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These TOC commentaries and external background articles assess terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the roots of their terrorism. We also reflect on terrorism's effects, including the attacks of September 11, 2001.
TOC Commentaries:
Multiculturalism and its Discontents by Bruce Thornton
Posted: 11/8/2005 |
| Description: Bruce Thornton explains how multiculturalism is a the root of the London bombings. And now France is suffering the same fate for the same reasons. |
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The Means and Ends of Islamists by Edward Hudgins
Posted: 11/8/2005 |
| Description: The riots in Paris point to the true ends of Islamists. In this piece, published after the London bombings, Edward Hudgins shows that their violent means reflect their culture of death and the silence of their more peaceful co-religionists is moral abdication. |
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Flushing the Koran or Reason Down the Toilet? by Edward Hudgins
Posted: 6/8/2005 |
| Description: The lesson of the Koran abuse story is that those who reject reason must reject freedom; those who embrace irrationality must embrace intolerance and force because they have closed off all rational appeals. And that is why peaceful and free regimes -- whether in Middle East countries or America -- must be based on a culture and philosophy of reason, not mysticism. |
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The Ideas That Promote Terrorism by David Kelley
Posted: 4/1/2005 |
| Description: In an address to the March against Terror in Washington, D.C., David Kelley appealed to all who stand for happiness, freedom, progress, and reason to join in opposing those who want to control the mind, roll back progress, stifle freedom--and who are willing to kill and maim to do so. |
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The Iliad and Islam by Edward Hudgins
Posted: 6/24/2004 |
| Description: ''The Iliad,'' Homer's epic about the Trojan War, made a great story whether recited in ancient palaces or made into Hollywood blockbusters. But the violent rage of Greek warriors and their obsession with the gods mirror the brutal and primitive aspects of Islamic culture today. The solution offered by later Greek philosophers in the classical era—a secular philosophy of reason and disciplining emotions—could bring enlightenment to a backwards part of the world today.
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Report from the Front: A Trial for Saddam Hussein by Edward Hudgins
Posted: 12/17/2003 |
| Description: Saddam Hussein now will stand trial for his crimes. The lessons of the trial could be as critical as Saddam’s capture. |
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American World Conquest? It's More Likely Than You Think by William Thomas
Posted: 10/21/2003 |
| Description: Further terrorist attacks won't send America into pacifism, but into likely world conquest. |
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From the Silk Trade Route to the World Trade Center by Neera Badhwar
Posted: 9/9/2002 |
| Description: Today’s predators do not want to steal wealth but, rather, to destroy it and
its source, our freedom. To preserve the spirit of the Silk Road and the
World Trade Center, we must affirm and celebrate their goals of prosperity
and peace. |
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The War against Modernity by David Kelley
Posted: 5/31/2002 |
| Description: Islamists do not hate the United States because of its international policies. Nor is their antipathy based primarily on the long-standing struggle between Western civilization and Islamic civilization. Rather, it is the culture of modernity—born of the Renaissance and Enlightenment—that has drawn the hatred of this distinctly contemporary and untraditional manifestation of Islam. |
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Treating like as like, Arafat and The Axis of Evil by Shawn E. Klein
Posted: 3/27/2002 |
| Description: Arafat is as much a part of the evil in the world as Saddam
Hussein, and should be treated accordingly. |
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The Underground Offers No Escape by David Kelley
Posted: 12/7/2001 |
| Description: The underground offers no escape from government, either for terrorists or for pro-freedom advocates. Technology alone can't support freedom or prevent government encroachments on freedom. Only reason and persuasion can. |
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The New Totalitarians by Brink Lindsey
Posted: 12/1/2001 |
| Description: The United States is not just at war with terrorists; it is at war with a new form of totalitarianism, according to the Cato Institute's Brink Lindsey. |
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Suggested Reading: Islamic Fundamentalism
Posted: 10/16/2001 |
| Description: Suggested Readings on Islamic Fundamentalism. |
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American Heroism by William Thomas
Posted: 10/15/2001 |
| Description: Does heroism mean sacrificing one's life to higher values? Will Thomas argues that heroism is based on a devotion to the values that support one's life. |
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Position Statement on Terrorists Attacks
Posted: 10/12/2001 |
| Description: The position of The Objectivist Center on the September 11 terrorist attack is outlined. |
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'It Was Like a Movie':The Atrocity and the Arts by Richard Speer
Posted: 10/12/2001 |
| Description: The terrorist attacks reminded many people of contemporary movies. That says worlds about the state of cinema, writes Richard Speer. |
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Unilateral Moral Disarmament by Robert James Bidinotto
Posted: 9/21/2001 |
| Description: Robert James Bidinotto explains why certain philosophic principles led the terrorists to committ the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and how philosophic ideas prevalent in America morally disarmed us from properly protecting our country from an attack like September 11, 2001. |
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What Will Happen Now? by James S. Robbins
Posted: 9/21/2001 |
| Description: James S. Robbins discusses the security and retalitory options that America has after the World Trade Center and Pentagon attack on September 11, 2001 |
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Restoring Our World by Shawn E. Klein
Posted: 9/18/2001 |
| Description: Only through value-seeking can atheists get back to the business of living their lives after this horrible attack. |
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Open Letter to My American Friends by Jose Pinera
Posted: 9/17/2001 |
| Description: Jose Piñera shares his thoughts on the World Trade Center attack |
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The Assault on Civilization by David Kelley
Posted: 9/13/2001 |
| Description: David Kelley, Executive Director, comments on destruction of the World Trade Center by terrorists on September 11, 2001 as an attack on the symbols of the values of civilization. |
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External Articles
"Desert Shame Redux" National Review Online Posted: 5/12/2003
By Michael Ledeen |
Description:Terrorism scholar Michael Ledeen argues that the war on terror must be continued on into Iran and Syria, though not necessarily by military means.
Article Date: April 30, 2003 |
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"Osama bin Laden Urges Attacks on the U.S." Washington Post Posted: 2/13/2003
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Description:The translated transcript of Osama bin Laden's message as aired on the al
Jazeera satellite network.
Article Date: February 11,
2003 |
"The Islamofascist Agenda" National Review Online Posted: 12/9/2002
By Deroy Murdock |
Description:From Bali to Nigeria to cells in America itself, Islamist fanatics are moved
by hatred of non-Muslims, and ultimately by hatred of life itself.
Article Date: December 3, 2002 |
"Corporate America's funding of terrorism?" Jewish World Review Posted: 12/9/2002
By Avi Jorisch |
Description:"Why are local Lebanese subsidiaries of major American corporations--like
PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble and Western Union--lending comfort and support to
terrorists by advertising on Hezbollah television?"
Article Date: Oct. 24, 2002 |
"The Good & the Bad: Stephen Schwartz on Islam and Wahhabism" National
Review Online Posted: 11/22/2002
By Kathryn Jean Lopez |
Description:An interview with Stephen Schwartz, author of The Two Faces of Islam: The
House of Sa'ud from Tradition to Terror, focusing on the history, nature,
and prevalence of the fundamentalist sect of Wahhabism.
Article Date: November 18, 2002 |
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"Pharaoh of Today" ABCNEWS Posted: 11/22/2002
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Description:A translation of an audiotaped message aired today on Arab satellite
television network al Jazeera; U.S. intelligence authorities consider it to
be the voice of Osama bin Laden.
Article Date: November 12, 2002 |
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"Al Qaeda Training Manual" U.S. Dep't of Justice Posted: 11/22/2002
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Description:Excerpts from a document found in an Al Qaeda member's home in England, with
exhortations to jihad, statements of purpose, and techniques of terrorism.
Article Date: October 8, 2002 |
"In the Party of God" The New Yorker Posted: 11/7/2002
By Jeffrey Goldberg |
Description:Part I of an arresting report on Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite terrorist
organization: its history, activities, goals, and aims.
Article Date: 10/7/02 |
"On hallowed ground" Miami Herald Posted: 9/9/2002
By Dave Barry |
Description:Barry's memorable and moving (non-humor) tribute to the heroism of the
Flight 93 passengers.
Article Date: September 7, 2002 |
"Manual for a 'Raid'" New York Times Review of Books Posted: 9/6/2002
By Hassan Mneimneh and Kanan Makiya |
Description:Two scholars describe a five-page document written by one of the 9/11 terrorists to his fellow terrorists. In it, instructions for the hijackings
are described in both literal and religious-ritualistic terms.
Article Date: 1/9/02 |
"September 11 and the Struggle for Islam" Social Science Research Council Posted: 9/6/2002
By Robert Hefner |
Description:Robert W. Hefner, a professor in the department of anthropology at Boston
University, writes that Middle Eastern governments, immediately after World
War II, tried to dampen religious forces and strengthen the states. But the
failures of nationalism and socialism in the 1970s and 1980s led the
populations of those countries to turn to religion.
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"Translation of Hijacker's Note" ABCNEWS.com Posted: 9/6/2002
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Description:Translation of the hijacker's document provided by ABC News.
Article Date: Sept. 28, 2001 |
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"Who Are Active Terrorists?" Middle East Forum Posted: 9/6/2002
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Description:The Middle Quarterly draws on a report by the Congressional Research Service
to list and describe seventeen Islamist terrorist groups, and rate their
degree of activity.
Article Date: December 2000 |
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"September 11: What Our Children Need to Know" Thomas Fordham Foundation Posted: 9/6/2002
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Description:Chester E. Finn Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundations,
explains that the NEA's politically correct lessons for 9/11 prompted his
foundation to seek out an alternative series of civic lessons for 9/11/02.
Article Date: September 2002 |
"Under Our Very Noses: The Terrorist Next Door" National Review Posted: 1/29/2002
By Adrian Karatnycky |
Description:Many of the September 11 terrorists "became extremists while living in the West, sustained by fanatical mullahs and organizations that operate openly in our midst."
Article Date: 11/5/2001 |
"An Arsenal of Believers" The New Yorker Posted: 12/13/2001
By Nasra Hassan |
Description:A chilling, on-the-scene description of how Palestinian terrorist groups recruit and train suicide bombers.
Article Date: November 19, 2001 |
"Jihad Lit" New York Times Posted: 12/11/2001
By Neil MacFarquhar |
Description:Excerpts from the biography of Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the man who convinced Osama bin Laden to launch his jihad against the West.
Article Date: December 9, 2001 |
"Fighting Militant Islam, Without Bias" City Journal Posted: 11/22/2001
By Daniel Pipes |
Description:Pipes clearly distinguishes Islam from Islamism--the militant fundamentalist
movement that supports terrorism worldwide--and offers ways to neutralize
the latter.
Article Date: Autumn 2001 |
"Postmodern Jihad: What Osama bin Laden Learned from the Left" The Weekly Standard Posted: 11/19/2001
By Waller R. Newell |
Description:The influence of European philosophers and writers like Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul, Sartre, and Franz Fanon on the Islamic fundamentalist and terrorist movements.
Article Date: November 26, 2001 |
"No more jury trials for terrorists" TownHall.com Posted: 11/15/2001
By Michelle Malkin |
Description:Columnist Michelle Malkin on military tribunals for suspected terrorists
Article Date: October 24, 2001 |
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"Bin Laden rails against Crusaders and UN" BBC News Posted: 11/5/2001
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Description:The text of a videotaped statement made by Osama bin Laden and broadcast on al-Jazeera television.
Article Date: November 3, 2001 |
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The Terrorism Research Center The Terrorism Research Center Posted: 10/18/2001
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Description:The Terrorism Research Center offers a wide variety of information and sources to help understand America's new war.
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"Al Qaeda's Threats" BBC News Posted: 10/16/2001
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Description:The videotape statement by bin Laden aired the night the bombing of Afghanistan began
Article Date: October 7, 2001 |
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"Al Qaeda's Threats" BBC News Posted: 10/16/2001
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Description:A statement by Suaiman Abu Ghaith, threatening continuing "storms of airplanes."
Article Date: October 14, 2001 |
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"Most Wanted Terrorists" FBI Posted: 10/11/2001
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Description:The FBI's list of the most wanted terrorists, with pictures and background information on each. Regularly updated.
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EmergencyNet News EmergencyNet News Posted: 10/11/2001
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Description:This site for emergency workers—"No-Nonsense News and Analysis, Written by Professionals, For Professionals"— covers news and assesses risks related to terrorism.
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"This is a Religious War" NY Times Sunday Magazine Posted: 10/11/2001
By Andrew Sullivan |
Description:An insight on the link between fundamentalism and political controls among all religions and secular creeds. (registration may be required)
Article Date: October 7, 2001 |
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President George W. Bush's Address President George W. Bush's Address Posted: 10/5/2001
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Description:President George W. Bush's address to a joint session of Congress and the American people, September 20, 2001
Article Date: September 20, 2001 |
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The Joint Resolution of Congress The Joint Resolution of Congress Posted: 10/5/2001
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Description:The joint resolution of Congress authorizing the use of force against terrorists, adopted September 14, 2001
Article Date: September 14, 2001 |
"Statement on the World Trade Center Atrocity" Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society Posted: 9/28/2001
By Ibn Warraq |
Description:Ibn Warraq (a pseudonym) is the Tom Paine of Islam: a humanist critic of its sacred texts. His site has commentaries, book references, and other valuable material.
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"Counter Terrorism" National Security Institute, Security Resource Net Posted: 9/28/2001
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Description:The National Security Institute's website is a resource for security professionals. This page on the site contains links to the text of security laws and executive orders, facts sheets, reports, and commentary.
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The Middle East Forum The Middle East Forum Posted: 9/21/2001
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Description:This research institute, led by Daniel Pipes, "works to define and promote American interests in the Middle East." Its journal, Middle East Quarterly, publishes accessible analyses by scholars.
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"Postmodern Terrorism" Foreign Affairs Posted: 9/17/2001
By Walter Laqueur |
Description:An eminent historian's prescient analysis of terrorism in historical and global perspective.
Article Date: September 30, 1996 |
"Rational Fanatics" Foreign Policy Posted: 9/17/2001
By Ehud Sprinzak |
Description:A review by an Israeli expert of studies about suicide terrorists
Article Date: September 30, 2000 |
"Get Ready for Twenty World Trade Center Bombings" Middle East Quarterly Posted: 9/17/2001
By Steven Emerson |
Description:An interview with a specialist on Muslim terrorist organizations operating in the United States. Emerson produced the award-winning PBS documentary Jihad in America, broadcast in November 1994.
Article Date: June 1997 |
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"Hunting bin-Laden" Frontline Posted: 9/17/2001
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Description:The PBS programs’ site has a wealth of information on Osama bin-Laden’s life, terrorist activities, and threats against the United States.
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