How We Have Changed
“By seizing symbols of American mobility-airlines- and smashing them into symbols of commercial and political power-the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon- al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people, closed Wall Street and air transport, and shifted the focus of national government overnight.”(Omestad 2) This and other effects of terrorism on America have changed our way of life, forcing us to prevention everyday. The effects have been a harsh experience, making Americans unite, while being on a high alert. One important cause of terrorism is political difference between the United States and terrorists. The nature of terrorism is an unlawful way of violence towards people or property to go through with political or social goals.(Bender 17) “Terrorism is the use of threatened use of force designed to bring about political closure.” (Jenkins 1) “Terrorists are criminals, whatever their ethnic, religious, or other affiliation. We oppose their crimes, not any religious or moral cause they support to represent. When it comes to dealing with terrorism, there should be no differences of opinion based on religion or ethnicity.”(U.S. Government Views on Terrorism 1) The separation is among those who engage, aid, or allow terrorism and people that can interpret that it is criminal action.(U.S. Govt. Views on Terrorism 1) The United States sees terrorism occurring due to political disagreement, not religion. The political difference is on how we live, how the government is setup, and the way our nation receives our wealth. The second cause of terrorism is the different beliefs in religion. “In his 40th year, while he was praying in a cave on Mount Hira, the angel Gabriel spoke to him saying ‘Muhammad you are the Messenger of God.’(Woodward 51) This was the start of the Qur’an and the beginning of the Muslim religion. The Qur’an is the main source of difference. The Qur’an is a book to Muslims as the Bible is to Christians. “Readers of the Bible will find in the Qur’an familiar figures such as Abraham, Moses, David, John the Baptist, Jesus, and even the Virgin Mary, who appears much more often than she does in the New Testament, and is the only woman mentioned in the Qur’an by name. The Qur’anic Moses (Musa) looks much like his biblical counterpart.” But their stories differ radically from those found in the Bible.”(Woodward 55) It seems that Allah states in Qur’an to do away with anyone that does not have the same beliefs.