Commentaries on September's acts of terrorism have tended to rely upon secu
lar accounts to explain both the terrorism and the wider, less violent Isla
mic resurgence. This has meant that the explanatory focus has been upon thr
eats to Muslims, the negative impact of globalization and interrelated mode
rnization and the role of America within global relations and the Middle Ea
st in particular. These generalisations are problematic because they fail t
o explain the broader appeal of Islam, the character and contemporary natur
e of Islamic movements and in the instance of the terrorists and al-Qa' ida
, the relatively wealthy and educated backgrounds of a significant number o
f the terrorists.
As a corrective, the paper expands the focus to include the awareness of co
ntemporary problems and the historical origins and successes of Islam that
are both seen to legitimise the need for a radical form of Islam, interpret
ed as a comprehensive way of life. This awareness has been significantly ai
ded through contemporary developments in technology, mass communications an
d transport networks allied to the rapid growth of education across Muslim
countries. These factors, rather than diminishing the appeal of religion, a
s secularists have argued, are instrumental in the Islamic resurgence gener
ally and specifically in facilitating terrorist activity.