Yes, its not an Arab specific thing, but rather a Muslim specific thing. Let me list a few events which have led to the rise of Modern Islamic extremism.
- Fall of Ottoman Empire
- End of Ottoman Caliphate
- Arab world being divided between the British and the French
- Call for revival of true Islam and caliphate in the sub-continent
- House of Saud conquering Hijaz
- Creation of Israel
- Rise and fall of Arabic nationalism
- Oil wealth gained by certain hardline Arabs
- United Islamic revival being pursued by Pakistan
- Iranian revolution
- Afghan War
- Rapid Islamisation of the Muslim world
- Bosnian war
- 9/11
Oil and Arabs play a major role in this though. Bernard Lewis, a prominent Islamic scholar, made a good comment about this.
The development of oil made a tremendous difference in every respect, one of which I think is important and has not been generally mentioned. The kind of Islam that is represented by Osama bin Laden, this radical, extreme kind of Islam, did originate in Arabia and--as far back as the 18th century--and it would have remained in Arabia, had it not been for oil.
Let me explain what I mean. Imagine that some such group as the Ku Klux Klan or the Aryan Nation or one of th--one of those were suddenly to come into the possession of unlimited wealth and use that money to set up schools and colleges all over the world, promoting their particular version of Christianity. Then you get an idea of what has happened to Islam as a result of the enormous wealth that oil has brought to some people in Saudi Arabia. It has enabled them to set up schools and colleges all over the Muslim world, teaching their brand of Islam, this kind of fanatical, extremist version of Islam which has thus acquired a--a scope, an expanse--an expansion which it could never otherwise have had. Without oil money, this kind of Islam would have remained a fringe group in a marginal country.
What Went Wrong?: Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response
The current rise of Islamic extremist is influenced and spread by the fundamental thought that is prevalent in Saudi Arabia. We call it Wahhabism because it was influenced by Abdul Wahab.