Student Question

Why did Osama Bin Laden target the United States?

Quick answer:

Osama Bin Laden targeted the United States due to his opposition to American consumerism, secularism, and foreign policy, especially U.S. involvement in the Middle East and support for Israel. As a radical fundamentalist, he believed in governance by Sharia law. The 9/11 attacks on symbols of American capitalism and military power aimed to demonstrate vulnerabilities in Western strength. Bin Laden coordinated extremist activities from the Afghanistan-Pakistan border during the Global War on Terror.

Expert Answers

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Osama-bin Laden disagreed with the American way of life.  He did not like American consumerism or its immodest values.  He did not like its secular nature.  He also did not approve of its foreign policy of meddling in the Middle East to ensure its oil supply.  Finally, he disapproved of the formation of the Israeli state and therefore hated America as one of Israel's most vital allies.  Bin-Laden was part of a group of radical fundamentalists who believed that the best government was controlled via Sharia law.  His attacks against monuments to American capitalism and American military might on September 11 were meant to send a statement--that the Middle East could find vulnerabilities in Western might.  Bin-Laden, a Saudi by birth, hid on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan during the early stages of the Global War on Terror where he organized extremist groups via the internet to attack Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan and at various embassies throughout the Middle East and Africa.  

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