Blog #6

            The Bush and Cheney responses to 9/11 discuss the stereotype of the terrorist as a Muslim male. This deals with the facet of gender. Terrorists are never considered to be female because women in Middle Eastern countries do not have the freedoms American women have and as Bush stated in his speech, “women are not allowed to attend school.”

The terrorists that attacked our country on September 11, 2001 were part of a terrorist organization known as al Qaeda which is Arabic for “The Base”. The goal of al Qaeda is not to make money, but to remake the world and impose its radical beliefs on everyone. These terrorists "practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics, a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam."

Terrorists are also described to be haters of America. Cheney says that Osama bin Laden is filled with hate for the United States and for everything we stand for because we are freedom and democracy. The stereotype of the terrorist also creates the men to be masculine because they are directed to kill Christians, Jews and all Americans, even the women and children. The terrorists plan and train for years for these operations. They even commit themselves to die in the process. Those who took over the U.S. aircrafts came to America to train. They got visas, entered the U.S., enrolled in aviation schools and learned to fly. To later execute the plan, they needed to be on the airplane, have correct timing to attack and also have weapons such as knifes, razor blades or cardboard cutters. They then were able to take over the aircraft. 

              A 100 minute long training video was released by Osama bin laden. In the video, according to Tim Russert, bin Laden says, "We have to practice the way of the suicidal commandos of faith and the heroism of the resistance fighter and we refuse their culture and we will take advantage of their misfortunes and the blood of their wounded." Bin Laden later says, "With small capabilities, and with our faith, we can defeat the greatest military power of modern times," and that “America is much weaker than it appears." This shows how al Qaeda believes they are superior and should spread their beliefs.