Arab Resentment for the US

             On September 11, 2001, a horrific terrorist attack was waged against the United States. Thousands of working men and women were killed in the attacks, leaving the country grieving and angry. On that day, I asked myself, "What could make those people hate America so much that they would do such a terrible thing?" Since that day, finding the answer to that question has been a priority of mine. I have concluded that the varying interpretations of Islamic values, America's indulgent culture, and United States foreign policy are all sources of resentment for America in the Middle East.
             During this time of terrorism, many Americans have been looking for a religious reasoning to account for the resentment for the United States among many Middle Eastern peoples. In contrast to the Middle East, American culture tends to be ostentatious and thrives on indulgence. It has been assumed that the people of the Middle East, being predominantly Muslim, fear the corruption of their culture by the omnipresent American culture. Many speculators have looked to the Koran for explanations. However, the Koran can be translated in many ways, making it difficult for non-Arabic speaking people to interpret its meaning. Despite this difficulty, in the recent months since the attacks, many Americans have been interpreting passages of the Koran to be promoting the killing of non-believers as well as violent actions against "suppressors" of Islam. In an article from the New York Times titled "This Is a Religious War," the author interprets a passage of the Koran as saying: "Believers! Wage war against such of the infidels as are your neighbors, and let them find you rigorous." The instruction to "wage war" in this passage might be interpreted figuratively by some, but considering the recent events, it seems as though the members of Al Qaeda took this instruction literally. On the other hand, the Koran is ren...

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Arab Resentment for the US. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 07:54, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/75443.html