Politics

THE LOOMING TOWER AL- QAEDA AND THE ROAD TO 9/11 CHAPTER 2 Ayman al- Zawahiri Goal in life: to put Qutb?s vision into action At age 15, he formed an underground cell devoted to overthrowing the government and establishing an Islamist state. 1967 war with Israel Israel captured all of the Sinai, Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Golan Heights It crushed the forces of the frontline Arab states This was a psychological turning point in the history of the modern Middle East War continued? Muslims not only lost their armies and their territories, but also their faith in their leaders, their countries, and in themselves. They began to say that God had turned against the Muslims The only way back to Him was to return to the pure religion: Islam is the solution Zawahiri?s goals

THE LOOMING TOWERAL-QAEDA AND THE ROAD TO 9/11 CH. 10 PARADISE LOST Training for terrorism Young men from all over came to Khartoum to train for al-Qaeda. Their motivations varied, but they had in common a belief that Islam (pure and primitive, unmitigated by modernity and uncompromised by politics) would cure the wounds that socialism or Arab nationalism had failed to heal. bin Laden?s main task was to direct them toward a common enemy. ?America the weak? bin Laden told the al-Qaeda recruits that though America appeared so mighty, it was actually weak and cowardly. For all its wealth and resources, America lacks conviction. Tall tales Al-Qaeda was not actually responsible for many of the feats that bin Laden gave them credit for.