cj 435
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.