In the 860's the ByzantineEmpirebegan torecoverfromArabincursionssothat by 872 themilitarybalancewiththe AbbasidCaliphate had been permanently altered in the empire's favor.
The clearly stated goal of the Islamists is to establish a caliphate, or empire, within the Arab and Muslim world that would overthrow existing governments and impose upon the people a harsh and radical interpretation of Shari 'ah (Islamic religious law).
Earlier this month, MK Massoud Ghanem of the United Arab-Ta'al party gave an interview to the Nazareth newspaper Kul el-Arab in which he expressed his hope to one day see Israel destroyed and replaced with an Islamic caliphate.