Lovely Rose De Guzman

 REACTION PAPER ON THE 9/11 ATTACKS Introduction The whole world had witnessed the most terrifying incident on Tuesday morning of September 11, 2001. The Twin Towers and the surrounding vicinity of the World Trade Center collapsed and crumbled to the ground. The west side of the Pentagon military headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense was struck down almost instantaneously. An airline that crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania caused alarm and fear among the people. These series of coordinated attacks took place on a single day, taking the lives of 2, 996 people, injuring 6,000 others ,and causing over $10 billion worth infrastructure and property damage.1 All these happened when 19 members of the notorious Al-Qaeda Islamic extremist group hijacked 4 US passenger airlines to commit suicide attacks and wreaked havoc on the northeast part of the country.2 This makes the 9/11 incident one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the world history and the most tragic event to ever happen in the history of the United States. Underlying Reasons for the Attacks There are more of these attacks than to simply terrorize the Americans. The United States has long been the major advocate of international peace and order, but this advocacy does not sit well with most Arab nations. Osama bin Laden, the Afghan Al-Qaeda leader who orchestrated the attacks, had been vocal about his ill feeling towards the Bush administration for its unsolicited involvement in the Muslim region. In fact, in his “Letter to America” written in November 2002, he enumerated the “iniquities” committed by the US against the Muslims, namely: Its support of Israel; Support for the "attacks against Muslims" in Somalia; Support of Philippines against Muslims in the Moro conflict; Support for Israeli "aggression" against Muslims in Lebanon; Support of Russian "atrocities against Muslims" in Chechnya; pro-American governments in the Middle East (who "act as your agents") being against Muslim interests; Support of Indian "oppression against Muslims" in Kashmir; The presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia; and The sanctions against Iraq, among others.3 These are the motives behind the attacks as seen by some investigators.4 The tyrant Al-Qaeda leader initially denied the attacks, but later claimed responsibility for the same. He acknowledged in his 2004 videotaped speech that he had long contemplated such attacks after witnessing Israel's bombardment of high-rise apartment buildings during the 1982 Lebanon War.5 It is common knowledge that Israel has a longstanding dispute with the Arab nations, tracing its roots from the intercommunal conflict in Mandatory Palestine between Israelis and Arabs in 1920.6 But with the U.S. taking the spotlight, intervening in the foreign affairs of allied countries, occupying Muslim territories in the guise of eradicating a tyrant leadership, and enacting foreign policies that are otherwise unasked for, could very well be the motivations of the terrorists to initiate the attacks. Justification for Killings As compared to other acts of terrorism, the 9/11 attacks were just as horrifying in terms of the magnitude of damage and the number of casualties as any other terrorist attacks that were committed in other corners of the world. For instance, when the hijacked airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the terrorists probably had in their minds to paralyze the economy as well as the military defense of the U.S. by targeting these landmarks. Another, the killing of innocent lives would be the extreme form of retaliation by a hostile country against another country, as it serves to call the latter’s attention to back-off from the former’s internal affairs, as in the case of the US sanctions against Iraq. But the justification for all this is rather unimaginable. The Al-Qaeda terrorists believed it to be their “individual duty to kill in the name of Allah”. This statement is exemplified in the 1998 fatwā, of which the pertinent part states: “On that basis, and in compliance with Allah's order, we issue the following fatwa to all Muslims: The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies -- civilians and military -- is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy mosque [Mecca] from their grip, and in order for their armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim. This is in accordance with the words of Almighty Allah, "and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together," and "fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah."7 Such statements are also present in the letter written by bin Laden to America, to wit: “(f) Allah, the Almighty, legislated the permission and the option to take revenge. Thus, if we are attacked, then we have the right to attack back. Whoever has destroyed our villages and towns, then we have the right to destroy their villages and towns. Whoever has stolen our wealth, then we have the right to destroy their economy. And whoever has killed our civilians, then we have the right to kill theirs.”8 To say that the Islamic extremists fight for their honor and in the name of God is an outrageous statement that is far from the real vision of long lasting peace and unity. Given the long history of cultural and political oppression experienced by their forefathers9, that is their way to redeem themselves: to fight back employing all the necessary means, even the most extreme measures. No matter how the terrorists justify their means of achieving political ends (like staging a jihad or holy war against the so-called infidels), their continued acts of terrorism are evil in all aspects. They are contemptible. They are inimical to the best interests of all nations. Attacking innocent children and defenseless citizens was a barbaric way to communicate their political ideologies. The World after the 9/11 attacks The 9/11 attacks marked the turning point in world history, and the beginning of the 'War on Terror'.10 They seemed to have become the framework for the numerous terrorist attacks that occurred thereafter. The 2014 ISIL-related attacks in Syria, the November 2015 Paris terror attacks, and just recently, the Marawi siege by Maute group in the Philippines are just among the numerous Islamist terror attacks following the 9/11 incident. In perspective, we see how terrorist organizations evolve and grow in number despite the loss of their leaders or original members. And despite their failure to reach their ultimate political ends, the terrorist groups proliferate and extend their networks to many parts of the world. One study suggests that terrorism survives because the terrorist organizations achieve their tactical aims such as publicity and recognition.11 This may be the reason why terrorism is still very much present in our society today. The ISIS, the Abu Sayyaf, the Maute group and all other Islamist terrorist organizations are expanding and scheming terror on the world. Conclusion The 9/11 attack was the defining moment that led US and other allied countries to revisit their policies and to implement measures to uphold the war on terrorism. Thus preemptive attacks may be done in extreme scenarios. There is no easy way to stop the perpetrators from performing acts of terrorism, not even by a peaceful negotiation. Hence, the use of force is a must in such cases. B. Ocklahoma bombing C. Anarchism versus Communism Format - INTRO, BODY, SUMMARY No. Of Words each - 300 words Report: left wing terrorism Format - INTRO, CONTENT, CONCLUSION, REFERENCES No. Of Words - unlimited Pls.check image for sample of report