Who is Al Qaeda and what is their mission?
Al Qaeda is an organization created for the purpose of thwarting the anti-Islamic approach upon practicing nations. Mark O'Keefe writes in his article, Avoid 'war on Islam' image, experts advise, that Bin Laden has promoted a holy war, or jihad, against the United States. The term jihad refers an inner struggle of an Islamic person to fully submit to Allah in all aspects of life. This is sometimes described as "jihad of the heart." However, jihad can also come to mean the external struggle against injustice. This is sometimes referred to as "jihad of the sword," and is the interpretation that Al Qaeda adheres to.
O'Keefe goes on to say that Osama believes that the U.S military presence in Saudi Arabia and other countries threaten the the religion of Islam. This can be clearly seen in a quote made in 1998 where Bin Laden said, "The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies--civilians and military--is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it." According to Bin Laden, the advances made by U.S troops in various middle eastern countries qualifies as an threat against the Muslim peoples, and justifies the need for retaliation.
Furthermore, Kepel Milelli incorporates the following experts below from the "Deceleration of Jihad Against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries" to show that Americas occupation of Muslim Holy Lands has provoked action.
O'Keefe goes on to say that Osama believes that the U.S military presence in Saudi Arabia and other countries threaten the the religion of Islam. This can be clearly seen in a quote made in 1998 where Bin Laden said, "The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies--civilians and military--is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it." According to Bin Laden, the advances made by U.S troops in various middle eastern countries qualifies as an threat against the Muslim peoples, and justifies the need for retaliation.
Furthermore, Kepel Milelli incorporates the following experts below from the "Deceleration of Jihad Against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries" to show that Americas occupation of Muslim Holy Lands has provoked action.
Each of you knows the injustice, oppression, and aggression the Muslims are suffering from the Judeo-crusading alliance and its lackeys. The blood of Muslims no longer has a price; their goods and money are offered up for their enemies to pillage....These things took place in full view of the entire world--Not to say because of the conspiracy between the Americans and their allies, behind the smoke screen of the Unjust United Nations. But the Muslims realized that they were the main target of the Judeo-crusading alliance; all the false propaganda about human rights faded away behind the blows dealt to Muslims and the massacres perpetrated against them in every part of the world. The most recent calamity to have struck Muslims is the occupation of the land of the two sanctuaries, the hearth of the abode of Islam and the cradle of prophecy, since the death of the Prophet and the source of the divine message--the site of the holy Kaaba, to which all Muslims pray. and who is occupying it? The armies of the American Christian and their allies" (47-48).
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As one can see, Bin Laden believed that there was a U.S conspiracy to undercut the Muslim community and control the natural resources of Islamic countries. Furthermore, they believe that Americans are cowards, and the most effective way to eliminate the threat is to strike fear into the american people. This is accomplished through suicide bombings and other methods of terrorism due to the high level of shock each act brings. Moreover, because death in the of name of Allah is so highly valued, acts of suicide are the most effective method to carry out what they believe is God's will. Osama Bin Laden's World Islamic Front Statement urging Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders states that "Killing the Americans and their allies--civilians and military--is an individual duty for every Muslim who can carry it out in any country where it proves possible". This belief establishes the motive to wage war on America through the Destruction of the Twin Towers. Bin Laden says "I shall tell you why those events took place, and speak to you frankly about the moment that led me to make this decision, so that you can think about them. God knows we would never have thought of striking the towers, had we not seen such tyranny and oppression from the American-Israeli alliance against our people in Palestine and Lebanon" (Milelli 72).
Jihad Incorporated, written by Steven Emerson, shows that the Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers were nothing out of the groups character. Al-Qaeda bombed the World Trade Center once in 1993, and made no such statements that the attacks would end. As Emerson states, "It would have been naive to think that Al-Qaeda was not continuing to plan for further attacks within the United States." However, although it was expected, it does not mean that the U.S. Government knew the details to the 9/11 attacks. As can be seen from the quotes above, it is clear that Bin Laden truly hated America and it's Government. The Middle East and the U.S are not on the greatest speaking terms, and there is no reason to believe that Bush and Bin Laden worked together to launch the greatest terrorist plot the world has ever seen. Moreover, Emerson shows that only a few days after 9/11, american intelligence officers found detailed Al Qaeda plans in Hamburg, Germany , for a truck bombing of the US Federal Court House and Post Office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The attacks of 9/11 were not a one time attack organized by the U.S government to go to war, it was part of a larger more extensive plot to scare the Americans out of the Middle East.
Jihad Incorporated, written by Steven Emerson, shows that the Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers were nothing out of the groups character. Al-Qaeda bombed the World Trade Center once in 1993, and made no such statements that the attacks would end. As Emerson states, "It would have been naive to think that Al-Qaeda was not continuing to plan for further attacks within the United States." However, although it was expected, it does not mean that the U.S. Government knew the details to the 9/11 attacks. As can be seen from the quotes above, it is clear that Bin Laden truly hated America and it's Government. The Middle East and the U.S are not on the greatest speaking terms, and there is no reason to believe that Bush and Bin Laden worked together to launch the greatest terrorist plot the world has ever seen. Moreover, Emerson shows that only a few days after 9/11, american intelligence officers found detailed Al Qaeda plans in Hamburg, Germany , for a truck bombing of the US Federal Court House and Post Office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The attacks of 9/11 were not a one time attack organized by the U.S government to go to war, it was part of a larger more extensive plot to scare the Americans out of the Middle East.
Osama Bin Laden
Born in Saudi Arabia, March 10th, 1957, Osama Bin Laden was born into a wealthy family. Growing up he learned the value of hard work, perseverance and importance of religious faith. Bin Laden received his entire education within the Saudi Arabia without any western influence. This indicates that his mind was developed with only Islamic instruction. It was there that he developed his desire for studying the sacred teachings of the Koran, and developed his understanding of the term "Jihad". Instead of taking it as a word for civil improvement he came to understand it, like so many others, as a military act against all that oppose the religion of Islam (Schuerer 21).
As a child he began working for his father in construction of roads tunnels and buildings. He received training in explosives for blasting on mountain sides, and technical engineering which studied the structural weaknesses of buildings marked for destruction. Osama was also described as a workaholic who liked to solve problems and do things right. He understood the value of wholesome preparation and patience as an important aspect of success, and applied that to training members of Al Qaeda, which he formed sometime between 1988 and 1989. (Schuerer 35)
Osama's End Game, by Lisa Beyer, shows that after Osama's decree to kill the Americans, he developed a strategy of scare tactics to remove the United States from occupation in middle east. He believed that because the United States values each soldier's life so highly, it is easy to scare Americans into withdraw. Beyer writes that to accomplish these goals of removing U.S troops from the middle east, Bin Laden wished to "commit a large enough number of attacks to lead the U.S. to withdraw entirely from the Arab world and even fall apart as a nation."
Bin Laden leads Al Qaeda with the notion that it should every man's goal to be a Martyr for God. Bin Laden writes:
"Let me be a martyr,
dwelling in a high mountain pass
among a band of knights who,
united in devotion to God,
descend to face armies."
Bruce Lawrence analyzes the meaning of this poem to the United States, for it indicates that no matter our response to the 9/11 attacks, terrorist attacks will continue to occur as long as Al Qaeda holds power. There is no solution short of total withdrawal from the middle east because we are a threat to Islam, and terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda will stop at nothing to eliminate us in the name of their God.
As a child he began working for his father in construction of roads tunnels and buildings. He received training in explosives for blasting on mountain sides, and technical engineering which studied the structural weaknesses of buildings marked for destruction. Osama was also described as a workaholic who liked to solve problems and do things right. He understood the value of wholesome preparation and patience as an important aspect of success, and applied that to training members of Al Qaeda, which he formed sometime between 1988 and 1989. (Schuerer 35)
Osama's End Game, by Lisa Beyer, shows that after Osama's decree to kill the Americans, he developed a strategy of scare tactics to remove the United States from occupation in middle east. He believed that because the United States values each soldier's life so highly, it is easy to scare Americans into withdraw. Beyer writes that to accomplish these goals of removing U.S troops from the middle east, Bin Laden wished to "commit a large enough number of attacks to lead the U.S. to withdraw entirely from the Arab world and even fall apart as a nation."
Bin Laden leads Al Qaeda with the notion that it should every man's goal to be a Martyr for God. Bin Laden writes:
"Let me be a martyr,
dwelling in a high mountain pass
among a band of knights who,
united in devotion to God,
descend to face armies."
Bruce Lawrence analyzes the meaning of this poem to the United States, for it indicates that no matter our response to the 9/11 attacks, terrorist attacks will continue to occur as long as Al Qaeda holds power. There is no solution short of total withdrawal from the middle east because we are a threat to Islam, and terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda will stop at nothing to eliminate us in the name of their God.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
Osama Bin Laden did not actually devise the plan himself, he had help from a man by the name of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM). The 9/11 commission report indicates that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks under the supervision of Osama Bin Laden, leader of Al Queda. KSM attended college in the United states, and later returned to Afghanistan where he introduced his plot to crash planes into important buildings in the United States to Osama Bin Laden. He states that although Bin Laden did not accept his proposal right away (he was currently hearing out other proposals at the time), he did invite KSM to join Al Queda. At first KSM declined for he enjoyed his independence, but later accepted his request and began to supervise and plan the 9/11 attacks. All this information was obtained through interrogation of KSM, who could provide a first hand account of what occurred. Osama Bin Laden's role in these attacks was financing the development and training of people for the attack (The 9/11 Commission report).
Where is the financing coming from?
Major funding of terrorist groups in the Middle East comes from charity organizations and organized retail theft. Organized theft targets retail enterprises for everyday household items. In total, the retail industry loses 34 billion dollars from organized retail theft, and the profits are funneled into the hands of terrorist groups. What happens to goods once they are stolen? Once stolen, all anti-theft tags are removed, the object is repackaged and sold to customers in America. Through investigation, it has been detemined that this money is then wired to banks in the Middle East by means of stored-value cards. SVC's are essentially gift cards, and are not monitored by the Department of Treasury office of Foreign assets control, which has a list of nations not allowed to receive funds from the United States. (Emerson 353)
Who are they recruiting?
Jerrold M. Post, M.D. he compares the very different psychological mindsets of the terrorists who committed the acts on 9/11 to the attacks in other countries. Israeli suicide bombers mainly came from lower classes and tough economic circumstances. Due to their susceptibility they were targeted by the Al Queda and led to believe that by joining they would live a meaningful life and receive financial reward for their families. Above all, their honorable actions would earn them salvation. In comparison, the hijackers on 9/11 came from a much different situation. They were wealthy individuals who had lived in the United States and experienced the freedoms and opportunities. There motives were much different, which indicates that they were true believers in their cause and would stop at nothing to follow the direction of Osama Bin Laden. Although these two terrorist groups are different, they both served under the belief that what being done was in service of Allah, and perfectly just. One terrorist when interviewed was offended at the term suicide, and said: "this is not a suicide. Suicide is selfish, reflects mental weakness. This is 'istishad' or martyrdom or self sacrifice in the service of Allah." Furthermore, the intention behind these attacks is presented during an interview with terrorist leader who responded, when asked whether there were any moral red lines, that "the more an attack hurts the enemy, the more important it is. That is the measure. The mass killings, especially the suicide bombings, were the biggest threat to the Israeli public and so most effort was devoted to these. The extent of the damage and the number of casualties are of primary importance. In a jihad, there are no red lines."
What did the plan entail?
Al Qaeda began plotting attacks on the United States as early as 1992. This included the Al Qaeda attacks such as the world trade center bombing in 1993, The Landmarks Plot, The "Bojinka" plot, and so on. Although some of these plots were discovered before being fully carried out, Al Qaeda learned from their mistakes. The 9/11 attack was carried out in a manner so that Al Qaeda operatives would not be suspected or caught before the attack. Each of the nineteen Al Qaeda members entered the United States with their own passports and visas, and avoided all contact with law enforcement.
What would have had to happen if the U.S planned 9/11?
From the moment of President Bush's inauguration on January 20th in 2001 he begins to sketch out the plot for the 9/11 attacks, for he has less than 8 months to carry out his plan. Under the circumstance in which the 9/11 plot had already been planned, president Bush is briefed on the current situation and agrees that the plans should continue. Bush presents his budget proposal to congress including at least $500,000 dollars under the category "miscellaneous terrorist plots". Congress agrees. Unfortunately, this budget would have taken effect on October 1st of 2001, indicating that President Clinton would have needed to include the 9/11 cost into his budget report the year before. Regardless, Bush makes a few phone calls and finds a few individuals willing to be trained in the art of hijacking. Those who refused were killed to keep the plot clandestine. They are a little squirmish over the idea of suicide let alone killing thousands of innocent individuals, but Bush convinces their wallet otherwise (built upon the assumption that the planes were not flown robotically because it would result in 246 people unaccounted for). Over the next few months, the U.S government keeps quiet, and Bush plans a lovely visit to a grade school to help alleviate suspicion. Meanwhile, Osama Bin Laden agrees to take responsibility, and receive the onslaught of American Soldiers that eventually leads to his death.
....Seems legit....
....Seems legit....
Conclusion
The evidence that points to Osama Bin Laden as one responsible for the 9/11 attacks is overwhelming. His plan was to remove U.S troops from Saudi Arabia, and in order to accomplish this, his mission was to commit a large enough number of attacks to cause the U.S to withdrawal and fall apart as a nation. This information, taken from Bin Laden himself, displays the goals of his larger plan. It shows that the 9/11 attacks were a response to U.S. military occupation of Saudi Arabia, and that more attacks are yet to be planned. Through the apprehension and interrogation of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the U.S has found out that he was the true mastermind behind the attacks under the direction of Osama Bin Laden. Although Khalid did not originally belong any particular insurgent group, after the plans were presented to and accepted by Bin Laden, he officially joined Al Qaeda. The attacks were funded by and carried out by the terrorist group, and they thereby take full responsibility for them.
Al Qaeda has presented a threat far before the 9/11 attacks since their formation in the late 1980’s, and continues to be a threat as more terrorist plots have been discovered. The Jihad against America is nothing new, and 9/11 was only a portion of Al Qaeda’s plan to remove U.S. influence from the Middle Eastern world and thwart the “Judeo-crusading” alliance. Due to these intentions, if the actions that took place on 9/11 had even the slightest involvement of Islamic terrorists, there could be no involvement of Jews, or members of the U.S. government.
It is their belief that america has been working to eliminate the religion of Islam, that has provoked this "self-defense" retaliation. The result of this response can be directly traced to the terrorist attacks that have struck America on numerous occasions.
The poem presented earlier, written by Osama Bin Laden, shows the depth in which American presence in the Middle East offends them. No matter our response to the 9/11 attacks, terrorist attacks will continue to occur as long as Al Qaeda holds power. To them, we are a threat to Islam, and terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda will stop at nothing to eliminate us in the name of their God. To be a martyr is their sole mission, and it was part of their objective in the twin tower terrorist attacks.
A statement by Bin Laden in 1998 indicates that it is every Muslim’s duty to kill the Americans and their allies. This is based on his interpretation of the term "Jihad" in the Qur’an. He believes that the the acts of terrorism are in service of Allah, and that their honorable actions earn them salvation.
If one believes that the U.S government is capable to killing thousands of innocent Americans for whatever reason, what do they do to the people they don't like?
Al Qaeda has presented a threat far before the 9/11 attacks since their formation in the late 1980’s, and continues to be a threat as more terrorist plots have been discovered. The Jihad against America is nothing new, and 9/11 was only a portion of Al Qaeda’s plan to remove U.S. influence from the Middle Eastern world and thwart the “Judeo-crusading” alliance. Due to these intentions, if the actions that took place on 9/11 had even the slightest involvement of Islamic terrorists, there could be no involvement of Jews, or members of the U.S. government.
It is their belief that america has been working to eliminate the religion of Islam, that has provoked this "self-defense" retaliation. The result of this response can be directly traced to the terrorist attacks that have struck America on numerous occasions.
The poem presented earlier, written by Osama Bin Laden, shows the depth in which American presence in the Middle East offends them. No matter our response to the 9/11 attacks, terrorist attacks will continue to occur as long as Al Qaeda holds power. To them, we are a threat to Islam, and terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda will stop at nothing to eliminate us in the name of their God. To be a martyr is their sole mission, and it was part of their objective in the twin tower terrorist attacks.
A statement by Bin Laden in 1998 indicates that it is every Muslim’s duty to kill the Americans and their allies. This is based on his interpretation of the term "Jihad" in the Qur’an. He believes that the the acts of terrorism are in service of Allah, and that their honorable actions earn them salvation.
If one believes that the U.S government is capable to killing thousands of innocent Americans for whatever reason, what do they do to the people they don't like?