The Looming Towers

The Looming Towers

Smoke drifted lazily into the skies of New York City. It had been the gem of America, an economic center symbolized by the gigantic towers that stretched to the very heavens.  They were a symbol of American success, its near invulnerability. But the very values American’s hold dear had fallen under attack. The smoke drifting into the air was the sad reminder of the destruction wrought by the terrorists a few days before. 9/11 is a day that will forever live in infamy in the hearts of the American people. It was a catastrophic event that has come to form and drive the politics of the 21st century. The attacks on that day was the catalyst that drove the relationship between the United States of America to a whole new level. It was a cowardly attack targeted at innocents by people who had so perverted the religion of Islam to the point that it was nearly unrecognizable. The question all over America was where had these attacks originated. The Looming Tower seeks to answer this question by going back nearly a century ago. 

After World War II, many in the west sought to form a Jewish state where the millions of Jews who had been persecuted by the Nazi’s could survive and thrive. This goal, spearheaded by the United States, lead the allies to create the state of Israel. The Holy Land was the perfect place for the Jews to have their state. It was their homeland and their holy land. This newly formed state angered many Arabs who had already lived in the region, however. They felt that they had pushed off their homeland, just had the Jews had been centuries before, and claimed it as their own. This would be just one of many event that would lead to a hatred of Western ideas and the leader of the Free World, the United States.

In Egypt, an oppressive ruler named Nasher was another source of radicalization. He ruled with an almost antireligious ruthlessness. Qutb, who had once been a friend and advisor to Nasher, had been alienated and wrote many books about the problems with the westernization and modernization of Islam. He believed that the values at the core of Islam were being corrupted. He eventually died because of this belief. This was the first time in centuries that this had occurred in such a public manner. He was the first martyr in the Jihad against change and eventually the West as a whole. His ideas lead to the creation of groups such as the Brotherhood of Islam, a predecessor of Al-Qaeda.

This kind of thing was not only occurring in Egypt; however, it was occurring all around the Islamic world. The West would later become an enemy of these groups, but first they had a much more immediate threat to deal with, communism. Ironically, many of these Islamic groups even had support against the Soviet Union from the United States. One of the countries which had been an ally of the U.S. was Saudi Arabia. This is where the Bin Ladens come into the picture. Mohammed Bin Laden came from a family of little money and built himself an empire of a construction company. His work ethic was so great that he would himself go out and work with his workers. He paid his workers well and was a very kind, giving man. This helped him gain power, wealth, and stature fast. 

He had 19 wives throughout his life and a very large amount of children. One of which was Osama Bin Laden. He, from an early age was different from his siblings. He believed very strictly in the rules of Islam and his biggest role model was his father. He was a decent student and was educated; however, he eventually dropped out to get his place in his fathers business. Then he gained power and wealth in similar ways his father had. He gained power by making friends in the Saudi government. He also became a large part of an organization meant to return Afghanistan to the control of Islam instead of the communism government that existed. It was there that the ideas of Al Qaeda began to form. He had a mistrust for America that almost seemed to come from a jealousy. He had, however, accepted help from the West in the struggle in Afghanistan. 

In the early years, his Al-Qaeda had little success, but in one struggle against the communists at the Lion’s den he gained respect for his cause. When he returned to Saudi Arabia, he had more power and an air about him. Life was good for him and his organization, but then when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and threatened the Saudis, Saudi Arabia turned to America for help. This angered Bin Laden, who believed that Muslims could defend their own land and fearing that the United States wouldn’t leave. He eventually was exiled to Sudan and became even more infuriated when the United States stayed in Saudi Arabia after the immediate threat had been defeated. In Sudan he had a good life though. He was treated as a king and a had a large amount of money, but eventually this money ran out. His family had cut him off from the fortunes of its company and without it he had little way to support Al-Qaeda.

His fortunes turned even further for the worst when the country of Sudan decided he was no longer welcome. They seized his assets in the country, which were valued at several million dollars, and told him he had to leave. During this time, America had their chance to nab him and stop everything that was to occur in the future, but at that time they did not see Bin Laden as a threat. He then moved his operation to Afghanistan where he coexisted with the Taliban. They supported him believing that he had money to support their cause, and he kept this front by calling in favors from past donors and supporters of Al Qaeda. It was in the caves of Afghanistan that he hatched his master plan to crush the U.S. as a whole. He planned on hitting a series of military, government, and economical centers all at the same time in a crushing blow to American civilization. Years of planning went into the final outcome of destroying the World Trade Centers and the attack on the Pentagon. 

Bin Laden believed that with these attacks he would crush any resolve that remained within Americans. He, believing Americans to be weak people, thought that by terrorism he could destroy the lifestyle, ideals, and even morals of Western society. He, however, was incorrect. For as materialistic as the West may appear, our core is still based on our values set hundreds of years ago. We value freedom and will do anything to keep it. 

This was a very interesting book to me. I enjoyed gaining a new view on radical Islam and terrorism as a whole. Instead of the usual things that you hear about 9/11, this book actually explored the principals, values, and idealism that caused the attacks. It painted a picture of the Al Qaeda institution through its struggles, successes, victories, and losses. Looming Tower puts a face on an enemy of the United States that in the past had only been known to me by name. Understanding the dangers that face our country is the first step in our safety, and 9/11 provided a terrible, but powerful lesson in America’s advancement into the new millennia.