Marcel Ernst

Autumn 2001 Marcel Ernst

The series of writings on contemporary history that I have dedicated myself to would be incomplete without a book detailing the milestone of September 11, 2001. Context is always crucial when dealing with events of that magnitude, hence the title "Autumn 2001." The attacks on US soil and airspace represented the culmination of an escalation of extremist violence. Six months earlier, the rulers of Afghanistan, the Taliban, outraged many by destroying the magnificent Bamiyan Buddha statues, including Muslims. Like most totalitarian theocratic holders of power, the Taliban could not bear the fact that devout religious people would worship a different prophet. Since May 1996 they harboured Saudi-born Osama bin Laden; his "career" merits some elaboration. After leaving college in 1979 he went to Pakistan to join his mentor Abdullah Azzam (1941-89), who became known as the Father of Global Jihad. Azzam's trademark slogan: "Jihad and the rifle alone: no negotiations, no conferences and no dialogues." Bin Laden used money and machinery from his family's construction company to help the Mujahedeen resistance in the Soviet-Afghan War. As Edward Said and others pointed out, the Mujahedeen also received assistance from the United States in the early 1980s in its efforts to drive the Soviets out of Afghanistan. Washington rallied Islamic warriors against "godless communism." In 1985 a group of Mujahedeen came to Washington and met with President Reagan, who called them "freedom fighters." But some of them had other objectives; in 1988 bin Laden and Azzam founded the terrorist group al-Qaeda ("the base") in Peshawar, Pakistan. Tensions emerged between the two over where to focus operations. The Soviet army completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan in February 1989; in November unknown assassins detonated a bomb that killed Azzam. Bin Laden became Al-Qaeda's undisputed leader. In the aftermath of Iraq's occupation of Kuwait in August 1990 he met with King Fahd and Saudi Defense Minister Sultan, telling them not to depend on non-Muslim assistance from the United States and others and offering to help defend Saudi Arabia with his Arab legion. The King refused and invited US forces instead, angering bin Laden, who argued that only Muslims should defend the holy sites of Mecca and Medina. His public criticism culminated in his ejection from Saudi Arabia the following year. The stateless al-Qaeda leader then focused his frustration and hatred on the United States, embarking on the road that would lead to the attacks of September 11, 2001. Like so many others on that horrible day, I watched the South Tower come down live that morning, a testimony to the power of television. As a father of two young sons I worried about their future, and what society was coming to. Therefore, apart from the ringleaders mentioned above I have decided not to use any of the 19 hijackers' names. They have received enough publicity. This book is not about them; it focuses instead on how society changed as a result of their ruthless and cowardly actions, and the staggering cost of the War on Terror.