How Does That Explain France?

One explanation of events in the Middle East is that the toppling of Saddam was a terrible mistake, and we're reaping the fruits of that ill-advised policy. But that doesn't explain why France is in as bad shape as Iraq. There's a guerilla war against the police (civil war, anyone?) and lgf reports amusingly (black humor being our talisman against despair):

There are 751 areas in France that are not controlled by the French: The 751 No-GoZones of France. Is that bad?

While I'm at his place, he has another amusing comment in reponse to a piece on two American Taliban caught in Houston:

"According to the indictment, the two decided last year to travel to the Middle East to engage in “battlefield jihad.”
As opposed to the much more common “striving for self-improvement” jihad, or the “trying to quit smoking without gaining weight” jihad.

What strikes me, however, is this description of one of the men:

The pair facing federal charges are Kobie Diallo Williams, 33, a U.S. citizen and Houstonian also known as Abdul Kabeer and Abdul Kabir.

Why do terrorists, so committed in other ways, always waffle on how to spell their Muslim names? I picture this guy writing out the variations in flourishes with a gel pen, deciding which version looks most distinguished.