9/11 Essay

The tragedy on September 11, 2001, has been labeled as the most disastrous event on American soil in the nation's history. However, few know of the long history of events that caused the terrorist group, Al-Qaeda, to attack the United States. These events all funneled into that cloudless September day in which the old America was destroyed, and set the stage for a new age in the United States. 9/11 was caused by the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden. His 1998 fatwa against the U.S, The Siege of Beirut, and the symbolism of the World Trade Center as well as the Pentagon drove the terrorists to commit these attacks. These attacks by Al-Qaeda drastically changed the history of America. A significant cause of 9/11 was Osama Bin Laden's 1998

The Siege of Beirut was part of the 1982 Lebanon War, and the battle ended with Palestinian troops being forced out of Lebanon. Additionally, US and Israeli troops were a large part of the force that evacuated the Palestinians. Furthermore, a Christian militia massacred hundreds of Palestinian men, women and children at two refugee camps (NPR). This is a significant cause of 9/11 because this siege was a major reason for Osama Bin Laden planning the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. In a 2004 interview, Bin Laden stated, “God knows it did not cross our minds to attack the Towers, but after the situation became unbearable—and we witnessed the injustice and tyranny of the American-Israeli alliance against our people in Palestine and Lebanon—I thought about it. And the events that affected me directly were those of 1982…. —when America allowed the Israelis to invade Lebanon, helped by the U.S. Sixth Fleet.. As I watched the destroyed towers in Lebanon, it occurred to me to punish the unjust in the same way: to destroy towers in America so it could taste some of what we were tasting and to stop killing our children and women.” Bin Laden explains that before the siege, he did not intend to attack the Towers, however, after seeing the injustices done to the Palestinians, he decided to enact revenge. Furthermore, he was determined to make the Americans experience the same tragedy that the Palestinians faced, by murdering many innocent men, women, and children. However, on a much larger scale. Thus, making the siege of Beirut a significant cause of