Al-Qaeda means "the base" in Arabic. It began as an idea by Osama Bin Laden to overthrow governments allied with the West and create a single Muslim nation governed by Islamic law. Bin Laden issued fatwas calling for the killing of infidels, non-believers of Islam. The Soviet presence in Afghanistan, an Islamic nation, offended Muslims because the Soviets were not Islamic and brought modern weapons, leading Bin Laden and other Arabs to fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan. When the Soviets withdrew, it strengthened the belief that jihad could defeat powerful enemies.

1. Al-Qaeda--"The Base" 7. Bin Laden issued fatwas to all Muslims. Describe the rulings
contained in them.
Questions Various, including: all Arab governments allied with the
West should be overthrown; one Muslim nation should be
created; the Muslim state should be governed by the
1. Al-Qaeda is described as "the most notorious terrorist group of Islamic religious law; infidels should be killed.
our day." What does this mean? A
Various, including having a bad reputation because of the 8. What is an "infidel?"
degree of violence and audacity involved in 9/11 and all A. One who does not practice Islam
the other terror events ascribed to al-Qaeda. B. A Russian
C. A faithful practitioner of Islam
D 2. Why do experts say that al-Qaeda is as much an idea as a D. A member of al-Qaeda
group?
A. The word al-Qaeda means "the idea."
B. Bin Laden had the idea for al-Qaeda and then acted on it.
C. Leaders choose attack plans from ideas submitted by
underlings.
D. It is more a rallying point for hundreds of different
groups than a strong, cohesive organization.
3. Explain the words mujahideen and jihad. How are they
related?
Various, especially that the purpose of holy warriors
(mujahideen) is to fight holy war (jihad)
C 4. Why was the presence of Soviet forces in Afghanistan an
offense to all Muslims?
A. There were female Soviet troops and Muslims thought
women should be at home.
B. The Soviets did not eat according to Muslim dietary laws.
C. Afghanistan is an Islam nation and the Soviets were
infidels.
D. The Soviets brought powerful modern weapons and
people were frightened.
5. Explain the effect of the Soviet troop withdrawal on Bin Laden
and the Arabs who had worked together in Afghanistan.
Various-the Soviet retreat seemed to show that it was
possible for jihad to defeat great enemies. They wondered
what else they could accomplish.
B 6. Osama Bin Laden's nation of origin is:
A. Kenya
B. Saudi Arabia
C. Egypt
D. Afghanistan