The Road to 9-11

America Asks: “Why?”

Lecture #1 – Deep Background

Geography- A Crossroads Europe Asia Africa

The Abrahamic Religions Aka the Great Monotheistic Religions –Judaism –Christianity –Islam To Muslims, Islam is God’s last, best version of the truth  an updated version of Judaism and Christianity There is a great deal of overlapping of the faiths –For example, in Islam, Jesus is a great prophet, but not the son of God –All three trace themselves back to the biblical character Abraham

The Three Were Constantly in Contact and Frequently at Odds Crusades Expulsion of Muslims from Spain Ottoman Conquest of Constantinople Etc.

For a Long Period of History, Muslim Middle Eastern Empires Were the Most Advanced on the Planet The empires of Persia and the Abbasid Dynasty centered on Baghdad were the intellectual and commercial centers of the world in year 1000, before the Mongolians crushed them The later Muslim Ottoman Empire frequently invaded Europe –In the century after Columbus discovered America, more books were written in Europe about the Ottoman menace to the East than about the New World

The Rise of the (Christian) West In the 1400s, the European Christians had an intellectual and cultural Renaissance called… the Renaissance This led to science and technology, and with them… –…POWER The Muslim Empires slowly lost ground

In World War I, the Muslims Even Lost Their Independence The Ottoman joined the wrong (German) side in WWI –Central Powers When the Central Powers Lost, Britain and France gobbled up the Middle East Oil was just starting to be a big deal at this point –Internal combustion engine

Uh, oh!

End of Day #1

Hansen Name _________________________ U.S. History Period _________ The Road To 9-11 (Day #1) America Asks ______ Middle Eastern Geography ______________________ ____________________________________________ The Abrahamic Religions –Aka the Great Monotheistic Religions ____________________ ___________________ –To Muslims, Islam is ______________________ ______________________  an updated version of _______________________________ –There is a great deal of overlapping of the faiths For example, in Islam, Jesus is ________ __________________________________ All three trace themselves back to ______ __________________________________ The Three Were Constantly in Contact and ________ __________________________________________ For a Long Period of History, Muslim Middle Eastern Empires Were _________________________________ The empires of Persia and the Abbasid Dynasty centered ______________________ were the intellectual and commercial centers of the world in year 1000, _______________________________________ –The later Muslim Ottoman Empire frequently _______ __________________________________ In the century after Columbus discovered America, more books were written in Europe about _______________________________ ____________________________________ The Rise of the (Christian) West –In the 1400s, the European Christians had an intellectual and cultural Renaissance called… ___ ____________________________________ –This led to science and technology, and with them… …______________ –The Muslim Empires slowly _______________ In World War I, the Muslims even lost ______________ ____________________________________ –The Ottoman joined the wrong (German) side in WWI ______________________ –When the Central Powers Lost, Britain and France ________________________________ –______________________________________ Internal combustion engine

USS Cole

Al-Qaeda formed in Afghanistan in the late 1980’s Bin Laden and other generals maintain training camps in Afghanistan The United States offered support to Bin Laden to they could help us defeat the Russians in the Cold War Sounds like a bribe to me……Damn Americans never learn. It has to be done under the table