STATE OF UNREST - The threat posed by religious extremism

With the rise of Islamic militancy in the shape of the Islamic State, it is important to remember that the causes of this extremism are both internal and external, writes TP O’Mahony

THE beheading on video of the American photo-journalist James Foley by an Islamist jihadist — believed to be British — in Syria is yet another and grisly reminder of the rise of and threat posed by religious extremism.

Ever since the destruction by al Qaeda of the World Trade Center in New York in 2001, the West has struggled to comprehend and cope with the menace from ideologically driven religion, especially Islamic extremism.