Faisal Bodi

About the author: Faisal Bodi is a British Muslim writer.

In asking the question of why they were the target of terrorists, Americans must look at U.S. policies in the Middle East. By supporting totalitarian regimes in Middle East nations, imposing economic sanctions on Iraq, and supporting Israel against the Palestinian people, the United States has contributed to the deaths of many innocent people and has become a symbol of terror and oppression for many Muslims. The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were in part a result of American abuses of human rights abroad.

As Americans wake from the nightmare of September 11th's onslaught against their key commercial and political buildings, two questions are likely to be on their...