Ten years ago, a catastrophic event occurred that changed the United States drastically. On September 11, 2001, four commercial aircrafts were hijacked and crashed into The World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. According to Peter L. Bergen, author of The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict Between America and Al-Qaeda, Holy war, Inc., and The Osama Bin Laden I Know, The 19 militants associated with the 9/11 attacks were members of the Islamic Extremist group Al-Qaeda.(http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/762320/September-11-attacks) These attacks were an extremely pivotal time in America. Today, we are still suffering economically, and some even emotionally due to this terrible act. With so many deaths, and such destruction, one can find it extremely hard to forget where they were on September 11th. However, since September 11th, the U.S. refuses to back down to those whom are held responsible for the tragedy that occurred on that day.
Al Qaeda, arabic for "The Base" is a terrorist group created by Osama Bin Laden in 1988. The group's goal was to take up the jihadist cause around the world, righting perceived wrongs under the accordance of pure, Islamic law. Under Osama's leadership, the group funded and began organizing global attacks worldwide. http://www.biography.com/people/osama-bin-laden-37172) According to Dinesh D'Souza, the Muslims who hate us (America) the most are the ones who have encountered Western decadence, either in the west or in their own countries. The revealing aspect of September 11th terrorists is not that so many came from Saudi Arabia, but that so many of them, like the ringleader, Muhammad Atta, and his Hamburg group, had lived in and been exposed to the West. His point is that their hatred was not a product of ignorance, but of familiarity; not of Wahhabi indoctrination but of first hand observation. (The Enemy At Home 15) Ever since the September 11 attacks, the trail back from al Qaeda to Saudi Arabia has been an intriguing path, but one that very few American investigators have been willing to follow.
