I was born in California, so my first experience with Arab culture was Coehlos masterpiece "The Alchemist" (Maktub) along with Marquez "100 years of Solitude" (the Arab scientific street).
My first trip to UAE, as I was stepping out of the airport the mosque began the prayer song, it was the most beautiful music I had ever heard in my life. Then seeing the beautiful women dressed in their elegant outfits, and the men in their flowing white robes, it was so rich and steep in tradition.
People back home never see this, they only see the violence and destruction. How can I explain to my family that women dressed in traditional clothing is not a form of female censorship, but possibly female liberation in terms of not being oogled at by every man as they walk down the street.
Or the songs and hymns to the almighty is not songs of western hate and bias, but songs of love and sacrifice.
I think the world is in a serious cross-roads, and this rich traditional culture is being portrayed as a violent medium for western terrorism. I know its unfair, but I honestly think any actions that support those misguided and innapropriate stereotypes should be ceased, because its only truly hurting your own cause.
Your in a catch-22, because it seems like US interests are slowly imperializing the world, but if you resort to violence, then US interests become military endeavours, and you begin to lose your land permanently.
I think the only answer is to show your culture as it really is, and these extremist fighters are only helping the US foreign policy. They are the true enemies of your God, because it is them that are destroying his people in his name.