The Future of the Global Muslim Population

The world’s Muslim population is expected to increase by about 35% in the next 20 years, rising from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.2 billion by 2030, according to new population projections by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Globally, the Muslim population is forecast to grow at about twice the rate of the non-Muslim population over the next two decades – an average annual growth rate of 1.5% for Muslims, compared with 0.7% for non-Muslims. If current trends continue, Muslims will make up 26.4% of the world’s total projected population of 8.3 billion in 2030, up from 23.4% of the estimated 2010 world population of 6.9 billion.

While the global Muslim population is expected to grow at a faster rate than the non-Muslim population, the Muslim population nevertheless is expected to grow at a slower pace in the next two decades than it did in the previous two decades. From 1990 to 2010, the global Muslim population increased at an average annual rate of 2.2%, compared with the projected rate of 1.5% for the period from 2010 to 2030.

 These are among the key findings of a comprehensive report on the size, distribution and growth of the global Muslim population. The report by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life seeks to provide up-to-date estimates of the number of Muslims around the world in 2010 and to project the growth of the Muslim population from 2010 to 2030. The projections are based both on past demographic trends and on assumptions about how these trends will play out in future years. Making these projections inevitably entails a host of uncertainties, including political ones. Changes in the political climate in the United States or European nations, for example, could dramatically affect the patterns of Muslim migration.

The declining growth rate is due primarily to falling fertility rates in many Muslim-majority countries, including such populous nations as Indonesia and Bangladesh. Fertility is dropping as more women in these countries obtain a secondary education, living standards rise and people move from rural areas to cities and towns. (See the Related Factors section for more details.)

The slowdown in Muslim population growth is most pronounced in the Asia- Pacific region, the Middle East-North Africa and Europe, and less sharp in sub-Saharan Africa. The only region where Muslim population growth is accelerating through 2020 is the Americas, largely because of immigration. (For details, see the charts on population growth in the sections of this report on Asia-Pacific, Middle-East-North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and the Americas.)

Falling birth rates eventually will lead to significant shifts in the age structure of Muslim populations. While the worldwide Muslim population today is relatively young, the so-called Muslim “youth bulge” – the high percentage of Muslims in their teens and 20s – peaked around the year 2000 and is now declining. (See the Age Structure section for more details.)

In 1990, more than twothirds of the total population of Muslim-majority countries was under age 30. Today, people under 30 make up about 60% of the population of these countries, and by 2030 they are projected to fall to about 50%.

At the same time, many Muslim-majority countries will have aging populations; between 2010 and 2030, the share of people age 30 and older in these countries is expected to rise from 40% to 50%, and the share of people age 60 and older is expected nearly to double, from 7% to 12%.

Muslim-majority countries, however, are not the only ones with aging populations. As birth rates drop and people live longer all around the globe, the population of the entire world is aging. As a result, the global Muslim population will remain comparatively youthful for decades to come. The median age in Muslim-majority countries, for example, rose from 19 in 1990 to 24 in 2010 and is expected to climb to 30 by 2030. But it will still be lower than the median age in North America, Europe and other more-developed regions, which rose from 34 to 40 between 1990 and 2010 and is projected to be 44 in 2030. By that year, nearly three-inten of the world’s youth and young adults – 29.1% of people ages 15-29 – are projected to be Muslims, up from 25.8% in 2010 and 20.0% in 1990.

Other key findings of the study include:

Worldwide

• Sunni Muslims will continue to make up an overwhelming majority of Muslims in 2030 (87- 90%). The portion of the world’s Muslims who are Shia may decline slightly, largely because of relatively low fertility in Iran, where more than a third of the world’s Shia Muslims live.
• As of 2010, about three-quarters of the world’s Muslims (74.1%) live in the 49 countries in which Muslims make up a majority of the population. More than a fifth of all Muslims (23.3%) live in non-Muslim-majority countries in the developing world. About 3% of the world’s Muslims live in more-developed regions, such as Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
• Fertility rates in Muslim-majority countries are closely related to women’s education levels. In the eight Muslim-majority countries where girls generally receive the fewest years of schooling, the average fertility rate (5.0 children per woman) is more than double the average rate (2.3 children per woman) in the nine Muslim-majority countries where girls generally receive the most years of schooling. One exception is the Palestinian territories, where the average fertility rate (4.5 children per woman) is relatively high even though a girl born there today can expect to receive 14 years of formal education.
• Fewer than half (47.8%) of married women ages 15-49 in Muslim-majority countries use some form of birth control. By comparison, in non-Muslim-majority, less-developed countries nearly two-thirds (63.3%) of all married women in that age group use some form of birth control.

Asia-Pacific

• Nearly three-in-ten people living in the Asia-Pacific region in 2030 (27.3%) will be Muslim, up from about a quarter in 2010 (24.8%) and roughly a fifth in 1990 (21.6%).
• Muslims make up only about 2% of the population in China, but because the country is so populous, its Muslim population is expected to be the 19th largest in the world in 2030.

Middle East-North Africa

• The Middle East-North Africa will continue to have the highest percentage of Muslim-majority countries. Of the 20 countries and territories in this region, all but Israel are projected to be at least 50% Muslim in 2030, and 17 are expected to have a population that is more than 75% Muslim in 2030, with Israel, Lebanon and Sudan (as currently demarcated) being the only exceptions.
• Nearly a quarter (23.2%) of Israel’s population is expected to be Muslim in 2030, up from 17.7% in 2010 and 14.1% in 1990. During the past 20 years, the Muslim population in Israel has more than doubled, growing from 0.6 million in 1990 to 1.3 million in 2010. The Muslim population in Israel (including Jerusalem but not the West Bank and Gaza) is expected to reach 2.1 million by 2030.
• Egypt, Algeria and Morocco currently have the largest Muslim populations in the Middle East-North Africa. By 2030, however, Iraq is expected to have the second-largest Muslim population in the region – exceeded only by Egypt – largely because Iraq has a higher fertility rate than Algeria or Morocco.

Sub-Saharan Africa

• The Muslim population in sub-Saharan Africa is projected to grow by nearly 60% in the next 20 years, from 242.5 million in 2010 to 385.9 million in 2030. Because the region’s non- Muslim population also is growing at a rapid pace, Muslims are expected to make up only a slightly larger share of the region’s population in 2030 (31.0%) than they do in 2010 (29.6%).
• Various surveys give differing figures for the size of religious groups in Nigeria, which appears to have roughly equal numbers of Muslims and Christians in 2010. By 2030, Nigeria is expected to have a slight Muslim majority (51.5%).

Europe

• In 2030, Muslims are projected to make up more than 10% of the total population in 10 European countries: Kosovo (93.5%), Albania (83.2%), Bosnia-Herzegovina (42.7%), Republic of Macedonia (40.3%), Montenegro (21.5%), Bulgaria (15.7%), Russia (14.4%), Georgia (11.5%), France (10.3%) and Belgium (10.2%).
• Russia will continue to have the largest Muslim population (in absolute numbers) in Europe in 2030. Its Muslim population is expected to rise from 16.4 million in 2010 to 18.6 million in 2030. The growth rate for the Muslim population in Russia is projected to be 0.6% annually over the next two decades. By contrast, Russia’s non-Muslim population is expected to shrink by an average of 0.6% annually over the same period.
• France had an expected net influx of 66,000 Muslim immigrants in 2010, primarily from North Africa. Muslims comprised an estimated two-thirds (68.5%) of all new immigrants to France in the past year. Spain was expected to see a net gain of 70,000 Muslim immigrants in 2010, but they account for a much smaller portion of all new immigrants to Spain (13.1%). The U.K.’s net inflow of Muslim immigrants in the past year (nearly 64,000) was forecast to be nearly as large as France’s. More than a quarter (28.1%) of all new immigrants to the U.K. in 2010 are estimated to be Muslim.

The Americas

• The number of Muslims in Canada is expected to nearly triple in the next 20 years, from about 940,000 in 2010 to nearly 2.7 million in 2030. Muslims are expected to make up 6.6% of Canada’s total population in 2030, up from 2.8% today. Argentina is expected to have the third-largest Muslim population in the Americas, after the U.S. and Canada. Argentina, with about 1 million Muslims in 2010, is now in second place, behind the U.S.
• Children under age 15 make up a relatively small portion of the U.S. Muslim population today. Only 13.1% of Muslims are in the 0-14 age group. This reflects the fact that a large proportion of Muslims in the U.S. are newer immigrants who arrived as adults. But by 2030, many of these immigrants are expected to start families. If current trends continue, the number of U.S. Muslims under age 15 will more than triple, from fewer than 500,000 in 2010 to 1.8 million in2030. The number of Muslim children ages 0-4 living in the U.S. is expected to increase from fewer than 200,000 in 2010 to more than 650,000 in 2030.
• About two-thirds of the Muslims in the U.S. today (64.5%) are first-generation immigrants (foreign-born), while slightly more than a third (35.5%) were born in the U.S. By 2030, however, more than four-in-ten of the Muslims in the U.S. (44.9%) are expected to be native-born.
• The top countries of origin for Muslim immigrants to the U.S. in 2009 were Pakistan and Bangladesh. They are expected to remain the top countries of origin for Muslim immigrants to the U.S. in 2030.

About the Report

This report makes demographic projections. Projections are not the same as predictions. Rather, they are estimates built on current population data and assumptions about demographic trends; they are what will happen if the current data are accurate and the trends play out as expected. But many things – immigration laws, economic conditions, natural disasters, armed conflicts, scientific discoveries, social movements and political upheavals, to name just a few – can shift demographic trends in unforeseen ways, which is why this report adheres to a modest time frame, looking just 20 years down the road. Even so, there is no guarantee that Muslim populations will grow at precisely the rates anticipated in this report and not be affected by unforeseen events, such as political decisions on immigration quotas or national campaigns to encourage larger or smaller families.

The projections presented in this report are the medium figures in a range of three scenarios – high, medium and low – generated from models commonly used by demographers around the world to forecast changes in population size and composition. The models follow what is known as the cohort-component method, which starts with a baseline population (in this case, the current number of Muslims in each country) divided into groups, or cohorts, by age and sex. Each cohort is projected into the future by adding likely gains – new births and immigrants – and subtracting likely losses – deaths and emigrants. These calculations were made by the Pew Forum’s demographers, who collaborated with researchers at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria on the projections for the United States and European countries. (For more details, see Appendix A: Methodology.)

The current population data that underpin this report were culled from the best sources available on Muslims in each of the 232 countries and territories for which the U.N. Population Division provides general population estimates. Many of these baseline statistics were published in the Pew Forum’s 2009 report, Mapping the Global Muslim Population, which acquired and analyzed about 1,500 sources of data – including census reports, large-scale demographic studies and general population surveys – to estimate the number of Muslims in every country and territory. (For a list of sources, see Appendix B: Data Sources by Country.) All of those estimates have been updated for 2010, and some have been substantially revised. (To find the current estimate and projections for a particular region or country, see Muslim Population by  Country, 1990-2030.) Since many countries are conducting national censuses in 2010-11, more data is likely to emerge over the next few years, but a cut-off must be made at some point; this report is based on information available as of mid-2010. To the extent possible, the report provides data for decennial years – 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020 and 2030. In some cases, however, the time periods vary because data is available only for certain years or in five-year increments (e.g., 2010-15 or 2030-35).

The definition of Muslim in this report is very broad. The goal is to count all groups and individuals who self-identify as Muslims. This includes Muslims who may be secular or nonobservant. No attempt is made in this report to measure how religious Muslims are or to forecast levels of religiosity (or secularism) in the decades ahead.²

source: PEW FORUM

Tweet This

10 Events Surrounding September 11

People all over the world are familiar with what happened on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four US commercial passenger jet airliners and intentionally crashed two of them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. The Twin Towers collapsed within two hours of being struck by the planes. Civilians from over 70 countries were killed in the attacks, with a total of 2,995 casualties. In the months before and after September 11, many important international events occurred. On October 7, 2001, the US military’s Operation Enduring Freedom was launched, starting the War in Afghanistan. This list will be documenting ten news stories and international events surrounding September 11, 2001.

10 - Enron Scandal Revealed

Most Americans are familiar with the failure of the Enron Corporation. Enron was an American energy company based out of Houston, Texas. In 2000, Enron was one of the largest businesses in the world. They had working operations in many areas, mainly electricity, natural gas, communications and pulp and paper. Amazingly, Enron claimed revenues of nearly $101 billion in 2000. The problems for Enron started from the beginning, when a group of executives in the company began misleading the board of directors and audit committee. They did this by hiding billions of dollars in debt, acquired from failed deals and projects. In the months following 9/11, the illegal activity caught up with Enron and the company failed. Enron stock holders lost nearly $11 billion, and the resulting scandal marked the largest bankruptcy reorganization in American history at that time.

The Enron scandal ended the business career of accounting firm Arthur Andersen. Arthur Andersen Corporation was found guilty of unlawful practice in the auditing of Enron. In October of 2001, one month after the attacks in New York and Washington, details of the Enron scandal were leaked to the world press. The story sparked a panic among Enron stock holders, and by December 2, 2001, Enron Corp. filed for one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in US history, with assets of $63.4 billion. Because of the failure, new regulations and legislation were enacted to expand the reliability of financial reporting for public companies. Many conspiracy theories have been formed around the Enron Scandal, and the date on which it was revealed to the public. Most of these claims document the ties between former Texas Governor George W. Bush and Enron founder Kenneth Lay.

09 - Executive Order 13233

In 1972, thousands of official and unofficial FBI records were destroyed, upon the death of J. Edgar Hoover. In fact, in the past it was common practice for high ranking officials to destroy their most important business documents. For this reason, in 1974 the US Congress passed the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act, placing the presidential records of Richard Nixon in federal custody to prevent their destruction. The Act was meant to reduce secrecy at the highest levels of government, and to give historians the materials they need to perform their duties. The Presidential Records Act of 1978 expanded such protection of historical records. This was accomplished by mandating that all records of former presidents automatically become the property of the federal government upon leaving the Oval Office. 

The presidential papers of Ronald Reagan and Vice President George Bush were due to be made public when George W. Bush took office in January, 2001. However, George W. Bush first delayed the release for 90 days, and then repeated the action, pushing the date back into September, 2001. On November 1, 2001, Bush issued Executive Order 13233, limiting public access to the records of former U.S. presidents. The Bush executive order also includes the documents of former vice presidents. Many people were critical of this action, claiming that it violated both the “spirit and letter of existing US laws.” The order severely curtailed public access to presidential records and added to delays in obtaining materials from presidential libraries. On January 21, 2009, Executive Order 13233 was revoked, by executive order of President Barack Obama on his first day in office. Obama essentially restored the original Executive Order 12667.

During his presidency, George W. Bush was accused of acting in violation of the Presidential Records Act of 1978. In 2007, the Bush White House e-mail controversy was revealed. The event started when George W. Bush initiated the, unprecedented, midterm dismissal of seven United States Attorneys on December 7, 2006. The U.S. attorneys were replaced with interim appointees, under provisions in the 2005 USA PATRIOT Act reauthorization. Following the action, a congressional request was called looking for documents indicating why the attorneys were fired. This caused the Bush administration to reveal the fact that not all internal White House emails were available, because they were sent via a non-government domain, that was hosted on an e-mail server not controlled by the federal government. In 2009, it was announced that as many as 22 million emails may have been deleted by the Bush administration.

08 - 2001 Atlantic Hurricane Season

Hurricane Erin was the first, and longest lived, hurricane in the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm developed from a tropical wave on September 1, 2001, and by September 9 it strengthened into a full blown hurricane. Hurricane Erin passed within 100 miles of Bermuda, and created nasty weather and rip currents along the East Coast of the United States. On September 11, Erin decelerated as it turned to the east, but the hurricane would gain power over Canada and not dissipate until September 15. It is an interesting story because many flights and air traffic control workers were directly affected by Hurricane Erin. The storm produced 6 foot swells off the coast of North Carolina.

The second hurricane of the 2001 season struck on September 12, 2001. The storm is named Hurricane Felix and it originated 1,500 miles (2414 km) south of the Azores. Felix did not impact land, but caused weather problems for boats and aircraft. Hurricane Gabrielle was the third hurricane recorded during the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm developed on September 11, 2001, in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. By September 13, Gabrielle intensified and accelerated northeastward toward Venice, Florida. On September 14, the storm made landfall near Venice, Florida, and was soon categorized as a hurricane. Hurricane Gabrielle caused heavy rainfall and bad weather conditions in Florida, Alabama, Bermuda and Canada. Three people were reported to have died in the storm, and it caused $230 million in damages. It is truly unfortunate that the September 11th terrorist attacks fell in line with a string of high powered hurricanes.

07 - Abnormal Stock Trading

In the week prior to 9/11, an “extraordinary” amount of put options were placed on United Airlines and American Airlines stocks. If you are unfamiliar with the stock market, a put option is financial contract between two parties that will offer the buyer insurance against a company’s excessive loss. Someone who purchases a put option is expecting a stock to drop or they are protecting their assets. Between September 6 and 7, 4,744 put options were purchased on United Airlines stock, compared to 396 call options. On September 10, 4,516 put options were purchased on American Airlines, as compared to 748 call options. The trading activity was 600% above the normal level. United and American Airlines were the only two companies who had planes hijacked on 9/11. There were also an abnormal number of put options purchased in companies who had a stake in the World Trade Centers. 

The majority of the suspicious trading was linked to Deutsche Bank Alex Brown. On September 12, 2001, the head of the bank, Mayo A. Shattuck III, resigned from office. The previous director of the bank was A. B. Krongard, who is the former head of the CIA. Citigroup Inc and Morgan Stanley also received an abnormal number of put options, and both companies held offices in the World Trade Centers, and saw a decrease in stock price after the attacks. On September 10, 2001, Raytheon, a defense contractor, had an anomalously high number of call options traded. The Securities and Exchange Commission launched an insider trading investigation, in which Osama Bin Laden was a suspect, but no action was taken. The trading was traced to areas all over the world, with most activity occurring in the UK, Italy, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, France and the US.

In the days prior to 9/11, the Chicago Exchange saw the highest number of United and American Airlines options traded in history. The names of the investors remain a mystery, because they never claimed their money. After it was discovered that a single U.S.-based institutional investor, with no conceivable ties to al Qaeda, purchased a large amount of these options, the 9/11 Commission dismissed the importance of the events. Unfortunately, the abnormal trading did not tip off law enforcement, as intelligence agencies constantly monitor the stock exchange and the sudden rise in activity could have allowed analysts to “connect the dots” and see that a major event was about to take place involving American Airlines, United Airlines and The World Trade Centers. However, nobody could have imagined the scale of the tragedy.

06 - Death of Ahmad Shah Massoud

In 1979, the Soviet Union began their ten year long conflict with Afghanistan. Ahmad Shah Massoud was a military leader that played a leading role in driving the Soviet army out of Afghanistan in the late 1980s. His military prowess made him a hero in Afghanistan, earning him the nickname Lion of Panjshir. During the war, Massoud was known for his strategic and mass ambushes against Soviet and Afghan convoys. In 1983, the Soviets offered Massoud a truce, which he accepted. He then turned his attention to expanding the Afghan resistance movement, and liberating the northern provinces of Afghanistan. Massoud’s military forces were considered the most effective of all the various Afghan resistance movements.

In the middle of the 1990s, the Taliban took control of approximately 90 percent of Afghanistan. In response, Massoud formed an alliance to fight the Taliban, and provided shelter for people fleeing Afghan cities. However, on September 9, 2001, two days prior to 9/11, Ahmad Shah Massoud was killed by a suicide bomber at Khwaja Bahauddin, in Takhar Province, northeastern Afghanistan. The assassins may have intended to attack several Northern Alliance council members simultaneously because others were killed. Prior to his death, Massoud had warned the European Parliament that a terrorist attack was evident. The timing of the assassination is considered significant by people who believe Osama bin Laden ordered the murder, and wanted Massoud dead before staging the 9/11 attacks. Ahmad Shah Massoud died a national hero, and hundreds of thousands of people attended his funeral. The date of his death, September 9, is observed as a national holiday in Afghanistan, known as Massoud Day.

05 - US Government Exercises

On September 11, 2001, the United States government held a series of military exercises and drills. Operation Northern Vigilance was a NORAD operation, which involved deploying fighter aircraft to the northwestern part of North America, specifically Alaska and Northern Canada. The exercise was one part simulation, one part real world. It was in response to a similar test acted out by Russia on September 11, where long-range bombers were dispatched to Russia’s high north. The exercises were immediately called off after the news of the terrorist attacks and all simulated information was purged from NORADs computer screens. However, the event was a distraction for the US government on 9/11.

Operation Northern Vigilance was not the only US exercise planned for September 11. A series of war games were also acted out, specifically Global Guardian. Global Guardian is an annual, command-level exercise held in the United States. It is an important task, and the purpose of the drill is to test and validate US nuclear command, control and execution procedures. Vigilant Guardian is an exercise that was run in conjunction with Global Guardian. It involved a simulated bomber attack from the former Soviet Union. The drill was conducted in real time, and appeared legitimate in offices and on computers, but without any planes in the air. One of the drills included was a traditional simulated hijacking.

The National Reconnaissance Office drill that was being conducted on September 11, 2001, is the strangest. In the exercise, a simulated small aircraft crashed into one of the towers at the NRO headquarters. No plane was involved in the drill, but to simulate damage from the crash, some stairwells and exits were closed off. A bioterrorism exercise was planned for September 12, 2001. It was named Operation Tripod and included a real life test of the US plan to distribute antibiotics to an entire city population during a bioterrorism attack.

04 - Nimda Virus

In the months before and after September 11, 2001, the United States was bombarded with a series of cyber attacks. A group of criminals exposed vulnerabilities in the Microsoft operating system, and created a buffer overflow virus, which executed arbitrary code and infected hundreds of thousands of computers. By July 19, 2001, the amount of infected hosts reached over 350,000 zombies. A series of separate viruses named Code Red I and Code Red II crippled valuable servers and made calculated attacks on US government computers.

On September 18, 2001, a new virus attacked United States operating systems. The worm was given the name Nimda, and it was an advanced version of Code Red II. Some might say that the Code Red viruses were created in preparation for the much larger Nimda attack, which was executed the week following the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Due to the release date of the virus, members of the American government speculated on a link between the cyber attacks and Al Qaeda, but this theory ended up proving unfounded. The American media did not report much on the virus because of the terrorist attacks. 

Multiple propagation vectors allowed Nimda to become the Internet’s most widespread and dangerous virus. It took only 22 minutes for the worm to rip through the American financial sector, causing over $3 billion in damage. The Nimda virus was so effective because it used five different infection vectors. People could, and still can, get the virus via e-mail, open network shares, infected websites, exploitation or via back doors left behind by the Code Red II virus. The group of people behind the Nimda virus and the theft of billions of dollars are unknown. The event greatly damaged the world’s financial sector and economy.

03 - Wave of Accidents

In the months following September 11, 2001, there was a wave of international accidents and events. On September 21, 2001, the AZF chemical factory located near Toulouse, France exploded. The event occurred when three hundred tons of ammonium nitrates ignited. The blast left a crater at the depth of 20 to 30 m (65 to 100 ft), with a diameter of 200 m (650 ft). It was a major incident in France, and 29 people were killed. The event is recognized as an environmental catastrophe, and the total damages already paid by insurance groups are exceeding 1.5 billion euros. The blast is believed to have occurred due to the improper handling of ammonium nitrate, including the mixing of chemical impurities. However, on October 2, 2001, France’s then Environment Minister, Yves Cochet, announced that the explosion “may have been a terrorist attack” and identified Hassan Jandoubi as a person of interest.

On October 4, 2001, Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 crashed over the Black Sea. The plane was en route from Tel Aviv, Israel to Novosibirsk, Russia, and all 78 people aboard were killed. The crash was initially thought to be a terrorist attack, since an Armenian plane near the scene reported seeing the Russian plane explode before it crashed into the sea. However, American intelligence reported that the crash was due to an errant S-200 surface to air missile fired as part of a Ukrainian Air Defense Forces exercise. Many people have labeled this hypothesis unlikely, considering the missiles range and safety features, claiming that the US was in fear of mass hysteria with yet another terrorist attack in the weeks following September 11. Ultimately, the government of Ukraine officially recognized their military’s fault in the accident and started negotiating compensation payments for victims’ relatives.

On November 12, 2001, the United States experienced its second deadliest aviation accident in history. It occurred when American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into a Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens, New York. The accident took place two months after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and it caused panic in New York. Thousands of people witnessed the Airbus A300 crash to the ground, killing all 260 people on board. Many people reported a fire and explosion before the plane crashed, but the National Transportation Safety Board attributed the disaster to the first officer’s overuse of rudder controls. Al-Qaeda has listed the crash among its successes, but physical evidence was never presented indicating terrorist activity. Surprisingly, the story was widely underreported in the United States, considering the magnitude of the crash. In the months after the tragedy, rumors were circulated that suggested that the plane was exploded by a shoe bomber, similar to the failed attempt of Richard Reid, but these claims are unsubstantiated.

02 - 2001 Anthrax Attacks

Most people are familiar with the wave of anthrax attacks waged against the United States in the weeks following September, 11. Beginning on September, 18, a group of letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to US media outlets, and the offices of two US senators. In all, five people were killed in the terrorist activity, and seventeen others were seriously affected. The letters addressed to the US senators, Democrats Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Patrick Leahy of Vermont, were laced with a highly refined dry anthrax powder. Shortly after the first wave of attacks, two letters were sent to the New York Post and NBC News. The letters contained threats mentioning 9/11, and implied a new wave of terrorist activity. For this reason, it was highly reported in America that Al-Qaeda was behind the 2001 anthrax attacks.

On September 11, George W. Bush and the White House staff began taking a regimen of Cipro, which is a powerful antibiotic. This activity has led to a list of conspiracy theories accusing the US government of having pre-knowledge of the anthrax attacks. The investigation into the crimes was one of the longest and most complex in the history of law enforcement. Ultimately, investigators began to focus their attention on an American scientist named Bruce Edwards Ivins. Ivins worked at the US government’s biodefense labs at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland. After extensive research, on August 6, 2008, federal prosecutors declared Bruce Edwards Ivins to be the sole culprit of the 2001 anthrax attacks. He committed suicide on July 29, 2008, after learning that he was going to be formally charged with the crimes. One would think that a media circus would have ensued, but little was mentioned about Bruce Edwards Ivins in the US press. His motives for blaming the attacks on Al-Qaeda are unknown.

01 - USA PATRIOT Act

On October 26, 2001, US President George W. Bush enacted the USA PATRIOT Act. The bill was in direct response to the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11. The goal of the Act was to reduce restrictions on law enforcement and government officials when investigating criminal activity. It gave international law organizations the right to probe and search citizen’s e-mail, medical, financial and personal records. Some of the main sections of the law enacted restrictions on foreign intelligence gathering, expanded the Secretary of the Treasury’s authority to regulate financial transactions, and broadened immigration laws in regards to detaining and deporting immigrants suspected of terrorism-related acts. The bill was passed by a wide margin in the US Congress. It was supported by some people and seen as an attack on civil liberties by others. 

Entire websites have been dedicated to examining the Patriot Acts apparent lack of safeguards surrounding the rights of American citizens and foreign advocates. The bill made significant amendments to over 15 important constitutional statutes. The sections of the Patriot Act discussing Internet supervision and monitoring are confusing and extensive, ultimately reaching far beyond simple e-mail correspondence. One of the most surprising aspects of the USA PATRIOT Act is the lack of public and media debate regarding its introduction. Before September 11, provisions of the Act related to electronic surveillance were proposed and highly debated. However, many people feel that the Patriot Act has helped make America a safer place and stopped terrorist activity. In the first part of 2010, Barack Obama signed a one-year extension on several provisions in the Patriot Act.

Tweet This

The Mother of all Terrorists

To Be Taken Quite Literally!

For those of you who want "FACTS" and "FIGURES" and have the intellect to judge 'GOOD' from 'EVIL' and the courage to know and say out the TRUTH....for the rest you should stop here!

Ever since the United States Army massacred 300 Lakotas in 1890, American forces have intervened elsewhere around the globe 100 times. Indeed the United States has sent troops abroad or militarily struck other countries' territory 216 times since independence from Britain. Since 1945 the United States has intervened in more than 20 countries throughout the world.

Since World War II, the United States actually dropped BOMBS ON 23 COUNTRIES. These include: China 1945-46, Korea 1950-53, China 1950-53, Guatemala 1954, Indonesia 1958, Cuba 1959-60, Guatemala 1960, Congo 1964, Peru 1965, Laos 1964-73, Vietnam 1961-73, Cambodia 1969-70, Guatemala 1967-69, Grenada 1983, Lebanon 1984, Libya 1986, El Salvador 1980s, Nicaragua 1980s, Panama 1989, Iraq 1991-1999, Sudan 1998, Afghanistan 1998, and Yugoslavia 1999.

Post World War II, the United States has also assisted in over 20 different coups throughout the world, and the CIA was responsible for half a dozen assassinations of political heads of state.

The following is a comprehensive summary of the imperialist strategy of the United States over the span of the past century:

Argentina-1890-Troops sent to Buenos Aires to protect business interests.

Chile-1891- Marines sent to Chile and clashed with nationalist rebels.

Haiti-1891-American troops suppress a revolt by Black workers on United States-claimed Navassa Island.

Hawaii-1893-Navy sent to Hawaii to overthrow the independent kingdom-Hawaii annexed by the United States.

Nicaragua-1894-Troops occupied Bluefields, a city on the Caribbean Sea, for a month.

China-1894-95-Navy, Army, and Marines landed during the Sino-Japanese War.

Korea-1894-96-Troops kept in Seoul during the war.

Panama-1895-Army, Navy, and Marines landed in the port city of Corinto.

China-1894-1900-Troops occupied China during the Boxer Rebellion.

Philippines-1898-1910-Navy and Army troops landed after the Philippines fell during the Spanish-American War; 600,000 Filipinos were killed.

Cuba-1898-1902-Troops seized Cuba in the Spanish-American War; the United States still maintains troops at Guantanamo Bay today.

Puerto Rico-1898-present-Troops seized Puerto Rico in the Spanish-American War and still occupy Puerto Rico today.

Nicaragua-1898-Marines landed at the port of San Juan del Sur.

Samoa-1899-Troops landed as a result over the battle for succession to the throne.

Panama-1901-14-Navy supported the revolution when Panama claimed independence from Colombia. American troops have occupied the Canal Zone since 1901 when construction for the canal began.

Honduras-1903-Marines landed to intervene during a revolution.

Dominican Rep-1903-04-Troops landed to protect American interests during a revolution.

Korea-1904-05-Marines landed during the Russo-Japanese War.

Cuba-1906-09-Troops landed during an election.

Nicaragua-1907-Troops landed and a protectorate was set up.

Honduras-1907-Marines landed during Honduras' war with Nicaragua.

Panama-1908-Marines sent in during Panama's election.

Nicaragua-1910-Marines landed for a second time in Bluefields and Corinto.

Honduras-1911-Troops sent in to protect American interests during Honduras' 

civil war.

China-1911-41-Navy and troops sent to China during continuous flare-ups.

Cuba-1912-Troops sent in to protect American interests in Havana.

Panama-1912-Marines landed during Panama's election.

Honduras-1912-Troops sent in to protect American interests.

Nicaragua-1912-33-Troops occupied Nicaragua and fought guerrillas during its 20-year civil war.

Mexico-1913-Navy evacuated Americans during revolution.

Dominican Rep-1914-Navy fought with rebels over Santo Domingo.

Mexico-1914-18-Navy and troops sent in to intervene against nationalists.

Haiti-1914-34-Troops occupied Haiti after a revolution and occupied Haiti for 19 years.

Dominican Rep-1916-24-Marines occupied the Dominican Republic for eight years.

Cuba-1917-33-Troops landed and occupied Cuba for 16 years; Cuba became an economic protectorate.

World War I-1917-18-Navy and Army sent to Europe to fight the Axis powers.

Russia-1918-22-Navy and troops sent to eastern Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution; Army made five landings.

Honduras-1919-Marines sent during Honduras' national elections.

Guatemala-1920-Troops occupied Guatemala for two weeks during a union strike.

Turkey-1922-Troops fought nationalists in Smyrna.

China-1922-27-Navy and Army troops deployed during a nationalist revolt.

Honduras-1924-25-Troops landed twice during a national election.

Panama-1925-Troops sent in to put down a general strike.

China-1927-34-Marines sent in and stationed for seven years throughout China.

El Salvador-1932-Naval warships deployed during the FMLN revolt under Marti.

World War II-1941-45-Military fought the Axis powers: Japan, Germany, and Italy.

Yugoslavia-1946-Navy deployed off the coast of Yugoslavia in response to the downing of an American

plane.

Uruguay-1947-Bombers deployed as a show of military force.

Greece-1947-49-United States operations insured a victory for the far right in national "elections."

Germany-1948-Military deployed in response to the Berlin blockade; the Berlin airlift lasts 444 days.

Philippines-1948-54-The CIA directed a civil war against the Filipino Huk revolt.

Puerto Rico-1950-Military helped crush an independence rebellion in Ponce.

Korean War-1951-53-Military sent in during the war.

Iran-1953-The CIA orchestrated the overthrow of democratically elected Mossadegh and restored the Shah to power.

Vietnam-1954-The United States offered weapons to the French in the battle against Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh.

Guatemala-1954-The CIA overthrew the democratically elected Arbenz and placed Colonel Armas

in power.

Egypt-1956-Marines deployed to evacuate foreigners after Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal.

Lebanon-1958-Navy supported an Army occupation of Lebanon during its civil war.

Panama-1958-Troops landed after Panamanians demonstrations threatened the Canal Zone.

Vietnam-1950s-75-Vietnam War.

Cuba-1961-The CIA-directed Bay of Pigs invasions failed to overthrow the Castro government.

Cuba-1962-The Navy quarantines Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Laos-1962-Military occupied Laos during its civil war against the Pathet Lao guerrillas.

Panama-1964-Troops sent in and Panamanians shot while protesting the United States presence in the

Canal Zone.

Indonesia-1965-The CIA orchestrated a military coup.

Dominican Rep-1965-66-Troops deployed during a national election.

Guatemala-1966-67-Green Berets sent in.

Cambodia-1969-75-Military sent in after the Vietnam War expanded into Cambodia.

Oman-1970-Marines landed to direct a possible invasion into Iran.

Laos-1971-75-Americans carpet-bomb the countryside during Laos' civil war.

Chile-1973-The CIA orchestrated a coup, killing President Allende who had been popularly elected. The

CIA helped to establish a military regime under General Pinochet.

Cambodia-1975-Twenty-eight Americans killed in an effort to retrieve the crew of the Mayaquez, which had been seized.

Angola-1976-92-The CIA backed South African rebels fighting against Marxist Angola.

Iran-1980-Americans aborted a rescue attempt to liberate 52 hostages seized in the Teheran embassy.

Libya-1981-American fighters shoot down two Libyan fighters.

El Salvador-198-92-The CIA, troops, and advisers aid in El Salvador's war against the FMLN.

Nicaragua-1981-90-The CIA and NSC directed the Contra War against the Sandinistas.

Lebanon-1982-84-Marines occupied Beirut during Lebanon's civil war; 241 were killed in the American

barracks and Reagan "redeployed" the troops to the Mediterranean.

Honduras-1983-89-Troops sent in to build bases near the Honduran border.

Grenada-1983-84-American invasion overthrew the Maurice Bishop government.

Iran-1984-American fighters shot down two Iranian planes over the Persian Gulf.

Libya-1986-American fighters hit targets in and around the capital city of Tripoli.

Bolivia-1986-The Army assisted government troops on raids of cocaine areas.

Iran-1987-88-The United States intervened on the side of Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War.

Libya-1989-Navy shot down two more Libyan jets.

Virgin Islands-1989-Troops landed during unrest among Virgin Island peoples.

Philippines-1989-Air Force provided air cover for government during coup.

Panama-1989-90-27,000 Americans landed in overthrow of President Noriega; over 2,000 Panama

civilians were killed.

Liberia-1990-Troops entered Liberia to evacuate foreigners during civil war.

Saudi Arabia-1990-91-American troops sent to Saudi Arabia, which was a staging area in the war against

Iraq.

Kuwait-1991-Troops sent into Kuwait to turn back Saddam Hussein.

Somalia-1992-94-Troops occupied Somalia during civil war.

Bosnia-1993-95-Air Force jets bombed "no-fly zone" during civil war in Yugoslavia.

Haiti-1994-96-American troops and Navy provided a blockade against Haiti's military government. The CIA restored Aristide to power.

Zaire-1996-97-Marines sent into Rwanda Hutus' refugee camps in the area where the Congo revolution

began.

Albania-1997-Troops deployed during evacuation of foreigners.

Sudan-1998-American missiles destroyed a pharmaceutical complex where alleged nerve gas

components were manufactured.

Afghanistan-1998-Missiles launched towards alleged Afghan terrorist training camps.

Yugoslavia-1999-Bombings and missile attacks carried out by the United States in conjunction with

NATO in the 11 week war against Milosevic.

Iraq-1998-2001-Missiles launched into Baghdad and other large Iraq cities for four days. American jets

enforced "no-fly zone" and continued to hit Iraqi targets since December 1998.

These*100*instances of American military intervention did not include times when the United States:

(1) Deployed military police overseas;

(2) Mobilized the National Guard;

(3) Sent Navy ships off the coast of numerous countries as a show of strength;

(4) Sent additional troops to areas where Americans were already stationed;

(5) Carried out covert actions where American forces were not under the direct rule of an American command;

(6) Used small hostage rescue units;

(7) Used American pilots to fly foreign planes;

(8) Carried out military training and advisory programs which did not involve direct combat.

U. S. Government Assassination Plots

Following is a list of prominent foreign leaders whose assassination (or planning for same) the United States has been involved in since the end of Second World War. The list does not include several

assassinations in various parts of the world carried out by anti-Castro Cubans employed by CIA and headquartered in the United States:

LIST A: NON MUSLIMS

1949 - KIm Koo, Korean opposition leader

1950's - CIA/Neo-Nazi hit list of numerous political figures in West Germany

1950's Chou En-lai, Prime Minister of China, several attempts on his life

1950s (mid) - Claro M. Recto, Philippines opposition leader

1951 - Kim Il Sung, Premiere of North Korea

1955 - Jose' Antonio Remon, President of Panama

1955 - Jawar Lal Nehru, Prime Minister of India

1959 and 1963 - Norodom Sihanouk, leader of Cambodia

1950s-70s - Jose Figueres, President of Costa Rica, two attempts on his life

1961 - Francois "Papa Doc"Duvalier, leader of Haiti

1961 - Patrice Lumumba , Prime Minister of Congo (Zaire)

1961 - Gen. Rafael Trujillo, leader of Dominican Republic

1963 - Ngo Dinh Diem, President of South Vietnam

1960s - Fidel Castro, President of Cuba, more than15 attempts on his life

1960s - Raul Castro, high official in government of Cuba

1965 - Francisco Caamanao, Dominican Republic opposition leader

1965 - Pierre Ngendandumwe, Prime Minister of Burundi

1965-6 - Charles de Gaulle, President of France

1967 - Che Guevara, Cuban leader

1970 - Salvadore Allende, President of Chile

1970 - General Rene Schneider, Commander-in-Chief of Army, Chile

1970s and 1981 - Gen. Omar Torrijos, leader of Panama

1972 - General Manuel Noriega, Chief of Panama Intelligence

1975 - Mobutu Sese Seko, President of Zaire

1976 - Michael Manley, Prime Minister of Jamaica

1983 - Miguel d'Escoto, Foreign Minister of Nicaragua

1984 - The nine commandantes of the Sandanista National Directorate

1980's - Dr. Gerald Bull, Canadian Ballistics Scientist assassinated by Mossad in Belgium.

Partial List Of Muslim Leaders Assassinated Or Attempted Assassinations

 

1950's Sukarno, President of Indonesia

1957 Gamal Abdul Nasser, President of Egypt

1960 Brigadier General, Abdul Karim Kassem, Leader of Iraq

1980-86 Muammar Qaddafi, Leader of Libya, several plots and attempts upon his life

1982 Ayatullah Khomeini, Leader of Iran

1983 General Ahmed Dlimi, Moroccan army Commander

1985 Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadllallah, Lebanese Shiite Leader (80 people killed in that attempt)

1991 Saddam Hussein, Leader of Iraq

Reference: Blum, William, "KILLING HOPE - U.S. Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II," Appendix III U.S. Government Assassination Plots, page 453, Common Courage Press, Monroe, Maine 1995. ISBN 1-56751-052-3 Very likely Victims :

April 4, 1979 - Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Leader of Pakistan, for pursuing making of Nuclear Bomb.

August, 1988. General Ziaul Haq, Military Leader of Pakistan.

1995 - Murtaza Bhutto, Son of ZUlfiqar Ali Bhutto, Anti-American would-be Leader - Pakistan.

March 25, 1975 - King Faisal of Saudi Arabia through his Nephew, Saudi Arabia for imposing 1973 Oil Embargo.

August 24, 1999. Mullah Mohammad Omar, in Kandhar, Afghanistan.

|"À"List Of Known Assassination Plots

1950's Sukarno, President of Indonesia

1957 Gamal Abdul Nasser, President

2001 Since early this year more than 40 Palestinian leaders assassinated through surrogat

Tweet This

Church plans to burn the Quran on 9/11

A BOOK WHICH SAYS TO WORSHIP ONE GOD, THE GOD OF ADAM, NOAH, ABRAHAM, MOSES, JESUS AND MUHAMMAD

The Holy Quran

Even now as several churches across the United States plan to burn copies of the Quran, Islam's holy book, it is suggestive of the flare of the pride that spread throughout Italy and Europe in 1497. disease, poor harvests and social and political strife escalated fear, distrust, intolerance and religious fanaticism.

Some Christians assumed the unfolding chaos surrounding them was God's wrath and punishment for their selfish and immoral behavior. They gathered what was thought to be vain objects, like secular books, works of art, mirrors, jewelry, combs and playing cards (sometimes even people), to be burned.

A half of millennium later and as the Sept. 11, 2001 commemoration draws near, several churches are preparing to ignite bonfires to burn Qurans. Known as "International Burn A Quran Day," church leaders and members want to send a strong message to Americans and the rest of the world that Islam is a violent and oppressive religion. Along with being responsible for the attacks on Sept. 11, they also claim Islam is a religion of the Devil and is causing billions of people to go to hell. They are fearful that Islamic governments and Muslims want to take-over and dominate the world, including the United States.

It is unfortunate that such thinking negates the numerous achievements of the Quran and Islam. The Quran states, "O mankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female and made you into Nations and tribes, that ye may know each other, not that you may despise each other." (Surah 49:13) Not only has the Quran provided hope, meaning and guidance for billions people, but it still offers a universal message of understanding and peace. Islamic cultures have been responsible for some of the greatest advancements in medicines, astronomy, health, literature, philosophy and math.

Some Islamic civilizations also uphold enlightenment ideas. While honoring the sanctity of life and justice: "...take no life, which Allah has made sacred, except by way of justice and law," the Quran encourages goodness and forbids killing: "Slaying an innocent individual is like slaying the whole people." (Surah 6:51/5:32) Regarding rights, the Quran secured freedom of conscience and worship where at one time they did not exist. "Whoever does right, whether male or female, and is a believer,...will enter the Garden," has guaranteed women the right to property, education, and to participate in public and political life.

The Quran also prohibited the killing of daughters and specifically ensured the protection of orphans and widows. In some Islamic cultures, everyone enjoys equal protection under the law. The Prophet Muhammad, who began his message with the words, "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful,..." established religious toleration by working with and recognizing other faiths. When he entered Mecca everyone was spared, ending cycles of revenge and retaliation that had dominated the region. Jihad, which has been distorted by the West, means an inner struggle to achieve spiritual peace and entails acts of charity.

While the churches plan to burn Qurans in remembrance of the 9-11 victims, fortunately the Council on American-Islam Relations (CAIR) will provide an educational "Share the Quran" dinner. The council believes American Muslims and people of conscience should support positive educational efforts to prevent the spread of Islamophobia. Some pastors and Christians have forcefully denounced the burning of the Qurans and are calling for a spirit of trust, understanding and religious unity. They are rejecting conspiracy theories too about Islam, that are either propagated out of ignorance or by political demagogues.

Regrettably, there are some who have always succumbed to hysteria and fanaticism, acting as if they were a divine judge and executioner. Still others have distorted the purposes and meanings of the major faiths in the world. When horrific events-like plagues or Sept. 11-are mixed with imagined fears, blame, self-interest, militancy and ethnocentric views, one's perception of God can easily be twisted into a destructive ideology. As Christians in Italy burned what they thought were vain objects, another Italian, just one of many Europeans, was enslaving and committing mass genocide against Amerindians. What was really vain?

When religious faith is intermingled with military and commercial empires, it has a way of hindering God's love and mercies and denigrating the "Other." In confronting the Roman Empire, Jesus said what comes out of the heart-murder, evil intentions, adultery, slander, fornication, theft, and false witness-is what really defiles a person. (Matthew 15:19,20.) Christians in Italy, not to mention other European imperial powers, should have readied bonfires to burn their deadly allegiances to materialism, racism and militarism, not books, artworks, combs and mirrors.

Can the same be said today? Hopefully, churches planning to burn sacred Qurans on Sept. 11 will reconsider their belief and behavior. Would it not be much better to burn the vanity of collaborating with a corporate-military and national security state trying to control the entire world and its resources? Would it not be better to set ablaze vain modernity and its technological superiority that steals human dignity, devalues others faiths and cultures, and commodifies individuals while producing economic, psychological and spiritual poverty?

These churches might want to try and distinguish between sacred and profane rights and laws, and how some Islamic republics are experimenting with toleration of mosque and state (versus a strict separation of church and state ruled by a secular military regime). At the same time, when highly valued beliefs are threatened or preemptively attacked, Islam and the Quran does justify using self-defense to protect their communities against external acts of aggression by non-Islamic populations. This important faith-principle is important to understand when collaborating with and empire and its many preemptive wars.

Perhaps the real fires needing lit are acts of charity, empathy, religious toleration and an historical awareness with regards to Islam. Has there not been enough acts of militancy, hatred, revenge and political ignorance-all of which preceded and then followed Sept. 11, and none of which mirrored Christianity or Islam, let alone the Quran or Gospels? If some churches and Christians do burn the Quran on Sept. 11, it will be a Bonfire of the Sacred instead of a Bonfire of the Vanities. It will cause more ill-will and division, not only with others, but maybe even with God.

Related News: Al-Jazeera

Tweet This