September 11, 2001

The date of September 11, 2001, is largely recognized for a series of violent attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon [Page 1147]in Washington, D.C. The events of “9/11,” as it is often referred to, have changed the overall makeup of global and international relationships in virtually every segment of political, economic, and civil society. Moreover, a latent effect of 9/11 has created a greater global awareness of the intersection between religion and violence. On the surface, the attacks appeared to be driven by radical “Islamic fundamentalism;” yet a closer examination would hold that 9/11 was a mere instance of a particular form of religious extremism and was neither exclusive to nor representative of the larger Muslim community.

On that ...