Stop Now, Act Now: End Muslim Discrimination
Al-Qaeda
Background
Al-Qaeda is an international terrorist network that is considered one of the top terrorist threats to the United States. The group is wanted primarily for its September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. To escape the war in Afghanistan after September eleventh, Al-Qaeda's central leadership fled eastward into Pakistan. There, they secured a safe haven in the loosely governed areas. Besides the September eleventh attacks, Al-Qaeda is also responsible for the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Nairobi, Kenya, Dar-Es-Salaam, and Tanzania.
What is Al-Qaeda?
Al-Qaeda, meaning "the Base" in Arabic, is an international terrorist network founded by ˓Abdallah ˓Azzam and Osama bin Laden in the late 1980s. Their goal is to rid Muslim countries of what they believe as the profane influence of the West, as well as replace Western governments in Muslim countries with fundamentalist Islamic regimes. They believed that in order to reach their goals, they must use violent force.
Primary Purpose
Al-Qaeda's purpose is to spread jihad (a holy war undertaken by Muslims against nonbelievers) worldwide through a number of means; including funding and training Islamic/ethnic guerilla movements, creating propaganda aimed at inspiring others to commit acts of terrorism, and organizing/conducting complex attacks on countries viewed as opposing Islam. According to statements broadcasted by Al-Qaeda on the internet and over satellite TV channels, the ultimate goal of Al-Qaeda is to re-establish the dominance of Islam throughout the world. In order to do so, Al-Qaeda works with allied Islamic extremist groups to overthrow Western-supported regimes that are believed to interfere in the affairs of Islamic nations.
Beliefs
Al-Qaeda's philosophical inspiration comes from the writings of Sayed Qutb, a prominent Muslim thinker, whose essays inspired most of the principle militant Islamic movements in the Middle East. The philosophy of his writings, in general, interprets a more literal understanding of the Qur'an and its teachings. From this, terrorist have manipulated the contents of the Qu'ran to embody their own belief of violence and Islamic dominance. They believe that the Qu'ran persuades them to give up their own lives, for the sake of Islam, and for the promise of a paradise beyond.
Al-Qaeda is an international terrorist network that is considered one of the top terrorist threats to the United States. The group is wanted primarily for its September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. To escape the war in Afghanistan after September eleventh, Al-Qaeda's central leadership fled eastward into Pakistan. There, they secured a safe haven in the loosely governed areas. Besides the September eleventh attacks, Al-Qaeda is also responsible for the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Nairobi, Kenya, Dar-Es-Salaam, and Tanzania.
What is Al-Qaeda?
Al-Qaeda, meaning "the Base" in Arabic, is an international terrorist network founded by ˓Abdallah ˓Azzam and Osama bin Laden in the late 1980s. Their goal is to rid Muslim countries of what they believe as the profane influence of the West, as well as replace Western governments in Muslim countries with fundamentalist Islamic regimes. They believed that in order to reach their goals, they must use violent force.
Primary Purpose
Al-Qaeda's purpose is to spread jihad (a holy war undertaken by Muslims against nonbelievers) worldwide through a number of means; including funding and training Islamic/ethnic guerilla movements, creating propaganda aimed at inspiring others to commit acts of terrorism, and organizing/conducting complex attacks on countries viewed as opposing Islam. According to statements broadcasted by Al-Qaeda on the internet and over satellite TV channels, the ultimate goal of Al-Qaeda is to re-establish the dominance of Islam throughout the world. In order to do so, Al-Qaeda works with allied Islamic extremist groups to overthrow Western-supported regimes that are believed to interfere in the affairs of Islamic nations.
Beliefs
Al-Qaeda's philosophical inspiration comes from the writings of Sayed Qutb, a prominent Muslim thinker, whose essays inspired most of the principle militant Islamic movements in the Middle East. The philosophy of his writings, in general, interprets a more literal understanding of the Qur'an and its teachings. From this, terrorist have manipulated the contents of the Qu'ran to embody their own belief of violence and Islamic dominance. They believe that the Qu'ran persuades them to give up their own lives, for the sake of Islam, and for the promise of a paradise beyond.
