Peter, yes I do 'bother' to read Al-Qaida statements. I beleive that to read such statements is imperative in the task to understand why terrorists do what they do. In relation to your comments about 'just reading books' I completely agree with you, there is no substitute for seeing things first hand and that is something that I would very much like to do in order that I can gain a better understanding. You talk of terrorism always being based around a just cause. In some respects I agree with you in the sense that it is always a just cause to the people that perpetrate acts of terrorism but not so to those that are on the receiving end. In my mind there are three forms of terrorism, state terror, group terror and religious terror. The problem with religious terror is that it is so absolute, there is no compromise.A country/ dictator can be overthrown either by internal power (revolution/ civil war) or by external powers and a terrorist group may often be infiltrated and members turned (IRA/UVF operations by security services and special forces). The difficulty with a religious terrorist organisation is that they are so fanatical about their beliefs. After seeing the attacks on the World Trade Centre, Osama Bin Laden is claimed to have said "...we calculated that teh floors that would be hit would be three or four floors; I was the most optimistic of them all.." You talk of terrorism being based around a just cause. I fail to see how slamming 2 jumbo jets into the twin towers helped a 'just cause' I can however perhaps begin to understand from a religious view point why the perpetrators of the attack undertook it. Surah 48 Al-Fath of the Qu'uran states: "..And if any believe not in Allah and His Messenger, We have prepared, for those who reject Allah, a Blazing Fire..." A very apt passage if you consider what happened!! Infact the Qu'uran is a very interesting read and I would encourage people to read it. To me, an I'm sure many others, these attacks were not based around a just cause. Furthermore, I am not quite sure as to what Al Quida thought it would gain from such attacks. Surely Osama Bin Laden was not stupid enough to think that a Republican led United States would sit back as though nothing had happened??! In relation to your point about the relationship between Iraq and Al Qaida, I'm afraid I disagre with you. According to the 9/11 Commission Report (which I'm sure you will respond by saying has been written by neo conservatives and therefore is wholly unreliable)Iraq and Al Qaida, although not having an operational relationship certainly discussed the possibility of cooperation. In 1998 Bin Laden's Egyptian Deputy organised a meeting in Afghanistan between a delegation of Iraqi officials, members of the Taliban government and Osama Bin Laden. Subsequent meetings took place in 1999 and the crux of these meetings was to offer Bin Laden a safe haven and assistance in his fight against 'the unbelievers' announced in his public fatwa, issued in March 1998. Like I say, although there was no outward opperational connection between Iraq and Al Qaida, it would be wrong to suggest that there was no connection at all. It doesn't really matter if they hated each other or not, you don't have to like someone to work with them! Anyway that was a ridiculously long posting and I hope Len is not too upset.

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