Al Qaeda will use the acts of September 11 to finally lure the United States into a Holy War, uniting the nation of Islam against the Western allies.

The Inevitable Holy War

"Terrorism by definition strikes at the innocent in order to draw attention to the sins of the invulnerable" (Johnson 1). The terrorist acts of September 11 definitely have gotten the attention of the supposedly invulnerable United States. American citizens have now begun to realize the despise that other countries feel towards the United States. In the world of Islam, a deep hatred for the United States has burned for the last half-century. By striking at the innocent, Al Qaeda will use the acts of September 11 to finally lure the United States into a Holy War, uniting the nation of Islam against the Western allies.

A "clash of civilizations" between the West and Islam has been on the brink of exploding onto the world stage since the early 1950's. It all started in 1953 with the United States attempt to overthrow the Iranian government. The United States thrust the Shah into power, which eventually led to twenty-five years of tyranny and repression for the people of Iran (Johnson 1).

English: Osama bin Laden interviewed for Daily Pak...

English: Hamid Mir interviewing Osama bin Laden fo...

U.S. propaganda leaflet used in Afghanistan, with ...

This blatant interference by the United States in the ruling of another country greatly angered the Iranian citizens. During this time, the CIA first used the term "blowback". It was used as a metaphor "for the unintended consequences of the U.S. governments international activities that have been kept secret from the American people" (Johnson 1). The "blowback" from the United States actions in Iran became reality during the following Ayatollah Khomeiri revolution. Workers from the American Embassy in Iran were held hostage for more than a year. This display of anger towards the United States by Iranians was only a start in the feud between the nation of Islam and the West. Twenty-six years later during the Soviet's invasion of Afghanistan, the United States further enraged the...