He and his large following have been after the WTC for many years now. Why? Because in their minds, it is their enemy. It is the engine that has fueled, and continues to fuel, the oppression of their people.
although I agree they relished the financial disruption the devastation would cause, I believe the primary motivator was the opportunity to strike at the symbolic heart of the western capitalist society which is perceived as a cultural enemy by radical Muslims. Bernard Lewis succinctly expresses this in The Roots of Muslim Rage :
"For a long time now there has been a rising tide of rebellion against this Western paramountcy, and a desire to reassert Muslim values and restore Muslim greatness. The Muslim has suffered successive stages of defeat. The first was his loss of domination in the world, to the advancing power of Russia and the West. The second was the undermining of his authority in his own country, through an invasion of foreign ideas and laws and ways of life and sometimes even foreign rulers or settlers, and the enfranchisement of native non-Muslim elements. The third -- the last straw -- was the challenge to his mastery in his own house, from emancipated women and rebellious children. It was too much to endure, and the outbreak of rage against these alien, infidel, and incomprehensible forces that had subverted his dominance, disrupted his society, and finally violated the sanctuary of his home was inevitable. It was also natural that this rage should be directed primarily against the millennial enemy and should draw its strength from ancient beliefs and loyalties"
theatlantic.com
--fl |
