The Motivation Of Osama Bin Laden In 9/11 Attack
201,443. The number of death sentences signed for people in Iraq as the Twin Tower crumbled. These people were as innocent as any of the people who perished that day. September 11th did not harm America the most, but sadly and ironically the land the perpetrator was trying to protect. Without a doubt the attack was evil, but the objective wasn't simply to “kill people”. Instead, the underlying motivation for Osama Bin Laden: was to remove Western values and beliefs from Southwest Asia. His decision opened the gates of terror committed both by internationally recognized terrorist organizations, as well as the United States Military. But the U.S Military not only diffused further friction into the region but simultaneously American and European culture. By attempting to achieve his goal of a peaceful Southwest Asia free of Western imperialism through violence, Osama Bin Laden instead helped reinforce the presence of both conflict and Western culture.
Osama Bin Laden was influenced to strike the United States during September 11th,2001, due to actions the U.S Military took during the First Gulf War. History will always remember Osama Bin Laden as one of the most catastrophic terrorists to walk the planet. He planned and executed an attack that resulted in nearly 3,000 civilian deaths on American soil. Yet history will always overlook the man he was before a man of wealth and respect in Southwest Asia. This was a result of him inheriting from an extremely successful construction company (founded by his father), which had ties to the Saudi monarchy of Saudi Arabia. The inheritance also allowed Osama Bin Laden to help the United States achieve its long-held objective of destroying communism. Bin Laden, using his wealth to fund military activities, was partly responsible for toppling the Tajik communist government in Afghanistan. However, Bin Laden’s attitude toward America shifted dramatically as a result of the Gulf War. The cause of the Gulf War was Iraq’s invasion and annexation of the sovereign state of Kuwait. The Saudi government allowed the United States to march the U.S army through Saudi Arabia in order to remove Iraq from Kuwait. This caused Bin Laden to declare, “In a 1998 fatwa (religious degree). . . that Muslims have a duty to wage a holy war against U.S citizens because the United States was responsible for maintaining the Saud family as rulers of Saudi Arabia and the State of Israel. He claimed the destruction of the Saudi monarchy and Jewish State would liberate them from their control Islam’s three holiest sites of Makkah, Madinah, and Jerusalem”.
Osama Bin Laden feared that the United States was spreading their culture to the holy sites of Islam and therefore would taint and alter the religion. His reasoning was justified as one not look further than the continental United States to see what could happen when foreign values spread to new land… it wipes the diverse indigenous culture. People often resist when they feel their way of life is threatened, and Osama Bin Laden believed the unique culture of Southwest Asia was under attack. However, it was not the action of U.S Military entering Southwest Asia that caused bin Laden to react in such a violent manner, but what happened after their arrival in Iraq. Alfie Kohn, a distinguished advocate for school reform, was released from a major speaking contract by attempting to reveal the ugly truth, “In 1991, we killed more than 100,000 men, women, and children in Iraq, deliberately wiping out electricity and water supplies with the result that tens of thousands of civilians died from malnutrition and disease” . In Osama’s perspective, it seemed that the first act of terror was committed by the United States.
Its vast military intelligence department was certainly aware those actions would result in plenty of civilian casualties, yet they proceeded anyways. Therefore when bin Laden perceived the United States’s culture was leaving too much of a mark, he did not hold back. In his eyes, attacking civilians on September 11th was the best way to achieve two objectives at once. Extract revenge for the civilians in Iraq, while simultaneously sending a warning to the U.S to reduce involvement in Southwest Asia and therefore remove their cultural imprint. Perhaps if the United States never invaded Iraq in such a violent manner, then Osama Bin Laden would have attempted to resolve his concerns through a diplomatic route. The United States decisions during the Gulf War was the catalyst for Osama Bin Laden’s devastating attack on September 11th.As a result of using violence, Osama Bin Laden’s actions not only failed to accomplish his goal but instead accomplished the exact opposite. Within a month of September 11th, the United States lead an invasion into Afghanistan, with the objective of bringing those responsible for 9/11(al-Qaeda leaders) to justice. However, since 1995, Afghanistan was controlled by the Taliban (Pashtun for “religious student’s”). The Taliban ensured their twisted version of “Islamic” culture would remain dominant, through imposing a distorted interpretation of Shari’a (Islamic law). Despite that, the United States had left them to their own devices, up until the point the Taliban made the mistake of providing sanctuary for al-Qaeda leaders, including Bin Laden. That made it necessary to remove the Taliban from power before it was possible to hunt the perpetrators of 9/11. After toppling the Taliban, the United States spent time: “organizing elections for an Afghan president and an Afghan parliament”. The United States replaced the theocracy with one that was based on what the people desired a democracy.
The strict religious government implemented by the Taliban not only allowed the “traditional” values and culture of Islam to be preserved, but it also prevented the diffusion of Western culture altogether. Not only were leisure aspects of that culture banned, such as movies and non-Islamic literature but basic human values such as gender equality. Even the concept of a democratic government was a principal of Western culture. The use of violence, guaranteed that its diffusion would destroy any cultural barriers that came into its path. Without the constraints from the Taliban, the citizens of Afghanistan were finally able to return to the long-suppressed Western culture. In fact, the new freedom was visible even in, “Afghan elites, grown wealthy on American military contracts, calmly losing thousands of dollars in Texas hold ’em poker games.” (As even the most flexible interpretation of Sharia finds gambling impressible, it is evident that American culture not only became prevalent but in some cases dominant. The people in Afghanistan started to alter what was perceived to be morally acceptable. Bin Laden’s goal not only encompassed the removal of the American/European cultural imprint from Southwest Asia but also prevent further United States Military action, since it tended to result in widespread violence and civilian deaths. The U.S-led invasion of Afghanistan was far from precise, and as the result of cross-fire and drone strikes, “About 104,000 people have been killed in the Afghanistan war since 2001. More than 31,000 of those killed have been civilians. An additional 41,000 civilians have been injured since 2001”.
In the retaliation of 9/11, the U.S military both directly and indirectly recreated its death toll, 10 times over, except in this case, in Afghanistan. Although 9/11 redefined normal in the United States, it also redefined normal in Afghanistan, however, over there, it included daily violence and death. The 9/11 attack was the only reason why the United States re-involved themselves in Afghanistan. September 11th was a response to violence, and by responding with even more violence, the United States guaranteed further terrorist attacks. The primary objective of the terrorists in Southwest Asia is to remove American influences, and the invasions only strength those influences. When people are so steadfast in a belief, they will not rest until their objective is completed. The violence expressed by Osama Bin Laden during 9/11, guaranteed his worst fears would become a reality.
The consequences of Osama Bin Laden’s actions make it abundantly clear that the worst response to violence is violence itself. Arguably the United States started the vicious cycle of endless terrorist attacks. In order to protect the sovereignty of Kuwait, the United States ironically, “violated” the sovereignty of Saudi Arabia. However, what really started the infinite loop of violence in Southwest Asia was the ruthless treatment of hundreds of thousands of civilians in Iraq during the 1991 invasion (also part of the Gulf War). If the United States simply pursued a less violent route, it is a possibility Bin Laden would never have desired such cruelty towards the West. However what is guaranteed is the number of potential terrorists would be substantially lower. The primary incentive to recruit individuals into the so-called Islamic terrorist organizations is the fact the United States is supposedly committing a genocide against the Muslims.
Therefore, if the United States never involved themselves in a military aspect in Southwest Asia, it’s quite probable the world wouldn’t be experiencing an increasing peak of terrorism. The United States cannot the past, but this should serve as an important reminder of further actions. With the rise or change of more powerful terrorist organizations, such as ISIL and Boko Haram, perhaps the answer does not lie in violence, but a road to internationally-recognized state-hood. However, a condition to achieve sovereignty is following all human rights, limiting military equipment, and adhering to any policies established by the U.N. History has proven that brutality only leads to further assaults from all sides involved perhaps it is time to lie down the weapons. As proven through 9/11/, responding to atrocity with atrocity, only aggravates conflict.
By attempting to violently achieve his objective, of a Middle East without conflict and Western culture, Osama Bin Laden enhanced the presence of them both. Osama’s actions were to some degree a justified response to the United States activity during the Gulf War. Not only did they supposedly taint the holy land by entering Saudi Arabia, military action in Iraq directly emanated from the murder of nearly a quarter of million civilians. However, fighting fire with fire only intensifies the heat. One of the last statewide strongholds of traditional culture fell with the replacement of Afghanistan's theocracy with a democracy. This alongside the general presence of Americans resulted in the rapid implementation of Western culture. However, the United States Military presence simultaneously caused the death of tens of thousands of civilians. A violent response to violence is often only the instigator of further conflict, it can even lead to the death of 201,443 innocents.
