways. We don't enforce the punishments listed in the Old Testament like killing anyone who works on the Sabbath, so it's hard for us to understand why the stoning of women is making a comeback in countries like Iran or why this is something that God requires. Wright argues that U.S. policies towards the Muslim world after 9/11 have played into bin Laden's hands. Policy makers failed to understand that bin Laden was happy to weaken the U.S. by drawing it into long draining wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The nightmare scenario is for the Islamists capture the Middle East or they start an ongoing insurgency in the West. Watching this program you feel reasonably confident this won't happen, mainly because you quickly realize how crazy their beliefs are. Their views have no appeal for us and it's hard to believe that rational Muslims really want what Al Qaeda is selling. Even their interpretation of Islam seems un-Islamic. The West and the Islamists have incompatible views on the world so it seems that there will always be conflict. Wright seems to understand this strange world. This is a fascinating film.

Anyone who thinks that this documentary paints a pejorative picture of Islam or is just propaganda more than likely is already looking at it with preconceived notions. It is a documentary that EVERY THINKING PERSON should see, and I suggest that you see it more than once. It is NOT a condemnation of Islam. It is NOT a western propagandist platform. It is NOT a U.S. bashing "leftist rant". It IS one man's take on the organization we have come to know as Al-Qaeda and it's role in fomenting terrorism worldwide. It is a MUST SEE for any thinking person who is capable of analytical thinking.. no matter which side of the religious fence you fall on. I happen to be an American born Christian and I found the film to be thought provoking on many levels.

This documentary is nothing but full of lies. Some of the stuff is totally unbelievable. I taught in Middle east as well but people there are no where near bad or the way he mentioned. We have Madrisa's in UK as well and where students go and study Islam. And they are as normal as anyone else... I am sorry to say but Lawrence Wright's got it all twisted and it seems like he is assuming stuff and working on some Propaganda.Information is totally false and biased, its really shame that this guy taught and lived in middle east for so long and still could not understand real Islam and people of Islam.