What is the War on Terrorism?
Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes on September 11, 2001 and
crashed two of the planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and
one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. A fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania. As a result,
thousands of innocent individuals from more than 80 nations
lost their lives.
The evening of Sept. 11, President
Bush spoke to the American people from the Oval Office
in a nationally televised address:
"The
pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning,
huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief,
terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger. These
acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation
into chaos and retreat. But they have failed; our country
is strong.
"A
great people has been moved to defend a great nation.
Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest
buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America.
These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the
steel of American resolve.
"America
was targeted for attack because we're the brightest
beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And
no one will keep that light from shining."
These
terrorist attacks were an act of war against the United
States.
In a meeting on September
12 with his National Security Team, President
Bush said, "The deliberate and deadly attacks which
were carried out yesterday against our country were more
than acts of terror. They were acts of war. This will
require our country to unite in steadfast determination
and resolve. Freedom and democracy are under attack.
"The American people need to know that we're facing
a different enemy than we have ever faced. This enemy
hides in shadows, and has no regard for human life.
This is an enemy who preys on innocent and unsuspecting
people, then runs for cover. But it won't be able to
run for cover forever. This is an enemy that tries to
hide. But it won't be able to hide forever. This is
an enemy that thinks its harbors are safe. But they
won't be safe forever.
"This enemy attacked not just our people, but
all freedom-loving people everywhere in the world. The
United States of America will use all our resources
to conquer this enemy. We will rally the world. We will
be patient, we will be focused, and we will be steadfast
in our determination. This battle will take time and
resolve. But make no mistake about it: we will win."
Osama
bin Laden and the al Qaeda network recruit and train
in the tactics of terror.
On
September 20, President
Bush spoke to the members of Congress and the American
people about the terrorists.
"This group and its leader a person named Osama bin
Laden are linked to many other organizations in different
countries, including the Egyptian Islamic Jihad and
the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. There are thousands
of these terrorists in more than 60 countries. They
are recruited from their own nations and neighborhoods
and brought to camps in places like Afghanistan, where
they are trained in the tactics of terror. They are
sent back to their homes or sent to hide in countries
around the world to plot evil and destruction.
"The
leadership of al Qaeda has great influence in Afghanistan
and supports the Taliban regime in controlling most
of that country. In Afghanistan, we see al Qaeda's vision
for the world.
"Afghanistan's
people have been brutalized many are starving and
many have fled. Women are not allowed to attend school.
You can be jailed for owning a television. Religion
can be practiced only as their leaders dictate. A man
can be jailed in Afghanistan if his beard is not long
enough.
"The
United States respects the people of Afghanistan
after all, we are currently its largest source of humanitarian
aid but we condemn the Taliban regime. It is not
only repressing its own people, it is threatening people
everywhere by sponsoring and sheltering and supplying
terrorists. By aiding and abetting murder, the Taliban
regime is committing murder."
The American Response to Terrorism
The American Response to Terrorism is being fought
at home and abroad through multiple operations including:
diplomatic,
military,
financial,
investigative,
homeland
security and humanitarian
actions.
On October 17, President
Bush said, "Ours will be a broad campaign,
fought on many fronts. It's a campaign that will be
waged by day and by night, in the light and in the shadow,
in battles you will see and battles you won't see. It's
a campaign waged by soldiers and sailors, Marines and
airmen; and also by FBI agents and law enforcement officials
and diplomats and intelligence officers. It's a campaign
that is being waged in distant lands, and a campaign
being waged by our new Office of Homeland Security.
How Long Will the Effort Take?
There is no silver bullet, no single event or action
that is going to suddenly make the threat of terrorism
disappear. This broad-based and sustained effort will
continue until terrorism is rooted out. The situation
is similar to the Cold War, when continuous pressure
from many nations caused communism to collapse from
within. We will press the fight as long as it takes.
We will prevail.
This is not a war against Islam or any other religion.
The acts of violence on September 11 resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent
people of many races and religions, including Islam. These terrorist acts violate
the fundamental tenets of the Islamic faith. America counts millions of Muslims among
its citizens, and Muslims make a valuable contribution to the United States as doctors, lawyers, law
professors, members of the military, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers,
moms and dads.
Islam promotes
peace, understanding and justice exactly the opposite
of what the Taliban and the terrorists they harbor advocate.
On September 17, less than a week after the attacks,
President Bush visited the Islamic Center of Washington,
D.C. and said, "The English translation is not as eloquent
as the original Arabic, but let me quote from the Koran,
itself: In the long run, evil in the extreme will be
the end of those who do evil. For that they rejected
the signs of Allah and held them up to ridicule.
"The face
of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not
what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists
don't represent peace. They represent evil and war.
"When we think
of Islam we think of a faith that brings comfort to
a billion people around the world. Billions of people
find comfort and solace and peace. And that's made brothers
and sisters out of every race."
On Sept. 20,
President Bush said in a speech
to Congress and the American people, "The terrorists
practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has
been rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority
of Muslim clerics -- a fringe movement that perverts
the peaceful teachings of Islam. The terrorists' directive
commands them to kill Christians and Jews, to kill all
Americans, and make no distinction among military and
civilians, including women and children.
American Muslims
Freedom of worship is an American value, and more than 2 million American Muslims are associated with
more than 1,200 mosques in the United States. Nearly 90 percent of U.S. mosques have
some Asian, African-American, and Arab members, and 70 percent of American Muslims "strongly agree" that they should participate in American institutions and the political process.
Friendship
with Muslims and Nations with Muslim Populations
For many years, the United States has maintained friendly relationships with nations that include Muslim populations. The United States has forged strong partnerships with many Islamic countries for our mutual defense, has encouraged trade and cultural exchange, and has opened its universities to many thousands of Muslim students.
President
Bush met with Muslim
leaders on September 26 and said, "I want
to assure my fellow Americans that when you pledge allegiance
to the flag, with your hand on your heart, you pledge
just as hard to the flag as I do; that the outpouring
of support for our country has come from all corners
of the country, including many members of the Muslim
faith. And for that I am grateful."
President
Bush announced a new
initiative on October 25 called "Friendship Through
Education," a consortium of groups expanding
links between U.S. students and students in countries
with Muslim populations.
Friendship
Through Education will facilitate expanded student and
teacher exchanges among countries throughout the globe.
It will launch this effort with a commitment to expand
links between US schools and those in Islamic countries,
including Egypt, Indonesia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey,
Bahrain and Afghan refugee camps.
President
Bush said, "As you all know, our nation is at war right
now. We're going to defend America and defend the values
that we all hold dear. And our nation is united in the
defense of our country. We are not at war with Muslims.
We don't have a beef with Muslims. We want to be friends
with Muslims and Muslim children." http://www.FriendshipThroughEducation.org
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