What we did to “deserve” the attack.

We have freedom of speech.

We have freedom of religion.

We support Israel.

We are a democracy.

america has had a long history of influencing middle east politics mostly due to our reliance on oil, and the fact that the bulk of the worlds oil resides under those countries.

many muslims consider our religion a problem yes, and i think you could make a strong case that the two would have ultimately resulted in a conflict (similar to the west and the ussr); but the long involvement of the us gov changing middle east policy, and the fact that bin laden has directly said the west is conspiring to steal the wealth of arab countries i think pushes things to indictate that is the real issue. Bill Marr was kicked off NBC for saying just this after 9/11.

someone else also made a point that US supports isreal, this also does complicate things but not really. in 1967 isreal handled its own war against 3 other countries in less than 10 days without direct american help. its also worth noting that the US buys off most countries that are in conflict with isreal. Egypt for example has been the number 1 recipient of US foreign aid since 1970 so they dont attack isreal.

The people in your country didn’t do anything wrong, it’s your imperialist system that caused the twin towers to fall down. What did I mean by these?

First, your greed for oil led your system to go looking for some in the Middle East. Ever heard of your president alleging Iraq about “Weapons of Mass Destruction” that were never there at all?

Second, your country’s view of “helping the third world countries” is questionable.

The coined word: “terrorists,” by your president did something to send ripples on your part. They hate your system of oppressing poorer countries.

But still, there are allegations saying that the 9/11 incident is a just a show.

P.S.

I didn’t mean to offend you.

P.P.S.

I’m from a third-world asian country in the SEA.

This may help with your homework

The September 11 attacks were consistent with the overall mission statement of al-Qaeda, as set out in a 1998 fatwa issued by Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Abu-Yasir Rifa’i Ahmad Taha, Shaykh Mir Hamzah, and Fazlur Rahman.[99] In the fatwa, Bin Laden directed his followers “to kill Americans anywhere”.[100] He also outlined his objections to American foreign policy towards Israel, as well as U.S. aggression against the Iraqi people, the ensuing sanctions against Iraq, as well as the continued presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia after the Persian Gulf War. The fatwa also specifically condemns the U.S. for “plundering” the resources of the region, oppressing the people by supporting abusive regimes in the region, and dictating policy to legitimate leaders. It also opposes the presence of U.S. military bases and installations in the region, especially on Muslim holy land, which are used to “threaten” Muslim countries, while fomenting disunity and strife. By a similar token, it decries the continued refusal to address the “occupation of Palestine”.[101] The fatwa uses Islamic texts to exhort violent action against American military and citizenry until the alleged grievances are reversed, stating “ulema have throughout Islamic history unanimously agreed that the jihad is an individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries.”

well, the fact you know so little about the controversy behind this, astonishes me. Do some internet research. Terrorists hijacked planes, on was sent towards one tower, and another towards the other tower. They were taken down, killing many. one more plane was headed towards the white house, but hit the newly renovated part of the pentagon, very few lives were lost. The engine disappeared, people believed it was the government. The last plane was taken down while heading over pennsylvania, by the people on the hijacked plane. (or so they made us think.) The last minute of the black box recording was hidden and never shown Some believe it was shot down.

I dont buy that, but its the controversy. There was always problems, but was never as big as this.

The radical Muslims are afraid western influence would ruin their religious way of life…just as the Japanese thought western influence was going to ruin there way of life before they bombed Pearl Harbor.

Their fear of the unknown future.

Everything else involved is a given.

I actually wrote an essay on this the other day for geography. You may use it as a reference, but do not copy it, as it is submitted to turnitin.com.

It is my reflection on William Moseley’s article on Geography and september 11th. You should see if you can find the source, but if not my essay gives a pretty good place to start.

When one says the words “nine-eleven” a lot of things come to mind. Our first impressions of fear, anger, hate, disdain, tragedy, shock, and weariness are the ones that typically tend to fill our heads. For the average American, a term like geographic literacy is probably the last thing on their mind. However, if our society can embrace such a thing as geographic literacy and apply it in everyday life, we may be able to mute negative reactions and better understand the causes and effects of such events.

Geography, although commonly taken as a straightforward study of the location of places, can actually be a very difficult discipline to fully comprehend. Not only is does it cover the physical boundaries of specific places and landforms, but it also aids in the understanding the people and cultures of these areas. With an event like nine-eleven, someone who is geographically enlightened may be able to consider the issue from a different point a view. They may realize that acts of terrorism and violence are not ordinarily promoted within the Islamic culture. Rather, the acts that occurred on that fateful day were due to a small group of radicals within the Islamic faith; the acts of these extremists in no way represent the beliefs and ways of the majority of the Muslim people. If more people could view the happenings of our world with such a well-rounded understanding, we could easily become more informed in matters of culture, politics, and foreign and domestic relations. Geographic literacy could noticeably improve our national reputation and create a discernible improvement in the American understanding of foreign and domestic affairs.

William Moseley, author of “Reflections of an American Geographer on the Anniversary of September 11th”, makes two incredible points when it comes to geographic literacy and that tragic event. In taking a second look at September 11th through the eyes of a geographer, Moseley introduces the idea that our addiction to consumption as Americans may have been what fueled this assailment on America. In other words, our need for material products drives our foreign policy, which in return causes negative reactions in countries that seem to be taken advantage of. This is an exceptional point because the fact of the matter is that America, within itself, does not have the material and human resources necessary to feed our addiction. Our actions in other countries are in the best interest of ourselves, and we then jeopardize any positive relationship that could have come as a result of a transaction. The second point that Moseley discusses in his article is that the advancement of a conservative branch of Islam throughout many parts of the world is an idea that many find troubling. Islam, in itself, is a sacred religion. The fundamentals of the religion have spiritual merit and, in the words of Moseley, serve to “make a disorderly world neat”. However, when the spiritual components of Islam start to meet with the political beliefs of the people, it creates uneasiness towards the system. To make matters worse, when you combine the politico-spiritual components with the westernization of their world, it creates an intense sense of disdain in many of its opponents. When you have two groups who disagree not only on fundamental spiritual values, but also now share the same sense of consumerism, you get a competitive relationship that can easily turn violent.

In the article, Moseley makes it a point to say that “the edges of the developing world are unruly in a way unknown to Westerners”. This is the only claim of Moseley’s that I disagree with. I find that by saying that we, as Westerners, are contributing to the unruliness of the developing world, he is saying that we, as Americans, are preventing those countries from becoming key players in the modern world. Furthermore, the way that Moseley states his claim makes it seem as though we are intentionally doing this, which I firmly disagree with. Although, I do think that we ultimately have our best interest as the primary reason for interacting with any other country, by no means do we intentionally disable the progress of any developing nation. In saying that we play the role of the oppressor, it is assumed that we are doing it purposefully. As a nation, I do not think that we are trying to cripple the advancement of other countries. In fact, I think that if anything, we try our best to assist those countries into moving into a solid era of democracy.

In short, geographic literacy is an essential discipline that should be thoroughly embraced in this day and age. When a person understands they key concepts of geography, they also command extensive knowledge of the people and customs of those places. All in all, it is a skill that is necessary and should be very highly valued. William Moseley does a terrific job in exemplifying the importance of this discipline. The majority of the reasoning he gives really puts our nations affect on others into perspective. His thorough analysis of September 11th goes hand in hand with the importance of geographic literacy and displays the remarkable good that can come from such a simple tool.