The rise of extremism. Why and why now? By the most basic definition, extremism is something that reacts to something that is perceived out of kilter. Take for example, the Iranian revoltion of the late 1970's---was a reaction to the Shah liberalizing Iranian society. Just like any other "sea change" the Shah's actions took money and power out of certain people's hands and placed it into others.
This is an important lesson because extremism is merely a tool by which a portion of society seizes control or attempts to do so. It is no different that the USA's 1960's Hippie Movement just much more violent and the tools used are not love and peace but war and hate.
My view of extremists is that they are folks who cannot adjust or do not want to adjust to change. Most of my class fellows who I consider extremists were not very popular or outgoing as youth or young adults. It is easier for them to hide behind the veil or cloak of some medieval interpretation of the Qu'arran then it is for them to accept legitimate change. To a man, those who grew successful and appreciated in a less "Islamic" society would never want to go back to the middle ages of Sharia society.
So what I am saying is that the extremists are those that cannot float their own boats and instead cling to some sort of justifiable ideology to make things work. History is filled with examples: Adolph Hitler rose to power in an era that saw German pride severely tramped upon as a result of the WWI surrender conditions. Had Germany prevailed in WWI, Hitler would have never existed.
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