CONTENTS
In her groundbreaking, "Evil as Love and Liberation," Ruth Stein suggests that the violent acts of Mohammed Atta and the suicide bombers on September 11, 2001 were undertaken in a spirit of devotion based on profound attachment to Allah. According to Stein, the essential posture of the suicide bombers was one of sacrificial submission. As the suicide bombers martyred themselves for the sake of God, so did victims at the World Trade Center become sacrificial victims—dying in the name of Allah.
"Infidels" are people that do not share the beliefs of believers. The existence of the infidel stands as an affront to the believer. Acts of terror such as those performed on September 11, 2001 represent an effort to punish infidels and to prove the omnipotence of one's God. Acts of terror are designed to terrify; to compel people to take heed. The act of terror declares, "This is the fate of people who do not acknowledge the power of our God."
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