Unearthing the Roots of Terrorism

If you haven’t read any newspapers or newsmagazines during the past month, you may find tonight’s “Frontline” report about the roots of terrorism a revelation. For the rest of us, it merely reinforces what we’ve already been learning about the seeds of unrest in the Islamic world.

Not that that’s a bad thing. Americans run no risk of being over-informed, and “Frontline’s” report, titled “Looking for Answers,” is interesting and well reported. PBS aired it Tuesday with an earlier “Frontline” documentary from the same producers, “Hunting Bin Laden,” and is showing it again in the series’ regular slot (9 p.m., KCET).

Through historical news footage and interviews, “Frontline” shows how the militant Islamic movement was born out of discontent with economic and political conditions in the Middle East, then grew to encompass the United States because of its support for Israel and its financial aid to governments in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere that the militants considered corrupt.

The “Frontline” production team does a good job of showing that these grievances are real and heartfelt. They may be held by only a minority of the Muslim world--as several U.S., Egyptian and Saudi officials argue here--but the anger exists and can be exploited by Osama bin Laden and others to marshal action against the United States. Sadly, it reaffirms that this is going to be a long battle.