[MosesKnows]

I would appreciate comments. However, for me the evidence is just not there to support assertions that America was attacked because Muslim extremist are envious of American's freedom or that America was attacked by a religion.

Something I had found interesting was an American soldier's question to the first Iraqi he encountered. The soldier asked what America's arrival in Iraq meant to him. His three word attempt at an english word answer was "Freedom, Whiskey, Sexy"

[go star go]

We were attached because there are evil people in the world who use religion to get others to do their murdering for them. It's no different than Charles Manson.

[Burkeman1]

We weren't attacked for our "freedom". Were were attacked because we are deeply involved in a region of the world that is still tribal and barbaric. More involvement will lead to more "blowback"- not less. Isoloate and quarintine- don't "nation build" or take on a new "white man's burden".

[ErnBatavia]

I still prefer using the term Mohammedan, versus Muslim. I think it pisses 'em off more...

[Always Right]

Was America really provoked in Vietnam, Korea, and Kosovo?

[pax_et_bonum]

They hate us because we are successful and wealthy and not Muslim.

They want to destroy us because it's easier to try to tear down the target of your jealousy than it is to raise yourself to his level of success.

[nwrep]

I have done some research on this.

To get an answer to the excellent question you raise, one has to go back approx. 250 years to a remote desert corner of a territory of the Ottoman Empire called Arabia. There, around the middle of the 18th century, an influential tribal leader named Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdul Wahhab formulated a unique view on contemporary Islam, which saw the Ottoman sultans as corrupt, Westernized backsliders who were moving away from the purity of Mohammed's teachings.

Initially, his teachings were seen as heresy, rejected and even banned by the Ottomans, but his influence grew over time. The sect he founded came to be known after him as Wahhabism. Its early manifestation was of a terrorist nature, attacking innocent Muslim pilgrims and other travellers to Arabia. Fortunately, the Ottoman Empire, even in its decrepitude, was able to stop this menace from spreading outside Arabia.

But his teachings attracted numerous followers inside Arabia, and with the eventual ascension of the al-Saud dynasty in post WWI Arabia, and the subsequent discovery of oil, Wahhabism had large resources at its disposal.

OBL is simply following the philosophy of Abdul Wahhab, which abhors modernity and Western influence, which it regards as corrupting, and pines for a return to the early days of Islam, when brutal conquest helped spread the word of Mohammed.

[The Great RJ]

Why were we attacked on 9-11? Because the Muslim extremists have as their goal the end of Western Civilization and replacing it with an Islamic theocracy. The US represents the zenith of Western Civilization and the only world superpower with the will to stop this goal. However, the US is soft and decadent and does not have the will to resist the moral superiority of Islam and with the help of Allah and his many martyrs the US can be brought down.

Why not attack the countries of Western Europe? Because other than Great Britain, countries like France and Germany will easily fall and are already dominated by Muslims. Only the US stands in our way.

[kcar]

Fact! America was attacked. The only questions that seem relevant are: Who did it? Where are they hiding? How fast can we kill them?

We didn't become weaker after the war in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda did. Then they sais they wanted to attack us again with WMD. Now, who in their backyard who also hates America might have them? Iraqi war was hardly unprovoked. Any reasonable person could see their intent to develop WMD if they didn't already have them, and Saddam's hatred for America.

We didn't become weaker after Iraq War. The enemy lost a potential ally and millions of people were freed. Also the world saw they could never stay in a conventional war with the US. Libya backed away from their WMD program in fear.

Individual freedom is provocative to those who want to control people, either for religious or non-relegious reasons. Provoking the world in this fashion is just part of who we are. Killing those who attack us is to.

Why ask why?

[Lucky Dog]

Let’s see… Where to begin… Simply put, America was attacked because there is an enemy implacable enough and unconcerned enough with the value of human life who thinks he (they) can gain by the attack.

What can he (they) gain through a terrorist attack that they cannot gain at an otherwise cheaper price? Again, simply put, the power to rule Saudi Arabia. Direct revolution would never work without significant preparation. However, weakening the Royal family’s support by using religion to splinter the population’s support offers a possibility.

The Royal family has been tied to America. By accusing America of “undue” and “impure” influence on Islam, the Royal family is “tarred” by implication. Attack America and force the Royal family to cooperate with the “Great Satan” in a “War on Terror” and schisms are set to begin.

[Dog Anchor]

This is all very nice and tidy in explaining Radical Islam attacking the United States but fails to explain why:

Radical Islam is attacking Eastern Orthodox Christians in Russia.

Radical Islam is attacking Sino Buddism in China and Southeast Asia.

Radical Islam is attacking Hindu Buddism in India and Pakistan.

Radical Islam is attacking Western Christianity in Africa.

WHY?

Islam has no core state to provide leadership and protection, eg. Hindu has India, Sino has China,
the West has the United States, Eastern Orthodox has Russia.

Islam has no coherrent economic structure.

Islamic demographics are increasing exponentially.

[bjcintennessee]

the attack led to the first unprovoked invasion of another nation by America.

Wrong premise. The attack on Iraq was not unprovoked. 9-11 was carried out by terrorists, therefore any country that supports terrorists is our enemy.

Iraq also "provoked" our invasion by violating the terms of the cease-fire as well as all those nasty little UN resolutions.

The main reason we needed to invade Iraq, however, was the lesson we learned from 9-11 -- that we are most vulnerable to state supported terrorism. Saddam's neck was already in the noose and there is no doubt that he harbored and supported terrorists, so he was a logical next step.

Other countries currently harboring terrorists are now more likely to sit down at the bargaining table -- so maybe we won't have to invade them as well.

[another_observer]

It is a war between extremists.

The USA is an extremist country that says that men and women are identical. The USA pushes Birth-control and Abortion on the world through various NGOs (and sometimes actual government agencies) as a way of helping women free themselves of the “sickness” of pregnancy that prevents women from being men. The USA NGOs are among the strongest proponents attempting to get Abortion On Demand to be declared to be a fundamental human right by the UN.

The Muslims are extremists that not only claim that men and women are not identical (which is true) but also claims that men and women are not of equal value.

The Muslims hate us, not because we are good, but because we are as much extremist in nature as they are. Further they hate us because we want to practice genocide on their population by forcing Birth-control and Abortion on Demand on their culture.

[westerfield]

My conclusion why America was attacked was the Muslim extremist’s desire to remove America’s influence from the Islamic nations.

That's basically it in a nutshell - after all, you don't see them attacking Canada or Sweden for their freedoms. Certainly we have interests in the region which can't be ignored, but our heavy-handed intervention into their politics no doubt is a major reason for their resentment.

[SkyPilot]

Because we support Israel.

[Maigrey]

We were attacked because

A. Islam dictates that anyone who is not Islam and doesn't submit to islam is an infidel, and deserving of death

B. Islam dictates that the followers submit, and in this case, to the will of the priest caste, and not think for themselves

C. Someone with more money than brains thought that p***ing off the Satanic West was smart!

[Arpege92]

I think the attacks on us by the Muslim extremists started to actually gain ground when we pulled out of Somalia. They were at that time afraid of us, and after the Somalia incident, they thought that we would tuck our tail between our legs and run from them. We did for awhile during Clinton's eight years. He never did a damn thing about the attacks we were enduring and they probably thought that they could attack us even more and we would do nothing about it. After 9/11, that theory proved to be wrong.

They probably never expected that we would hunt them down like the dogs they are and although we are still a target for terrorist attacks, they know that we will come after them with all we have and we won't stop until they are either caught or killed.

I don't think they hate us out of jealousy....I think they fear that their own people will want a democratic society of their own and we are just one big shining example of that. Erase the example, that erases the desire for a democratic society.

[PISANO]

first unprovoked invasion of another nation by America

Simply put.......this statement is NOT TRUE!! We have attacked other countries UNPROVOKED (what did Milosivich do to us?)

and if the attack of Afghanistan (the country, ruled by the TALIBAN who gave UBL sanctuary) was NOT PROVOKED BY 911 then we are truly on different planes of existence.

As to the IRAQ invasion, that was nothing more than a RESUMPTION of HOSTILITIES brought upon by Saddam's repeated violation of the articles of surrender that ended the first Gulf War.

[gore_sux_2000]

Why were we attacked? Because Clintoon didn't do jack sh!t the first time the towers were attacked, Mogadishu, the USS Cole bombings, etc. etc. America was percieved as being weak by the terrorists. He was more concerned with getting his rocks off with any intern in a skirt than with protecting this country.

[claptrap]

Please read the Koran or whatever their holy book is called.
Your assumptions are based on second hand accounts their holy book has been translated into english I have read it and it specifically exhorts Muzzies to kill christians and jews and infidels. There are no moderate muzzies they are all exhorted to lie ,cheat and subvert any agreement made with an infidel. The crusades werent for nothing the kings of europe even back then were more enlightened than any of our leaders are now they recognizes that their Imam Mahadi was a threat to all who would not bow to Islam, go back and read some history your thought process on this is seriously flawed!

[Grut]

What makes the answer to the question important is that the attack led to the first unprovoked invasion of another nation by America. Surely, that event is worthy of an official government investigation.

It's scheduled for right after the Congressional hearings about what went wrong in Vietnam.