Why does Al Qaeda hate us?

[EdwardTking]

But, meeting all their demands may reduce their numbers or placate them temporarily or reduce the number of new recruits they have since probably a good number of the recruits join not for strictly and purely religious reasons but also religious reasons mixed in with historic or contemporary political or social grievances.

Well allowing all of Hitler's demands for the unification of the German speaking peoples to be met, did not placate him. It merely increased his confidence and encouraged him, and the German people to follow him, in his murderous aggressive conquests.

 

[AceChilla]

They feel the west opresses muslims.

1- by the support of muslim dictorships which would be trown down if not for that massive support, The bases are only a symptom of this support (Saudi-Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan, Koeweit etc. etc.)

2- Israel and Americas/Western support for it

3- Wars against muslim countries- Beiroet, First/second gulf war, 6 day war etc.

4- They hate us for our values. We have corrupt morals, we have become infidels not believing in whatever god at all, and that's the lowest of the low. Altough this goes primaraly for Western Europe. People of the book can get some respect, but "godless" people can be slaughtered where they are found according to the Koran.

Those are the main reasons I hear from muslims.

 

[Tank_Guy#3]

I wonder that as well, I mean we gave a sh!t load of guns to the Afghani's in their war against the Russians. Then they turn around steal planes and take out some of our buildings. What's up with that?

 

[BasketCase]

It's no excuse to create any theories based into assumptions that president knows something that we don't.

No assumptions here. It is FACT that the President knows a whole lot of things we don't.

What the current President is actually doing with that info is another matter entirely. However, this knowledge didn't lead Clinton (or Carter or any other Democrat President, for that matter) to unilaterally pull the U.S. out of the Middle East. Clinton's clearer vision of the world didn't lead him to undo George Bush Sr.'s Iraq policy after Clinton got elected; something caused Clinton to keep the sanctions in place.

So, while it may appear to us that getting out of the Middle East is a sensible course of action in order to avoid being hated by Al Qaeda, the fact that no U.S. President has gotten us out of the Middle East leads to the possibility that there's a very good reason.

 

[amadeus]

We live 1300 years later than they would rather have us live.

 

[Sickman]

No assumptions here. It is FACT that the President knows a whole lot of things we don't.
What the current President is actually doing with that info is another matter entirely.

Sorry should have phrased my words better that is about what I meant.
But we don't know what he knows or what his goals are.

However, this knowledge didn't lead Clinton (or Carter or any other Democrat President, for that matter) to unilaterally pull the U.S. out of the Middle East. Clinton's clearer vision of the world didn't lead him to undo George Bush Sr.'s Iraq policy after Clinton got elected; something caused Clinton to keep the sanctions in place.

Some republicans say he was just passive as he just followed old politics
And now you're saying it was good thing because there was probably reason for it?

So, while it may appear to us that getting out of the Middle East is a sensible course of action in order to avoid being hated by Al Qaeda, the fact that no U.S. President has gotten us out of the Middle East leads to the possibility that there's a very good reason.

I think I have never said such a thing?
Even though I don't have such special information it would be big mistake that US would leave Middle East.
The first reason is simple: Israel
There are numerous other reasons as well.
This doesn't however mean that politics cannot be altered. There are ways to pressure countries (hint: also US "allies") to make Middle East more peaceful place rather than have two options: either leave or stay.

Same goes to Iraq BTW. US troops must ensure that Iraq doesn't fall into civil war, it's their responsibility. If that fails, then ultimately whole policy of the current president considering Iraq has failed and will just lead new wave of terrorism unless it's already happened and nothing can be done anymore.
Even though I still believe that something can be done. Maybe the president has a plan that we don't know of. But surely there is point when faith into the president becomes impossible whether he has or has not such information that changes his view of world compared to other people.

If you deny that then you just follow blindly a man who you think is wise when he is just sitting silently in one place and killing flies.

 

[wit>trope]

Well allowing all of Hitler's demands for the unification of the German speaking peoples to be met, did not placate him. It merely increased his confidence and encouraged him, and the German people to follow him, in his murderous aggressive conquests.

Well, the policy of appeasing Germany was not carried out to its complete fruition. At some point they decided that enough was enough and stopped appeasing him, resulting in war with UK and France. So we don't know what would have happened if the Western European powers would have continued to appease Hitler. He may have just been content with keeping all the lands that once belonged to or had some association with the German or German-speaking or German-related peoples. He also may have ended up just fighting the evil Communists in the East ... which would have been good for us because then two "titans" would be going at each other, leaving any eventual winner severely weakened (and at this point, if we wanted and needed, we could easily take over who was left standing)

But you may be right. Perhaps it would embolden those who are already members and ingrained into the religious ideology and increase recruits who were already disposed religiously to that ideology but prevent recruitment of those who weren't already disposed to it.

 

[BasketCase]

You're as blind as I am, bud. Your sources of information are no better than mine--Fox News, CNN, maybe the BBC, and 47 million web sites which basically say completely random things and have astronomically high tin-foil-hat factors.

We can only stop Al-Qaeda from hating us by getting inside their organization, and eventually inside their heads. You and I are never going to be able to do that--the only ones who can are people in the Pentagon and other intelligence agencies in the free world. They are the only people who can determine Al-Qaeda's real motives, so in the end, the only two things we can do are either take the Pentagon's word as Gospel or just give them that paranoid stare you're supposed to give people when you think they're pulling something screwy but don't have any proof.\

Edit: Bleh. Cierdan jumped in ahead of me.

 

[Sickman]

You're as blind as I am, bud. Your sources of information are no better than mine--Fox News, CNN, maybe the BBC, and 47 million web sites which basically say completely random things and have astronomically high tin-foil-hat factors.

Well, cannot argue with that one.

so in the end, the only two things we can do are either take the Pentagon's word as Gospel or just give them that paranoid stare you're supposed to give people when you think they're pulling something screwy but don't have any proof.\

I wouldn't say that there are only two choices there.
Let's just say I'm more critical and suspicious about governments and their agencies especially since they have had connections to the corporate world in the past and have made some dirty deals to get the job done.
Not to the point of paranoid though or at least I think so.
But again, it's matter of opinion.

 

[10Seven]

They feel the west opresses muslims.

1- by the support of muslim dictorships which would be trown down if not for that massive support, The bases are only a symptom of this support (Saudi-Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan, Koeweit etc. etc.)

2- Israel and Americas/Western support for it

3- Wars against muslim countries- Beiroet, First/second gulf war, 6 day war etc.

4- They hate us for our values. We have corrupt morals, we have become infidels not believing in whatever god at all, and that's the lowest of the low. Altough this goes primaraly for Western Europe. People of the book can get some respect, but "godless" people can be slaughtered where they are found according to the Koran.

Those are the main reasons I hear from muslims.

The above is also what I've been hearing, and, frankly sounds more reasonable - as a reason, and not to say excuse.

I would also suggest around 100 years of cultural, economic, and military domination by various nations including France, England, and the USA.

As that continues it seems inevitable that conflict and anger should arise.

The only question I find raised is: Why is America surprised?

The answer I would suggest myself is an insular world view and restricted media. The MOUNT RUSHMORE thread in CIV4 GENERAL DISCUSSION also seems pertinent...

 

[BasketCase]

The only question I find raised is: Why is America surprised?

Because the same economic, cultural, and military domination has been practiced by many nations, and not all of them have been hit by terrorist attacks. The Soviet Union, for example.

 

[Longasc]

First FALSE statement:

They hate freedom

I know, to an American freedom is everything. It contains so much that it has become a hollow, pathetic phrase to some point.

But why should muslims hate freedom?


Let us be more precise what they HATE:

They hate our lax treatment of tradition and our own christian values

Not only do some contradict their belief, but they have problems with the absence of god in everyday life.

Most muslim nations are still ruled by a mix of religion and politics, while western nations much more cut the power of the church in political terms.

The ongoing support for Israel, a long-time enemy

This makes the USA a primary target, and some countries like Germany relatively secure. Germans killed Jews in WW2, and they did not participate in the Iraq war.

The hate against Jews has a LONG tradition. Several wars... the Palestinians are still in a constant struggle with the Israeli.

The common enemy

Muslim nations are backward in many regards today, technologically and socially. Envy might also play a major role, and someone is always to blame. Why not blame the evil, godless westerners.


These are the reasons IMO. A bit more complex than "they hate freedom!!!"...


I still despise terrorists and cannot understand them. If this is their way to improve their society, they will still be at the beginning of the modern age while the Americans already left America for Alpha Centauri.

A clash of cultures.


Terrorists are themselves basically modern day equivalents of the Ismaelite Assassins... they were always seen as mislead, but todays miserable situation in many muslim countries makes radicals supposedly more attractive to the people.

The sad thing is, even rich and educated muslims from say Saudi Arabia are often fanatical hatemongers. The royal family of Saudi Arabia is in particular interesting, as it is greatly divided in their view of the Western world:

Some outright despise western lifestyle, others accept is as long as they can make profit with westerners and oil, others are open to westenr lifestyle.


The sad thing is, the radical part is always the one causing all the trouble.

 

[cgannon64]

But why should muslims hate freedom?

The treatment of their women alone should indicate that they don't give to high a regard to freedom.

(Speaking about conservative sects, of course.)

 

[The Last Conformist]

Nobody hates freedom for themselves. Plenty of people hate freedom for other people, tho. Many Muslims don't think we should have the right to be haughty unbelievers who walk the streets ogling scantily clad women.

 

[Neonanocyborgasm]

Why does Al Qaeda hate us?

I find that this is never really explored in depth at least in the US news media. How did a multimillionaire Saudi businessman become a cave dwelling leader of a group employing terrorist tactics against Western governments? What is the genesis of this thinking? What are their specific grievances? Some possibilities that I have heard:

1.They hate freedom (silly phrasing probably somewhat true)

2. U.S. air bases in Saudi Arabia (seems like a relatively minor complaint and I think we're removing them)

3. Support for corrupt Arab dictators (well let's see we don't currently support dictators/kings in Syria,Lybia, Iran. Iraq Yemen, Sudan but do in Saudi Arabia (small gulf states?), Egypt, Jordan?-- seems like a decidedly mixed bag)

4. Support for Israel (I suppose but the primary groups fighting Israel have not attacked outside Western powers why does Al Queda pickup this tactic).

5. Cultural/economic invasion on Arab culture (I suppose but the French complain about this too)

6. A crusade for religious conversion outside middle east (I thought Islam is a religion of peace)

7. Crusade for religious purity within the middle east (Why not attack Syria?)

8. Ego, pride, jealously (sounds possible for the leaders but how do they get the recruits?)

These are individually true, but there is a simpler single reason.

OBL wants to revive a universal Muslim caliphate. He sees the decline of Muslim nations as secondary to religious lapse, which has been brought about, in large part, due to the dastardly influence of the West's decadence. Instead of acknowledging certain problems of politics and economics in the Middle East as being of their own making, he believes it to be the making of the Western nations' interference and exploitation. This "us vs. them" mentality is commonplace in religious fundamentalism, Muslim or otherwise. In this case, bad=Western=American=satan. Given that the U.S. is seen as the most powerful and most meddlesome of the Western nations, he sees jihad against it as the natural virtue of all Muslims. The fact that there is no accuracy in his claims is irrelevant.

 

[Tejas]

Al Qaeda hates us because a rich, spoiled prince didn't get his way. The world is ruled by very few people...one of them threw a fit. But like a bratty child, his room will be cleaned eventually.

 

[10Seven]

Because the same economic, cultural, and military domination has been practiced by many nations, and not all of them have been hit by terrorist attacks. The Soviet Union, for example.

I recall quite a number of terrorist attacks against Russia in the last few years - also, France, UK, and a few others too.

 

[Verbose]

Al Qaeda hates us because a rich, spoiled prince didn't get his way. The world is ruled by very few people...one of them threw a fit. But like a bratty child, his room will be cleaned eventually.

OBL's no prince, he's a business man. Family's from Hadramut, which isn't even Saudi.
He just swithched from the building industry to the business of religiously motivated warfare against the godless communism, to religiously motivated terrorism against the godless West.

Most of what he's done smacks of a business attitude, including his estimates of the structural damage that could be caused by flying airliners into the WTC. The al-Q is the investment banker of Islamic terrorism.

He seems to be competent in both of his chosen careers. Unfortunatley.

 

[sysyphus]

Al Qaeda hates us because a rich, spoiled prince didn't get his way. The world is ruled by very few people...one of them threw a fit. But like a bratty child, his room will be cleaned eventually.

Sad, but very true. Aristocracy likes to make the public pay for their egos.

 

[Aleph-Null]

Al Qaeda does not hate us, and they are not attempting to punish us. They are merely seeking to create their own Islamic Empire to usher back in the glory days of the past. They are not vigilantes, they are imperialists of the "old school".