Throughout the history of the Earth, there have been many different groups and organisations which have been labelled as ‘terrorists’, although arguably the most significant being Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda was a militant based Islamist organisation founded by the infamous Jihadist leader, Osama Bin Laden, in the late 1980s. The organisation began as a logistics based network and was created with the intention of supporting those fighting against the Soviet Union in the Afghan War, recruiting members from different Islamic states. However, Al Qaeda eventually ended up merging with numerous other Islamist organisations, such as the Egypt’s Islamic Jihadist, and declared holy war against the United States, starting to plan and execute several attacks around the country. From the perspective of those living in Islamic states, Osama Bin Laden, as well as all members of Al Qaeda, were freedom fighters, fighting for the freedom and rights of Muslim people. On the contrary, the Western world and the United States viewed them as terrorists, as they were only creating fear and disrupting the community, as well as harming civilians and innocent people to get what they want. Osama Bin Laden, along with Al Qaeda, provoked change in the modern world through the use of their violent protest methods, which the western world considered terrorism while the Muslims considered them to be acts of freedom fighters.
Firstly, those living in the United States believed that Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda were terrorists, as they used violent protest methods in hopes of achieving their political goals, to unite the Muslim people and create one true Islamic state, driving all Western culture away from the Muslim world. Al Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden, successfully planned and executed several attacks around the United States in the forms of suicide, roadside and public bombings. These attacks harmed countless innocent Americans, including men, women and children, and were mostly aimed towards public areas where large amounts of attention would be drawn. A biography on Osama Bin Laden, illustrated by the editors of Biography.com and published on April 2nd, 2014, shares the story of Osama Bin Laden’s life, stating how, “Osama bin Laden is a terrorist extremist who planned the attacks on the World Trade Center and is intent on driving Western influence from the Muslim world.” This expression demonstrates how the people living in the Western society and the United States believed that Osama Bin Laden, as well as Al Qaeda, had only one goal, to drive all Western influence from the Islamic states. They also believed that they were using their violent means of protest to harm American civilians in hopes of getting what they want through several major attacks, such as those on the World Trade Center. Furthermore, an article published by the editors of History.com, on the 4th of December, 2018, provides insight into the history of Al Qaeda, explaining how, “In 1988, bin Laden created a new group, called al-Qaida (“the base”) that would focus on symbolic acts of terrorism instead of military campaigns.” The article also explains how Al Qaeda, “The global terror network founded by Osama bin Laden has been responsible for thousands of deaths on 9/11 and several other deadly attacks across the globe.” This shows how the people living in the United States linked the creation of Al Qaeda to the creation of a new global terrorist organisation, one of which only focuses on planning and executing major attacks around the entire world, specifically the United States, and is responsible for the loss of countless human lives. This also shares the revealing perspective of those living among the Western culture as they do not give mention to the messages and or reasons to why Al Qaeda performed the attacks, failing to adhere to the perspective of their enemy. An article from the editors of the Britannica Encyclopaedia, published in 2019, explores the upbringing of Al Qaeda over the years, providing information regarding their many attacks, clarifying how, “Its agents engaged in numerous terrorist attacks, including the destruction of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (1998), and a suicide bomb attack against the U.S. warship Cole in Aden, Yemen (2000).” This represents the thoughts and feelings of those living in the United States as they describe the acts of Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden, as ‘terrorist attacks’, stating how they are responsible for the destruction and instability that their society is facing. Overall, the residents of the United States believed that Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda were terrorists, using their violent protest methods to harm innocent people as well as provoke fear and panic among society.
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On the contrary, those living in Islamic states believed that Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden were freedom fighters, going out of their way and to extreme measures to fight for the freedom and rights of Muslim people. Osama Bin Laden was a Muslim man who founded and created a secret network known as Al Qaeda, composed of militant Muslims he had previously met while serving in Afghanistan. From the perspective of those living in the Middle East, he, along with the members of Al Qaeda, were freedom fighters who wanted to unite their nation and people in hopes of creating one true Islamic state. A statement from Osama Bin Laden in October of 2014, published on a videotape broadcast and directed to the president at the time, George W. Bush, shows Osama stating, “Free men do not forfeit their security, contrary to Bush's claim that we hate freedom. If so, then let him explain to us why we don't strike Sweden, for example.” This expression details how he thought of himself and his fellow piers in Al Qaeda, as freedom fighters, as they were going to extreme measures to achieve their goals of freedom, rights and obedience, giving up their security along the way and in return. Moreover, an editorial published by the Pabst Science Publishers in November of 2015, provides background information in relation to Osama Bin Laden and his views, stating, “Osama bin Laden falls into the second category. He views himself, not as a terrorist, but as a 'freedom fighter' and 'champion of the underprivileged poor'.' This further emphasizes how the Muslim race and people, including Osama Bin Laden himself, classifies his actions as those of a freedom fighter, making the analogy and comparing himself to a champion of those who are less privileged and fortunate, making reference to the Muslim community. Finally, a page from the Washington Post, published in 2007, details the timeline of Osama Bin Laden’s life and displays, “After graduating from King Abdul Aziz University with a civil engineering degree, Osama bin Laden went to Afghanistan to help finance, recruit and train Afghan freedom fighters, or mujahideen, battling against Soviet forces deployed to support Afghanistan's communist government.” This further emphasizes how the Islamic society believed in Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda, as freedom fighters instead of terrorists. They viewed them as people who are intentionally going out of their way to produce the freedom and rights for all Muslim people. In summary, the people living in Islamic states believed that Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden were extremely passionate freedom fighters, going out of their way and to extreme measures to fight for the freedom and rights of Muslim people.
In conclusion, Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda provoked immense change in modern society through the use of their violent protest methods, which people living in the United States considered terrorism while people living in Islamic states considered them acts of freedom fighters. Throughout the history of Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden and the organisation planned and commenced many attacks on the United States in a variety of different forms, the most significant being bombings. On the other hand, Muslim people and those living in Islamic societies believed that they were freedom fighters, as they were putting their lives and reputation on the line for the sake of the freedom and rights of Muslim people. Al Qaeda, arguably the most significant terrorist group to ever go down in history, provoked change throughout the entire globe, and is the reason for the current state of security in western cultures, as well as the freedom that Muslim people currently have today.
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