The Effects Of 9/11 On Terrorism

On September 11, 2001, Americans woke up literally and figuratively to the realities of terrorism. To many, a terrorist attack was something that they only saw on the evening news. Never did anyone think of the deep impact that it would cause. Since the 9/11 attacks, things have changed. Prior to 9/11 did you even know that a Homeland Security Advisory System existed and that they were color coded?! Would you ever believe that strip searches would be a possibility when you boarded a flight to anywhere because you fit a certain “profile”? We, as Americans, have been asked to become more vigilant and report any suspicious activity. We can certainly blame the man behind the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden, but I think we can also blame ourselves.
Almost a decade into the war in the Middle East, are we anywhere close to defeating the “war on terror”? Instead of a costly war, maybe the solution starts with us here at home and how we, as Americans, can defeat terrorism simply by taking our lives back.
So who is Osama bin Laden and where did he come from? Like most Americans, I was unaware of who bin Laden was until after 9/11. To the U.S. government, he was a well known figure who first emerged in1979 when he joined an Islamic resistance force to combat the Soviets during their invasion of Afghanistan. By 1990, Bin Laden returned to his native Saudi Arabia as a hero and was credited for the Soviets withdrawal out of Afghanistan. The war in Afghanistan had a profound impact on Bin Laden. "In this jihad, the biggest benefit was the myth of the superpower was destroyed, not only in my mind, but in the minds of all Muslims," Bin Laden said. Jihad, the word for struggle, is used by bin Laden to mean holy war.” As the war drew to a close, the increasingly radical bin Laden formed al Qaeda, or "the Base" in Arabic, an organization of ex-mujahedeen and other supporters channeling fighters and funds to the Afghan resistance. (CNN).
As fore mentioned, Bin Laden is the founder of the jihadist organization, Al Qaeda.
Al Qaeda is an international Sunni Islamic movement founded in 1988. Al Qaeda was formed during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Financed by Bin Laden, they have camps based in Afghanistan and Sudan. Their objective is to end foreign influence in Muslim countries and to create a new Islamic caliphate (wikipedia). Initially, Al Qaeda targeted the governments of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The United States became a target after the start of the Gulf War. In addition to directing its’ own attacks, it acts as an umbrella group financing and subcontracting operations to local networks like Algeria’s Armed Islamic Group, Iran’s Hezbollah, and jihad groups in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Somalia (Time). Al Qaeda is not only limited to the Middle East, their network has been identified in areas all over the world from Southeast Asia to Europe. Al Qaeda is labeled as a terrorist organization by many international groups such as NATO’s Security Genera, the U.S. Government, and the United Nations’ Security
Council.
Where is the animosity between Bin Laden/Al Qaeda and the U.S.? Shortly after Bin Laden’s return to Saudi Arabia, Iraq had invaded Kuwait. Bin Laden offered his jihad to Saudi Arabia from the Iraqi army. To his surprise, Saudi Arabia declined his offer and instead asked the United States and their allied forces to deploy on Saudi territory. This greatly angered Bin Laden as he believed the foreign occupation in the “land of two mosques” desecrated the sacred soil (wikipedia). In 1996, Bin Laden issued a “fatwah”, a religious ruling urging Muslims to kill U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia. Along with the issued fatwah, Bin Laden has also claimed responsibility for two embassy bombings in Africa, the attack on the U.S.S. Cole, and the infamous 9/11 attacks in New York. It is the goal of Bin Laden and Al Qaeda to expel the U.S. from Iraq, establish an Islamic emirate in Iraq and develop it into a caliphate, extend the jihad to Iraq’s secular neighbors, and inevitably go to war with Israel. With the completion of these goals, their ultimate vision is the manifestation of Islam (Time).
Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines the word “terror” as the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion (Merriam-Webster).
In other words, Al Qaeda uses the act of violence to instill fear into our society. Al Qaeda gets great satisfaction when every single U.S. media outlet features them and their latest act of destruction. In essence, isn’t Al Qaeda using the U.S. media in subjecting us to their propaganda and keeping that fear fresh in our minds? James Fallows suggests that instead of focusing on the damage, only identify the risks if it will lead us to a solution to make our selves safer. These attacks are designed to frighten us even more than to kill us. We do need to take the necessary precautions, but let’s no go overboard. Let’s step out of the shadow of fear and, as Americans, enjoy our
freedoms

http://www.CNN.com/CNN/Programs/people/shows/binladen/profile.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0.8599,182746,00.html
Fallows, James. Success without Victory. Annual Additions: Global Issues. 07/08. Dubuque: Jackson, 2008