One possibility why so many in the Islamic world are so upset about the pope's lecture is that they didn't read it. Or, perhaps more precisely, they couldn't read it. Two of five can't read in Egypt, one in five can't read in Saudi Arabia, and half can't read in Pakistan. If one is going to throw a fit about words it always helps to read the words first. Doing so usually prevents the fit, or at least produces a more enlightened rioter.

This is a great point.

Increasing education in the Middle East will losen the hold of radical Islam over the Middle Eastern people.

America needs to support education in the Arab world, not start unwinable wars.

No it won't. The majority of terrorist leaders are very well educated.

The majority of these folks are unenlightened people who, even if they could read, would not be intellectually or socially advanced enough to form an opinion other than what their leaders tell them believe. So, the “reading is fundamental” idea is just a start. They still have to evolve out of the 12th century.

They're under the control of a cult, they need to be deprogramed.

"America needs to support education in the Arab world, not start unwinable wars."
We need to educate our people correctly first before we waste money on another country especially ones who want to kill us so bad.

"They're under the control of a cult, they need to be deprogramed."
Yeah, deprogrammed 5.56 style.

"No it won't. The majority of terrorist leaders are very well educated."

Quite right. The liberal trope that poverty causes crime cannot be applied to Islamic terrorism. The fact that the majority of the 9/11 terrorists were well educated and affluent demonstrates the difference.

.556 style! James is obviously familiar with the M-16A2.

That is some seriously "high-caliber" education James.

Poverty is surely often associated w/ extremism in politics, the Russian experience w/ Bolshevism and Germany's acquiescence to Nazism are unimaginable w/o the economic trauma faced by both populations. Extremist ideologues have a hard time convincing optimistic middle class citizens to blow themselves up, only radicalizing poverty or zealous ideology could make one open to that.

However, it is not the U.S. national government's responsibility or even duty to educate anyone at all, not even Americans.

As much as many high minded Americans want to believe it: we can not save the world. The best we can do is work to save and protect ourselves.

Saudi Arabia,Egypt,etc. must have teachers unions who wield as much political power as they do in the United States. 1 in 5 can't read in Saudi Arabia that is on par with the D.C. public schools.

Yeah, but it only costs around $10 grand to publicly educate a kid in D.C.. And you expect them to be able to read? It will cost much more than that to get results.

"Poverty is surely often associated w/ extremism in politics, the Russian experience w/ Bolshevism and Germany's acquiescence to Nazism are unimaginable w/o the economic trauma faced by both populations. Extremist ideologues have a hard time convincing optimistic middle class citizens to blow themselves up, only radicalizing poverty or zealous ideology could make one open to that." -Bruce Wayne

Firstly, the Bolsheviks never did convine the Russians. The Red Guard dispanded the Duma after they lost the elections, claiming that only Bolsheviks knew what "true democracy" was.

Hitler would have convinced the Germans without the Great Depression, I think. His main weapons were appealing to Germany's wounded post-war pride, and appealing to the German fear of a communist takeover. Neither required a particuarly radical worldview at the time.

ASDF got it exactly right. Just look at the stats, guys. Since the 60's, when there was a movement toward a more fundamental (i.e. extremist) brand of Islam, the middle east has moved backward in every possible way. Having a decent education certainly doesn't guarantee that someone won't do something bad, but not having one sure makes a lot of people putty in the hands of extremists. Educated or not, we need to watch what these yahoo’s are doing and make sure we protect ourselves from them. If reason doesn’t work a 7.62 x 39 attitude adjustment would be comparable to a .556 de-programming.

What statistics suggest that the average Middle Easterner had a better education in the 60s than he has today?

I honestly don't know, I'm asking.

Ben-T, I'm not sure what the stats are on that but intuitivly it makes sense to me.

Middle Eastern coutries were very lightly populated just 50 years ago. When the oil money first started flowing in many countries (Iraq is probably the best example) spent heavily on education and created a vibrant middle class.

Since the 60's however,population growth has been so wild that not even oil revenues can help education spending keep pace.

Assuming its true, it has the problem that Radical Islam was very much around at the time.

Ever hear of the Muslim Brotherhood?

So much for education being the great eradicator of Islamofacism....

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23367406-details/The+unholy+past+of+the+Muslim+cleric+demanding+the+Pope's+execution/article.do