That's not funny AN.

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None of these groups sprung up to fulfill a religious agenda. They all arose in response to specific grievances. They were formed for political reasons.

Terrorist groups forming links: report

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Terrorist-groups-forming-links-report/2007/06/12/1181414294024.html

The war on terror has caused geographically and ideological diverse terrorist groups to join together to fight against the west as a common enemy, a government-led parliamentary committee has found.

The groups had began in diverse geographical locations including Egypt, Yemen, Lebanon, Pakistan, Iraq and Uzbekistan, Mr Jull said, but many had become connected.

"The committee concluded that all of these organisation have been localised groups growing out of specific grievances and particular conflicts.

"For most, it has the advent of the war on terrorism that has extended their reach and their objectives - to the establishment of a regional caliphate, to providing fighters into other fields of battle, to cross funding through the al-Qaeda network.

"Individual conflicts are now seen as part of a larger conflict and they appear to feed on and reinforce each other, bringing experience and skill learned in one place to other disputes.

"And, with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the focus has broadened from opposition to local 'apostate' governments to a larger enemy in the west."

The committee was considering whether to recommend against the relisting of the seven groups as terrorist organisations.

Mr Jull said the committee, on which the government has a majority, had concluded that proscription could play only a limited role in combating terrorist activities.

Other solutions, such as the settlement of longstanding disputes, might more effectively undermine support for violence, he said.