system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why are there so many Islamic extremist groups in the world even though the Qur'an explicitly promotes peace regardless of beliefs, race, or nationality?

In the same breath, is the amount of Islamic extremists in the world a misconception propagated by Hollywood and the news media?
gpt
The real cause of conflict is rarely a religion. That's just used as a justification and to produce fanatical combatants.

The actual cause is usually one of the following:

* lower standards of living in one place (grab those riches or resources from next door)

* a threat to ones own leader's power  (including perceived threats along racial or religious lines due to prejudice)

* desire for more power

* internal power struggles (leader is challenged and needs to unify his support: wars are great at that)

* external pressure being applied by another country which is unfair or damaging

Very rarely is it an actual ideological or theological struggle. Most people just want to live their lives in peace.

Countries which are mainly Christian tend to be Western countries with high standards of living. The last major war between them was WW2, which was caused by pretty much all of the above in varying degrees.

However, if you go back before then, you see huge amounts of warfare. Europe was at war every few decades at least. The USA had wars against Mexico (hello, Texan resources), and against its own native population (hello more resources and removal of an internal threat and it was popular politically).

Further back, we find things very much like Islamic Extremism, such as the First Crusade. Soldiers raped, committed genocide, and ate babies (really) all in the name of Jesus and against Mohammed.

You have the Inquisition. And the burning of witches not so long ago.

Much of the Islamic world is populated by people with little or no education and low standards of living. Add to that the fact that the West invaded most of them for Imperial reasons, and took their resources... then add in the fact that Western governments still prop up corrupt and abusive regimes and you have all the ingredients for conflict.

The surprise is not that there are extremists but that there are so few. And the further surprise is that so many people think the solution is to bomb or impose sanctions: reinforcing the reasons which generate new extremists. But politicians love a good conflict. It makes them popular by looking strong. It's in no politician's interests to build schools, send aid, make allies, and resolve the conflict.

And that applies to the head of Hamas as much as the president of the USA.