Implications of War on Terror to Muslims

The attacks on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11 2001 are accepted by the majority as acts of terrorism. This paper will commence by examining the events that took place that fateful day and explore possible explanatory reasons. What is meant by terrorism and who is considered a terrorist will be defined along with exploring the stereotyping and misrepresentation of Muslim practices, beliefs, populations and communities as a result of such terrorism definitions, accusations and assumptions; especially as presented by the media.

The response to these attacks by the United States was immediate and began with an assault on Osama Bin Laden and his supposed hideout and support in Afghanistan. Shortly following these events was the invasion of Iraq and subsequent overthrowing of Saddam Hussein. The combined efforts and response of the United States was rapidly coined “The War on Terror”. Due to the large array of Muslim communities and the large variety of nations in which they are found, Muslim responses have been varied and are often influenced greatly by locale. In summary, Muslim responses have been both accepting of the United States and feelings of further aggression and non-tolerance for the West – in particular the United States. When the true doctrines of Islam, particularly that of Ummah and its vital role and need to protect, are understood, the Muslim outcry against the United States appears justifiable. It is concluded that the war against terror deeply affects Muslim communities as they are encouraged by extremists to stand up to the United States and defend the Ummah, as well as the stereotyping and non-tolerance of Muslims by Westerners as a result of gross generalizations and categorization.

At 8:45 the morning of September 11 2001, a passenger jetliner that had been hijacked by members of Al Qaeda crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. About 18 minutes later, a second passenger jet crashed into the South Tower. Many lives were lost that day as the twin towers came tumbling down. Almost immediately following the attacks President George W. Bush declared a war on terrorism on 12 September 2001. In the very near future, the United States commenced Operation Enduring Freedom – the invading of Afghanistan and removal of Taliban control who are claimed to have sheltered Osama Bin Laden, the alleged mastermind behind the attacks. Osama Bin Ladan, the top leader of Al Qaeda has apparently never claimed responsibility for the attacks and specific instances where the leader has openly condoned the actions are extremely difficult to find. There are conspiracy theories purporting that top CIA and US officials were behind the demolition of the World Trade Centers by means of explosives both at the base of the towers and throughout them. This was done for personal gain and it is also believed that the plane hijackings and claim of terrorist attack were merely diversions and a means of linking the events with the Middle East. It is not the purpose of this paper to explore these varying theories and to determine which is correct; rather it will focus on the consequences of the events that did transpire and how the original statements of belief have impacted Muslim communities. The words of William Crotty may be sufficient to surmise that, “The awful events of 9/11 have been used to explain, characterize, and justify a vast range of actions….and has been dominated by the paradigms of military science or international relations.”