And let's be perfectly clear about WHAT we're talking about here.
Those Muslim countries today, are what the United States would be if the KKK had taken over and waged genocide against anyone not "them". Then became not just the dominant force - but the only ideology. Then civilized countries like Canada thought it'd be a great idea to import large segments of that population, beholden to that sort of ideology.
You'd even defend them dressing up with white sheets, under some notion of religious dress. Terror attacks start happening and you'd just wash your hands of it? "Gee, I guess that's just normal".
This isn't about if people are generically foreign or not. It's about their identity to a fundamentally dangerous ideology.
None of that has anything to do with objective, observable reality today. The US didn't devolve into a KKK theocratic shithole because a powerful secular central government eventually got around to making the KKK into a terrorist group to be prosecuted. As you say, let's be clear. The KKK based their disgusting bullshit ideology on Christianity and superiority over "Others" inherent in practicing that specific version of the religion.
Muslim countries today rarely have powerful secular governments that aren't corrupted by money, power, intelligence, and access to weapons from the lingering Cold War worldview where Dictators are OK, as long as they're our Dictators. The sign of a good ally isn't the ability to buy them out, but that they remain bought (witness Iran, our dear ally after the US helped overthrow Mossadegh, but which didn't stay bought).
For example, Saudi Arabia, an "ally", is a festering shithole. It's princes and powerful people spend money exporting a shit-tier ideology. But it isn't because the people with the money and power in Saudi Arabia are going to strap bombs to themselves, or go shoot up a mall because of unwavering belief in the ideology. It's because their regimes are so corrupt, backwards, and anachronistic that they are essentially training people to hate and demonize 'Murricans, Westerners, etc., ad nauseum. As Others. And they're told that their religion is the basis of their superiority. That they're just protecting the "rightful" culture, so extremism in defense of the rightful culture is no vice at all.
It's called Tribalism.
The shitbags create this problem (for the US/us/their people) for pennies on the dollar, and then turn around and collect billions in money, weapons, intelligence, and favor. And of course in return, elite power players and the shareholders who approve their actions here in the patron state, make all sorts of money manufacturing and selling weapons. Wall St. and the CIA (but I repeat myself) love having some shadows and basements to play around in and get muddy.
Classic patron-client relationship. Hallmark of all externally-directed Empires.
And it revolves around the ability to get people who you nominally identify with to hate outsiders. Without that, they'd be dealing with internal bullshit (which they do already, but more and more of it if not directed externally to neighboring countries ala Sunni v. Shiite, Muslim vs. Westerner, etc.). Instead, they're able to get involved in mideast politics while trying to increase their own sphere of influence.
Small investment with large financial and material rewards. Favored status with super powers. Directing internal enemies towards external targets.
Win-win-win. Sure, there's some blowback now and again, but still a pretty good investment for all the right people.
In terms of radical Islamic terrorism (I said it, do I win a prize?!?), one of the best things the US could do would be to stop supporting regimes that are suppressing their own people. But, Saudi Arabia is
our shithole and foothold in the Gulf. So, we'll continue to watch US leaders skipping and holding hands with Saudi Arabian scumbags.
To put it another way, it sure seems that no matter how many bombs or drones we use, we aren't making it any better in a lot of places, and maybe, we're making it worse and playing into the "Other" role like chumps. A paradigm shift is called for, whereby the US government stops supporting the leaders of regimes that should be our natural enemies. Making a public statement that the US government will no longer support Dictators and human rights violators. And let the shit hit where it may.
I have a feeling that most of that shit will hit our former allies who lack the economic and military might to hold them back without our tacit support. Sure as shit can't be any worse than what our government does now.
Or, we can continue supporting and supplying those shitbags, dropping bombs on civilians (accidentally though, so it doesn't count as terrorism!), and shit the bed in fear of "Others" every time some deranged lunatic goes homicidal to become a celebrity before committing suicide by pledging allegiance to the biggest Boogieman that week.