The Increasing Westernization Of Al-Qaeda

On September 11, 2001, 19 militants trained by the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda coordinated a terrorist attack by hijacking four airplanes with the intention of crashing them into major landmarks in the United States. The destruction of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were caused by anti-Americanism, a common radical belief among al-Qaeda members. Increasing Westernization, alienation of extreme Muslims in the West, and humiliation of the Islamic world contributed to al-Qaeda’s rage towards anti-Americanism. Although the rest of the world was becoming increasingly Westernized by adopting modern values, such as secularism, democracy, mixing of the sexes, and materialism, the Islamic world lagged in development and reform. Muslim

Modernity and Islam remained incompatible since modernity represented a loss of traditional ethics, straying away from the Quran’s teachings. Extremists interpreted the Quran’s teachings literally, strengthening their conservative ideologies and anti-Americanism. Similarly, Osama bin Laden went as far as “declaring war on the United States from a cave in Afghanistan” (Wright 235). The Quran reveals how Prophet Muhammad began to receive the world of God in a cave on Mount Hita, evoking saint-like imagery for Osama bin Laden and his followers. The cave symbolizes holiness, aiding in bin Laden’s fight against modernity and Westernization. Likewise, bin Laden’s stated cause for declaring war “was the continued presence of U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia

responsible for humiliation of the Islamic world. Israel was established as a Jewish state within the Arab world and the U.S. publicly supported Israel, a large recipient of U.S. military aid. The founding “of the state of Israel and its startling rise to military dominance unsettled the Arab identity” (Wright 39). The speed and decisiveness of the Israeli victory in the Six Day War humiliated Muslims. Because the U.S. helped equip the Israeli army, the Muslim extremists held the U.S. responsible for their defeat and embarrassment, making Islam appear weak globally. Additionally, Egypt adopted a secular government in the twentieth century, or a government that implemented separation of the state from religious institution. Gamal abdel Nasser allowed physical torture in Egyptian prisons, spurring the rage of radical Islamists based on the “theme of humiliation, which is the essence of torture” (Wright 52). Again, the radical Islamists blamed the U.S. and Western ideals of secularism for enforcing the corrupted prisons. The principle of secularism originated in the West during the Enlightenment Era, which was now the roots behind the barbaric Egyptian prison system. The humiliation from their physical torture drove radical Islamists toward anti-American ideologies. If Egypt had not adopted a secular ruling, the extreme Muslims would not have been punished for desiring to overthrow the Egyptian government and implementing a pure