Finally, for all of the concerns expressed by Western political and public figures about Islam’s violent tendencies, these concerns were all but absent in certain episodes involving Muslims and violence prior to 9/11. During the Soviet-Afghan War of the 1980s, the United States was actively involved in training the mujahideen in guerilla warfare tactics. In the same decade, the United States assisted Saddam Hussein and Iraq’s military in the Iran-Iraq War. This assistance included intelligence about Iranian military deployments, the means to develop chemical weapons, and diplomatic support to protect Iraq from UN condemnation in the use of poisonous gas against Iran. When it has served American interests, particularly in winning the Cold War and extending political and military influence in the Middle East, the US government has had no qualms about facilitating and contributing to violence in Muslim-majority regions.

XREF: Connects to broader Cold War proxy warfare literature and the mujahideen arms pipelines later linked to Al-Qaeda. Pays off: "The U.S. armed and praised Afghan mujahideen as Cold War allies."

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 288