Why Does Al Quaeda Want To Destroy The West?

Al Quaeda is a network of groups with roughly compatible ideologies. These centre around the objective of wiping out foreign influence in Muslim countries, but in some cases extend to the goal of converting all of humanity to their version of Islam and eliminating other world views completely.

The origins of the group are in individuals who fought against the 1979 Soviet Invasion in Afghanistan. However, the group really got its impetus after the 1991 Gulf War, when Saudi Arabia (and other Arabian Gulf war countries) invited the US to maintain a semi-permanent base on Saudi Arabian soil. This was very controversial among many in the Saudi Kingdom. Among self-appointed guardians of Islam (like Osama bin Laden) it was anathema that non-Muslims troops should occupy the most sacred country in Islam. Although the troops were there at the invitation of the Saudi government; this was only taken as evidence of their corrupting influence.

The situation has not been improved by the recent occupation by western military forces of the country holding the 2nd most holy sites in Islam, Iraq.

The Americans and the western, often very secular way of life, are seen as completely incompatible with the extremists' views of Islam. Westerners and their immoral ways are seen as unholy influences that must be contained if not destroyed at all costs.

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