David F. Forte

David F. Forte is a law professor at Cleveland State University and the author of Studies in Islamic Law: Classical and Contemporary Applications. In the following viewpoint he argues that the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that were perpetrated by Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda organization constitute a perversion of all forms of Islam, including its Wahhabist and fundamentalist strains. While there is much that is objectionable about some strains of militant Islamic fundamentalism, he writes, Islam should not be blamed for the events of September 11. Osama bin Laden has become an enemy of Islam by changing it from a religion into a totalitarian political ideology. The United States should be careful to maintain a moral distinction between bin Laden’s ideas and Islam, Forte concludes.

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