Al Qaeda
Al Qaeda is an Islamist organization founded by Osama bin Laden in Pakistan between August 1988 and late 1989.It operates as a stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad and a strict interpretation of sharia law.
The origins of Al Qaeda are rooted in the Afghanistan resistance to the Soviet invasion from 1979 to 1989. Believing that the war with the Soviet Union was a holy battle between Islam and the infidel, Osama Bin Laden, the son of a wealthy Saudi contractor, traveled to Afghanistan to aid in the fight. At the time of the war, Afghanistan lacked both the infrastructure and manpower for a long-drawn-out war. Osama Bin Laden joined forces with Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Azzam, leader of the Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood, to establish the Maktab al-Khidamat (MAK) or the Afghan Services Bureau. The goal of the Afghan Services Bureau or MAK was to recruit Muslim fighters from around the world to fight in Afghanistan.
English: Hamid Mir interviewing Osama bin Laden fo...
September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City: View ...
An Al Qaida recruit dreams about Osama bin Laden O...Bin Laden paid for the Muslin fighters transportation and training, while Afghan locals provided land and resources. In 1988, Bin Laden broke ties with Abdullah Azzam and formed Al Qaeda (The Base) and declared his own jihad on a worldwide scale.
Bin Laden, further angered by the United States presence in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War, became even more outspoken. Bin Laden, along with his immediate family and his loyal band of followers moved to Sudan. In 1994, the Saudi government revoked Bin Laden's citizenship for his opposition to the Saudi government. You may note in your term paper that while in Sudan, Bin Laden established businesses, paved roads, built an airport, and created training camps to supply out of work mujahedin or holy warrior with jobs. The organization become virtually synonymous, Bin Laden needed...