I have a degree of sympathy for many radical Islamic nations because the majority of their people are poor oppressed and don't have realistic opportunities to better their lives. People become irrational when they're stuck in a bad situation with no way out. One of the few options available to them is religion. With all other avenues closed off, and a bleak inescapable future of struggling for demeaning labor all their lives ahead of them, I'm not surprised that so many turn to the most extremist religions. Suicide bombing might be only thing offering real career advancement.
The thing that scares me is religious fundamentalists in the US trying to drive us back into the stone age. All the creationists trying to turn children against science when they enjoy all of its benefits and live comfy middle class lives make me a lot more pissed off. What's more, a lot of them are doing their best to end the world. That is their literal plan, to bring about the end of the world. I personally feel that anyone who wants the world to end should be disenfranchised, as I'm pretty sure that's a stance you don't want to give representation to when you're deciding how to run a country.
One of the key problems with religions is that people turn to them in times of despair. The happier and healthier people are, the weaker they become. I think we need to deal with our local religious zealots first before dealing with middle eastern ones.

Disclaimer: James recently watched Jesus Camp and is feeling especially paranoid about evangelicals right now.