Does poverty lead to terrorism?

Here is a Frontpage magazine article covering a recent panel discussion on this question. I think the liberals who purport this theory have it exactly backwards. Terrorism leads to poverty. Those who constantly spend their time and resources making bombs and killing themselves will never achieve scientific or technological advances. They will never invent a new device or prove a new mathematical theory. They will never develop beyong the squalor in which they toil. Yasser Arafat is one of the richest men in the world. Yet, his struggle against the "infidels" in Israel continues unabated. No matter the problem, liberals in America find a way to blame all problems on economic inequality. When was the last time some thug from an American ghetto conducted a suicide bombing? Did I miss the stories about exploding busses in south central LA? No, of course not.

UPDATE: This new article from Frontpage illustrates how young islamists turn to terrorism as an escape from the failings of their own culture. The article explains how young islamists are caught in a perpetual catch-22. Since their culture breeds despair and squalor, yet they are not allowed to "westernize" according to islamic law, the only choice left is to murder non-fundamentalists. Sadly, it is the non-conformists who would be able to provide opportunities for economic, technological, and societal improvements in arab culture.