Saudi Arabia is a country in the heart of the Middle East. The King is friendly to the United States, but some of its people are hostile to the U.S. The most notorious Saudi is Osama Bin Laden: the accused ringleader of al-Qaeda and a supporter of the 9/11 attacks. We spent much time today looking at the basic elements of Saudi Arabia-its history, economy, politics, culture, religion, and relationship to the United States.
Read one or two of the excerpts from Osama Bin Laden's interview in May 1998(Handout 2). Once you read the excerpt think and answer the following question: Why is Osama Bin Laden so angry at the U.S.? Is he justified in his grievances? Do American actions in Saudi Arabia warrant a violent response? What conditions or problems in Saudi Arabia might lead Osama bin Laden to recruit supporters and sympathizers?
Respond to others in the blog and discuss this controversial topic with your peers?
Here is the link to full interview transcript:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/who/interview.html
Also note there is a picture of a few troops guarding me and MLC students in Egypt. Maybe this picture gives us a clue about Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabia's(and Egypt's), and 9/11.
19 comments:
Why is Osama Bin Laden so angry at the U.S.? Is he justified in his grievances? Do American actions in Saudi Arabia warrant a violent response? What conditions or problems in Saudi Arabia might lead Osama bin Laden to recruit supporters and sympathizers?
"America has spear-headed the crusade against the Islamic nation, sending tens of thousands of its troops to the land of the two Holy Mosques over and above its meddling in its affairs and its politics, and its support of the oppressive, corrupt and tyrannical regime that is in control." These are Osama Bin Laden's reasons for attacking the U.S. I find that his acts against the United States are considered terrorism because i see Americans [for the most part] as innocent. Bin Laden thinks otherwise. "Terrifying an innocent person and terrorizing him is objectionable and unjust, also unjustly terrorizing people is not right....terrorizing oppressors and criminals and thieves and robbers is necessary for the safety of people and for the protection of their property." The u.s obviously handles things differently than Saudi's but we both have a twisted view of the other sides intentions. The reason people like Bin Laden found recrutes so easily is because the way of the West and the way of the Arab's is pretty different and the extreamists think the other sides views are ungodly and the people are godless.
I think Osama bin laden hates us so much because our goverment and everything else is good, i think he is jelouse because we are friends with the king and do get along with them but i think we are very different and have different veiws on things and that is what osama does not like so he desides he wants to kill us until he gets what he wants wich is not going to happen and thats were the hole war thing comes in part just because we have better veiws on things and better ways of thinking on some things does not mean he has to hate us
sending tens of thousands of its troops to the land of the two Holy Mosques over and above its affairs and its politics, and its support of the corrupt. These are the reasons behind the singling out of America as a target. That is the reason that bin laden is mad at the us.
Tyshaun
I agree with Latia Osama doesn't like us just because the king is good friends with Bush. This is why we have the war in Iraq. This is why thousands and thousands of our American people are dying and families are sick of it. Osama should just come from his hiding. Everyone knows he's in Jamaica just go there {duh}
I believe that Osama Bin Laden is so anygry with the U.S. because we have very different ideas on thing such as religion. We have such different ideas that we probably don't even know when we are crossing the line with him because we don't fully understand what he believes since it is so much unlike us. I believe that Americans are at fault because many of us are greedy people who don't care whatothers think. I think that when we had troops in Saudi Arabia it crossed the line because we were intruding on their land for one thing and we were going against their laws and and their Qua'ron. If I were a Saudi Arabian I would be angry and I probably would attck them as they did to us because it's just not right. I'm not saying that it is okay that they killed so many people I am just saying that I understand how they must feel the anger they feel. Others in Saudi Arabia and even other Muslims might feel the same as Osama did and they want to protect what is theirs. That is the only possible reason that I could believe that anyone would follow his rash decisions. The people are just fighting for what they believe in like many people in America do day by day.
Some raesons why i feel that Osama Bin Laden hates the Americans is because they held a crusade aganist the Islamic nations causing 10s of thousands of it troops to land two Holy Mosques. Another reason why i think that they have a grudge against us in because of politics and the way that we handle the situation. Yes i do think American actions in Saudi Arabia warrant a violent responsewhy i say that is because their legal system percribes capital. Also when we cause riots in Saudi Arabia that is what triggers all the wars that are going to happen because most of the time we are the ones that are strating everything that is going on.
It's very clear that Osama Binladen doesn't like America at all. i think that like many of the other countries bearing our presence he doesn't like the fact that we are intruding into his home land. i think he has a right to dislike us as does everyone else. however i think thta he has taken it a littles bit to far. i don't think that what we are doing in Saudi arabia really deserves a response that Osama Binladen has given us. i think that he manipulating people and only showing people the bad side of Americans being in his country. hes not showing his followers the good things that we are able to do for them.
The way I view this is that Osama is made at the U.S because,he sees thingsin the u.s as perfect and all good.So he does all these bad things to try to rebel and strick back. Another reason why he doesn't like us is because he doesn't care what we think or say, he belives in Allah and following his footsteps and to recreate him. Osama thinks that our government doesn't care and if we want to survive we need to elect someone who will protect us rom him basically and what is soon to come. to me is just talking about all this and nothing ois really going to happen, he just wants to feel important and to threaten us and make us feel low and scared.
*Phylicia lilly
the reason why i think that osoma bin laden (osama) disaproves of america so much is becouse of our religion, the majority of americans are cristian, and there are also alot of jews hear. osam also thinks that america is a bad place, bcouse we poluted his land, and we helped out the jewish people, in so many ways. tyhe jewish people come to us for help, so we as america tried to give them the help that they wanted, but i dont think this ment that we wanted to steal the soudi arabia and give it to the jewish people to they could claim it all for them selves. i think that osama is justified in a way becouse in history america had become a big bully that kills hundreds of inocint people. in the article osma refers to when america startyed to use the A-bomb, and killed hundreds of thosands of people. he later on goes to say that the bomb coudnt seperate women/ children from men, all it did was destroy. now, im not saying that osama is right for doing what he did but when you look at what he says to these questions it was clear that he has reasons to beleive that america has robbed the musilm people.
i think that americans going to sadi arabia nad setting up bases there deserves a response. the reason why i say this is becouse the musim people made it clear that they did not want peeple who were not musims there. but america probaly said we need these bases, and we are not going anywhere. so inorder to protect their way of life, and religion they did some things that were wrong, but affective. in 2003 or 2004 america fianly got the msg that they didnt want us there and it wasnt safe for us to be there in the first place.
(hope it wasnt confusing)
I believe that osama is mad at the u.s because of our diffrent view on governments and most importantly religeon. We most likely offend his way of religeon. we probubly do a lot of things that his religeon thinks we should not do. since he is concidered an extremist he wants everyone to believe in his religeon. we don't concider other conties like that and we really should this is most likely all our fault. I think this is the main reason why osama hates the U.S.
Though I do not condone Osama Bin Laden's way of showing he does not like America but, i understand his reasons and have found that they are pretty legitimate. His explantion for not liking America are for two reasons, For one he does not like the fact that America just basically bargeded into Islam and tried to controll them. He and others felt as though America was interfering with them when there was no need to. We came in and stationed troops there and took over their government and controlling there politics. Another reason is the fact that they are trying to take away their Muslim religion. This is America trying to spread Christianity to them also by using Western forces who also practice christianity. Osama is justified in his disliking America,no one would want someone to just come to your land and taking it over so he and his people have a right to hate America for what they have done. But they do not have a right to kill innocent people who had nothing to do with it. Yes i condone him being mad but not his reaction(9/11). Yes Americans do warrent a violent response for going to foreign soil and ruining their society. You can't not expect them to use violence when you have made them that mad and think they're gonna just take it.
I think that the picture represents how bad it is to the point that you have to hire somone to protect so that you can to Eygypt it is sad to me. And for countrys not to like us it just shows how bad america and its people are veiwed by other place.
I think that Osama Bin Laden is so angry at the United States due to the fact that we send over tens of thousands of U.S. troops to the land of the two Holy Mosques. I think that is one main reason why Bin Laden seems to hate/be angry at the Unites States. Also for the reason that he believes that he was created to worship Allah and to follow in his footsteps and to be guided by his book. Bin Lade doesn’t see himself like we as Americans do which is why he gets so angry. We are in their Islamic countries and what he’s doing is trying to fight in the word of Allah and getting us out of the country. With what Bin Laden is doing he is seen not as a terrorist, but as their hero because of how he wants to drive Americans out. The picture with the troops sends me a signal that maybe things are not very safe in Saudi Arabia which is why protection is needed for them.
I believe that Osama is mad at the U.S because even though we are post to be in the war with Iraq, we moved to Saudi Arabia for oil or something and he does not want on us in his area. And maybe because we had blamed him for 9/11 but i think its obvious to us that we know Osama was the master mind behind it. And know since are focus is on him he is going to try all that he can to get away from us. And i agree 100% that Saudi Arabia is going to support Osama to recruit other people so they can win this war.
The democrats have been saying for a long time that Bush took his eye off the ball by invading Iraq. I remember Bush answering a question saying he does not think about Bin Laden, you know Bush isn't a fast thinker on his feet or his back for that matter. Bush does not want to kill Bin Laden. Bin Laden is his ace in a hole. Every time the rhetoric about the war gets strong Bin Laden makes a video. I think the neo cons secretly love Bin Laden. He was their Pearl Harbor that gave them a reason to go into Iraq. We have to concentrate on getting Bin Laden and stop trying to save Bush's leagacy in Iraq. I think the dems will do this.
We're angry that he stopped looking for him. We would have been quite happy had he simply paid attention to the offensive in Afghanistan, and the reason behind it, rather than get sidetracked in Iraq. If you're really under the impression that liberals hate war rather than that liberals hate meaningless pointless wars, then you're simply not paying attention. And since Bush is the one who has stopped the war on terrorism, it certainly doesn't make sense to think that Obama or Clinton would be able to stop it again.I think bin ladin had something to do with it but people are not taking the time to look for him so he might have something plan again for New York city...
I think Osama bin laden hates us so much because our goverment and everything else is good, i think he is jelouse because we are friends with the king and do get along with them but i think we are very different and have different veiws on things and that is what osama does not like so he desides he wants to kill us until he gets what he wants wich is not going to happen and thats were the hole war thing comes in part just because we have better veiws on things and better ways of thinking on some things does not mean he has to hate us
donavan
I think osama bin ... doesn't like America is because we anger him because we have done things to him so he struck back the way they do things. America has killed hundreds of times more people then he did with his little gang of craze brainwashed people. The see all the bad America has done and want to get pay back so they did the way they do things America just drops bombs but we are not considered terrorists. They got what was coming to them tho if u attack America your signing your death wish.
The Muslims don't want us in their countries so why are we going to set up permanent bases. we should just leave them alone and fall apart on top of themselves because you cant stop people who are not 1 bit afraid to die. you have nothing to put over them to get them to talk or cooperate.
Osama Bin Laden is particularly angry with the US beacuse of the way he thinks we rule our country.
When Clinton was in office, Bin Laden said, "America has spear-headed the crusade against the Islamic nation, sending tens of thousands of its troops into the land of the two Holy Mosques over and above its meddling in its affairs and its politics..." He believes that we should have more control over our citizens and not send them into places where they are not wanted. I see that American influence in Saudi Arabia can turn out to be a good thing, but in their eyes it is an act of terrorism. We have done nothing wrong, but their beliefs in Americans and their culture have lead them to believe that we are harmfull and terrifying.
Bin ladin believes that us americans been criticising all muslims for many years and they couldnt take it anymore so they decied to take to the point by destroying the world trade center. The americans in saudi arabia started a voilent respnce because their were american troops there taking the oil and tampering with everyone so they wanted to get us back for the wrong things we have done to them. Bin laden will wanna get his allies cause he would like to take america down by making sure they wont mess with saudi arabia ever again.
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