Do you think extremist Muslims hate the United States because it has troops on soil they consider holy (Saudi Arabia)? If so, why don’t we take them out of there? Or is it fear of losing Saudi oil that keeps them there?
*Please note: this is a safe space where HONESTY and ALL OPINIONS are valued! Additionally, although disagreement is inevitable, please refrain from being judgmental, rude, and/or condescending. While we may not have the same opinion, we can each learn from one another. With that being said, I look forward to reading your thoughts…
1- student response
While I do believe that some extremist Muslims act in fear, I do not believe this is the main cause for their hatred towards the United States. This is a complex situation so it is hard to give a general reason as to why there is hatred but I think it is a combination of fear and anger. I also believe that the United States does not take our troops out of Saudi Arabia is due to fear and anger. I think there is hear that if they let it seem like they are trusting them and giving them “freedom” or “space” that something will happen that they feel they could have prevented. I also think it is anger because the United States had received threats from the area. Another notable reason why the United States may be angry is because out of the nineteen terrorists who took part in the infamous 9/11 attacks, fifteen of them were from Saudi Arabia. While I do not believe that it is fair to label every Muslim in Saudi Arabia as a threat because of the actions of these fifteen, and maybe others, I do understand how the United States may have concerns when it comes to moving out their troops. It is almost like losing leverage because if something does happen in the United States that sourced from Saudi Arabia, troops are already there and are ready to retaliate instantly. I think that Saudi Arabia can look at this as a good thing though because if there were an attack on Saudi Arabia from another country there are U.S. troops and weapons that can be used for help.
2-I have come to believe that extremist Muslims not only hate the United States not solely because we have troops on their soil, but because we are taking oil from their and bombing their cities allowing innocent people to be killed as well. There are more factors that are involved behind the hatred that extremist Muslims have on the United States. I believe it is a mix of hatred and fear that drives their hatred towards the United States because they do not know what the U.S. is capable of in foreign territory which is why they do not want them to take over their land as well as anger towards the taking their resources for their own benefit. I would suggest that the troops be removed from their land, but at the same time the only reason why we are even sending troops to foreign territory is because of the terrorist attacks that they had initiated in the United States killing our innocent civilians as well. I also believe that another one of the reasons for the U.S. troops staying in Saudi Arabia is because of the fear of losing oil but also because in case the terrorist are planning another attack or assault, there are already troops over there to confront the issue. Not everyone in Saudi Arabia has bad intentions such as the terrorist which is another reason why we have troops over there in order to be able to protect them from terrorist attacks or any attacks from neighboring countries.
