It's a lot more subtle than that dave. If terrorists are political activists it's a perverse strategy they use - to bring down vengeance and revenge upon their own people by committing acts that can only be viewed as inhuman. To show that the West is capable of extreme reaction and even worse inhuman acts outside the rule of law is another political objective.
Instead of falling into that trap, calling for an eye for an eye and lumping all muslims into the one basket, perhaps it's time we actually tried to do something about terrorism besides poke it and then cry "look out it's dangerous".
