Bin Laden and al Qaeda were remarkably successful in achieving their recognition goal.

Before the hijackers struck on September 11, they made sure they had left behind material that would fall into the hands of the FBI or police. As I have said before, some terrorism experts argue that religious terrorists are not interested in explaining themselves to their enemies, that they communicate only with God. If that was the case, why would the hijackers of September 11 have left us material? Basically, they provided us with their instructions to themselves on how to prepare for their "great deeds." The material also explains why the terrorists were willing to die for their causes. Of course, all this material was published or reported on in the American and international media.

	The International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism's web site provides an English translation of a fatwa handed down by Osama bin Laden in February 1998. The International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism

My point is not to criticize the media for reporting on this material. Nor am I saying that we should not learn about the causes and grievances that can lead to political violence. My point is that it is not ideal to pay attention to these kinds of stories as a result of an act or acts of terrorism. When the media reports on such issues only in these circumstances, they confirm the terrorists' conviction that they must strike hard against their enemy. Only in this way can they reach their target populations with the message of why they act, why they are angry, and why they want to destroy the United States.