I heard someone making the claim that Islamic Radicals exists because of people who are living in poverty and have a low amount of education.

I must say that claim is very false.

• Islamic Radicals are on American College Campuses. That would not happen if this was an issue of education and money. Kids going to college are educated and doing it in the richest nation in the world (America).
• Al-Qaeda’s 2nd in command Ayman al-Zawahiri is a doctor. Not exactly a poor man’s profession.
• Osama bin Laden studied Civil Engineering.
• Iran is a known state sponsor of terrorism and is an oil rich nation. A government rolling in money would have no need for terrorism if it were true that it spawned from poverty.
• We know the Saudi Arabian House of Saud is about as crooked as a bag of snakes and they are rolling in money from their oil empire.
• American al Qaeda member John Walker Lindh came from a wealthy family.
• Many 9/11 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia, where people are given free health care and other socialized benefits. But just like radicals in many Islamic Nations, France, England and other socialized nations the free benefits that keep them from true poverty really are not keeping them from being radicals. Not to mention the radicals that come to the USA could use the opportunity to build a new life for themselves, but do not.
• Multimillion dollar rewards for top al Qaeda members has not result in a flood of information to help capture all of them. If these radicals were “poor and stupid” the lure of millions would make them rat out anybody.
• Several 9/11 al Qaeda operatives came from middle and upper classed families and were well educated.
  

  From the 9/11 Commission Report 5.3 THE HAMBURG CONTINGENT Mohamed Atta Mohamed Atta was born on September 1, 1968, in Kafr el Sheikh, Egypt, to a middle-class family headed by his father, an attorney. After graduating from Cairo University with a degree in architectural engineering in 1990, Atta worked as an urban planner in Cairo for a couple of years. … Ramzi Binalshibh … From 1987 to 1995, Binalshibh worked as a clerk for the International Bank of Yemen. … Marwan al Shehhi Marwan al Shehhi was born on May 9, 1978, in Ras al Khaimah, the United Arab Emirates. His father, who died in 1997, was a prayer leader at the local mosque. After graduating from high school in 1995, Shehhi joined the Emirati military and received half a year of basic training before gaining admission to a military scholarship program that would fund his continued study in Germany. … Ziad Jarrah Born on May 11, 1975, in Mazraa, Lebanon, Ziad Jarrah came from an affluent family and attended private, Christian schools. Like Atta, Binalshibh, and Shehhi, Jarrah aspired to pursue higher education in Germany. …

  Atta, al Shehhi and Jarrah were all pilots of hijacked planes on 9/11/2001. So much for all that talk of the poor and uneducated doing the dirty work!

• Islamic Radical live in both poor and rich nations.
• The Islamic Radical method of slavery occurs with government sanction, even in cases where the government has money.

While poverty may have been one factor helping to fan the flames of Radical Islamists, their current sustenance includes individuals from all walks of life. Meaning that money and education are not the reason it remains an issue. Many say it exists today because of a skewed interpretation of Islam. While Radicals cite verses in their book that speak of killing “infidels”. One thing is clear, Radical Islam is now it’s own theological movement. If it once had a need for poverty it is able to find recruits with money and education now.