| The Al Qaida Mystique |
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Al Qaida was not involved in the 1993 bombing
of the World Trade Center.
The mega-terrorism epidemic -- starting with the 1993 assault on the World
Trade Center and culminating in 9/11 -- began before al Qaida became
involved in major terrorist attacks.
Osama bin Ladin has not been indicted for that attack in a U.S. criminal
court. Nor is it among the military charges leveled against any Guantanamo
Bay detainees, which detail al Qaida’s crimes.
Al Qaida’s participation in such assaults occurred only after bin Ladin moved
to Afghanistan, where Mohammed joined up with him in 1997.
This timeline accords with the FBI and CIA briefing on the issue. "Bin Ladin
implied in US television interviews in 1997 and 1998 that his followers would
follow the example of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef and '"bring
the fighting to America.' " (Presidential Daily Briefing by intelligence services,
August 6, 2001.)
Islam is not the enemy
The red herring of al Qaeda is an important factor in the simplistic
generalization that points to Islam as "the enemy." A clearer picture of the
central role of state sponsorship in the ballooning terrorist crisis of the
1990s can provide a more sober understanding of the threat. The terrorists'
fanatic and fascistic brand of Islam is, if anything, more threatening to mainstream
Muslims than to non-Muslims.
Continued: Baghdad - Terrorist Haven
of the World Trade Center.
The mega-terrorism epidemic -- starting with the 1993 assault on the World
Trade Center and culminating in 9/11 -- began before al Qaida became
involved in major terrorist attacks.
Osama bin Ladin has not been indicted for that attack in a U.S. criminal
court. Nor is it among the military charges leveled against any Guantanamo
Bay detainees, which detail al Qaida’s crimes.
Al Qaida’s participation in such assaults occurred only after bin Ladin moved
to Afghanistan, where Mohammed joined up with him in 1997.
This timeline accords with the FBI and CIA briefing on the issue. "Bin Ladin
implied in US television interviews in 1997 and 1998 that his followers would
follow the example of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef and '"bring
the fighting to America.' " (Presidential Daily Briefing by intelligence services,
August 6, 2001.)
Islam is not the enemy
The red herring of al Qaeda is an important factor in the simplistic
generalization that points to Islam as "the enemy." A clearer picture of the
central role of state sponsorship in the ballooning terrorist crisis of the
1990s can provide a more sober understanding of the threat. The terrorists'
fanatic and fascistic brand of Islam is, if anything, more threatening to mainstream
Muslims than to non-Muslims.
Continued: Baghdad - Terrorist Haven
