2<strong>FirstNews</strong> <strong>ISSUE</strong> <strong>275</strong> 9 – 15 SEPTEMBER 2011THE NEWS EXPLAINEDEDBEHIND THEHEADLINES9/11: The day theworld changedAlistair Burt, MP, is Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East and North AfricaON September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States killed thousands of people. Ten years on and those events are stillaffecting our lives. Alistair Burt , MP, gives his view on why it’s important to understand how that day changed history.9/11. WHAT HAPPENEDTHAT DAY?TUESDAY 11 September2001 began as a normalday for people on the eastcoast of America. However,the tragic events of thatmorning will stay with all ofus for the rest of our lives,as millions, myself included, watched live TV coveragethroughout the day. At 8:46am, the first of two passengerplanes was flown into New York’s World Trade Centerby terrorists. At 9:03am a second plane hit the secondtower. A third plane hit the Pentagon in Washington and afourth crashed when passengers fought back against theterrorists. This attack resulted in the deaths of around 3,000innocent people, from more than 90 different countriesand of all races and religions.9/11. WHO WAS BEHIND IT?Emergency workers run from the huge dust cloudThe attack came from a group called Al Qaeda, ledby Osama Bin Laden. They believed, as terrorists do, inattacking and killing innocent, everyday people to makea political point. They were wrong. The attacks werecondemned by virtually every country and political leaderaround the world.9/11. TEN YEARS ONNow, ten years on, we remember all the people wholost their lives that day. We remember those killed in theinitial attacks, as well as the heroic emergency servicespeople who died trying to save others. The bravery peopleshowed sends a powerful message that terrorism wouldnot change our way of life.9/11. EFFECT ON OUR LIVESTerrorists attack everyone, regardless of race, age, genderor religion, and we have seen attacks in many countries.Indeed, we have experienced terrorism ourselves herein the UK. 56 people were killed in the 7 July 2005 bombattacks in London. But I was proud and inspired that day atthe strength of Londoners to overcome the tragedy.We will continue to stand up for the things that areimportant to us: a government that is elected fairly, humanrights and a society where people take part and are treatedequally. These values are shared by billions of people andmost political movements across the world. We shouldalways remember that, although terrorist acts are shockingand frightening, they are committed by a very smallnumber of people.9/11 BEFORE AND BEYOND...1980s/90sOsama Bin Laden sets upAl Qaeda. Members developvery extreme views againstothers, particularly America.Members follow Islam, but theirviews do not represent mostother Muslims. They carry outattacks around the world.September 11,2001Al Qaeda carries out the largestattack by a foreign group onAmerican soil. Almost 3,000 peopledie in four plane crashes and thecollapse of the American WorldTrade Center towers in New York.2001Britain andAmerica sendtroops toAfghanistanto fight theTaliban, whichhad close tieswith Al-Qaeda.MAY, 2011Osama BinLaden,America’s mostwanted terrorist,is killed by by U.S.special forces athis secret hideawayin Pakistan.9/11. WHAT NOW?Today’s U.S. President BarackObama attends a 9/11 memorialThe tide is turning against terrorism. Those who workso hard to protect you and me are able to prevent manysuch terrible acts. Recent events across the Middle Eastand North Africa showed that people could protest for,and achieve, political change in a different way. Theyshowed that most people in the region do not believethat terrorism is the way to get what you want. Terrorismhad nothing to do with bringing the popular changes incountries such as Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.What unites terrorists worldwide is that they have failed.Far from being beaten by the violent actions of a few, mostpeople will not let terrorism win. They will continue to livetheir lives as they always have. I am convinced that thestrength of our principles and values will always win outover terrorism.WHAT IS TERRORISM?Terrorism is when people use violence – like bombs –to try to make other people behave the way they want.It’s usually connected to politics.September11, 2011A day ofremembrance.Memorial servicesare being held for thevictims of the attacksten years ago.