--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because 9/11 was carried out by 19…" description: "\"Because 9/11 was carried out by 19 foreign-born Arab hijackers, many assume that all terrorists who attack the West are foreigners.\" — Peter Bergen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/peter-bergen-1880_arab_because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-forei_187478.jpg" --- # Because 9/11 was carried out by 19 foreign-born Arab… ![“Because 9/11 was carried out by 19 foreign-born Arab hijackers, many assume that all terrorists who attack the West are foreigners.” quote by Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/peter-bergen-1880_arab_because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-forei_187478.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/peter-bergen-1880_arab_because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-forei_187478.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/peter-bergen-1880_arab_because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-forei_187478.jpg) > “Because 9/11 was carried out by 19 foreign-born Arab hijackers, many assume that all terrorists who attack the West are foreigners.” [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights a common bias: judging all threats based on the origin of a few perpetrators. **In simple terms:** People often generalize danger to all foreigners because of a few attackers. Key Takeaway Beware of overgeneralizing based on limited examples. Themes bias stereotyping terrorism perception media Mood cautious critical concerned Type analytical observational When to use this quote - political analysis - media reporting - public policy - community relations Key Concepts social psychology cognitive bias group identity Questions to Reflect On - How can we avoid stereotyping entire groups? - What evidence challenges the foreignerterrorist link? A Different Perspective It ignores that terrorism can also be domestic and that many foreigners are peaceful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arab/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrorists/) ## Related quotes > [We were told that we were attacked on 9/11 because the terrorists hate our freedoms and democracy ... not for the real reason: because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-sheehan/we-were-told-that-we-were-attacked-on-9-11-because-the-terrorists/) [Cindy Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-sheehan/) > [Mohammed al-Qahtani was not alleged to be a leader of the Sept. 11 plot. He was not trained as a pilot. If he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/mohammed-al-qahtani-was-not-alleged-to-be-a-leader-of-the-sept-11/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [“As we have seen, there is something that most Americans share with Osama bin Laden, the nineteen hijackers, and much of the Muslim world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-we-have-seen-there-is-something-that-most-americans-share-with/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Eleven days before 9/11, I was on a plane with the 9/11 hijackers who were carrying out a dry run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/eleven-days-before-9-11-i-was-on-a-plane-with-the-9-11-hijackers-who/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [When I was kidnapped as a child my parents sent a letter to the hijackers me Pay 5,000 dollars or your back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/when-i-was-kidnapped-as-a-child-my-parents-sent-a-letter-to-the/) [Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/) > [The 19 hijackers that came over here to commit the attack on Sept. 11, there were those that were at the bottom of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mueller/the-19-hijackers-that-came-over-here-to-commit-the-attack-on-sept-11/) [Robert Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mueller/) > [“The hijackers had rented apartments, bought airplane tickets, purchased box cutters, received emails and wire transfers. All of this could have been looked at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-hijackers-had-rented-apartments-bought-airplane-tickets-purchased/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [If you look at the 19 hijackers who came to the United States in Sept. 11 to commit those acts, if you'd looked at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mueller/if-you-look-at-the-19-hijackers-who-came-to-the-united-states-in-sept/) [Robert Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mueller/) > [Most of the suicide hijackers came from Saudi Arabia, a place not lacking in wealth. But due to rapid population growth, the wealth per…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-henson/most-of-the-suicide-hijackers-came-from-saudi-arabia-a-place-not/) [Keith Henson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-henson/) > [I understand the Saudis have been named because fifteen of the nineteen hijackers were from Saudi Arabia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sibel-edmonds/i-understand-the-saudis-have-been-named-because-fifteen-of-the/) [Sibel Edmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sibel-edmonds/) > [“Where else, but from the industrialized world, did the suicide hijackers learn that the huge explosions and death above a city skyline are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/where-else-but-from-the-industrialized-world-did-the-suicide/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [“checkpoints,each of the hijackers would have been screened by a walk-through metal detector calibrated to detect items with at least the metal content of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/checkpoints-each-of-the-hijackers-would-have-been-screened-by-a-walk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ 15 of the 19 \[September 11th\] hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/15-of-the-19-september-11th-hijackers-were-from-saudi-arabia/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [One of the things, universally, that psychologists found with hijackers in the early '70s was that they all struggled with women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-gray/one-of-the-things-universally-that-psychologists-found-with-hijackers/) [Geoffrey Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-gray/) > [Saudi hijackers first came into contact with al-Qaeda and went through Terrorism 101 when they signed up for the jihad in Afghanistan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/saudi-hijackers-first-came-into-contact-with-al-qaeda-and-went/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) ## More by Peter Bergen > [So Pakistan is a country that I'm very fond of and have spent a lot of time, but it is a country where conspiracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/so-pakistan-is-a-country-that-i-m-very-fond-of-and-have-spent-a-lot/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The Trump administration launched the cruise missile strikes in Syria, an act of war, without a U.N. resolution or Congressional authorization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-trump-administration-launched-the-cruise-missile-strikes-in-syria/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The deep problems that afflict the Middle East are not easy to fix, but they must be dealt with if we are not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-deep-problems-that-afflict-the-middle-east-are-not-easy-to-fix/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The dirty little secret of the intelligence world is that much of what you really need to know isn't exactly a secret anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-dirty-little-secret-of-the-intelligence-world-is-that-much-of/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Abedi appears to be one of the many thousands of Western Muslims who have embraced militant Islam, often as a way of trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/abedi-appears-to-be-one-of-the-many-thousands-of-western-muslims-who/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Trump has claimed he knows more about ISIS than America's leading generals. Clearly, this is also total nonsense; he doesn't seem to have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/trump-has-claimed-he-knows-more-about-isis-than-america-s-leading/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [If you don't understand what al Qaeda was trying to do on 9/11, if you don't have a sense of who Osama bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/if-you-don-t-understand-what-al-qaeda-was-trying-to-do-on-9-11-if-you/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [As early as 1993, members of bin Laden's group had been planning an attack on the American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/as-early-as-1993-members-of-bin-laden-s-group-had-been-planning-an/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The reality is that Trump's focus on immigrants is to misconceive of the terrorist problem that exists in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-reality-is-that-trump-s-focus-on-immigrants-is-to-misconceive-of/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [ISIS despises the Russian government for its support of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, and so it's no surprise that ISIS began targeting Russia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/isis-despises-the-russian-government-for-its-support-of-the-syrian/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The Sunni militants that make up ISIS are not the underlying problem in Syria and Iraq, but rather they are a symptom of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-sunni-militants-that-make-up-isis-are-not-the-underlying-problem/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Keeping a relatively small, predominantly U.S. Special Forces presence in Afghanistan to continue to train the Afghan army past December 2016 is a wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/keeping-a-relatively-small-predominantly-u-s-special-forces-presence/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [One of the themes of 'The Longest War,' my book, which came out before the Arab spring happened, was how al-Qaida and bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/one-of-the-themes-of-the-longest-war-my-book-which-came-out-before/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [I was the only outsider to visit the Abbottabad compound where bin Laden lived before the Pakistani military demolished it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/i-was-the-only-outsider-to-visit-the-abbottabad-compound-where-bin/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Hydrogen peroxide-based bombs were used in the London bombings in 2005; in al Qaeda's foiled plot to attack subways in New York City in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/hydrogen-peroxide-based-bombs-were-used-in-the-london-bombings-in/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) [Explore all 201 Peter Bergen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) ## More Arab quotes > [We do not know which irresponsible Israeli prime minister will take office and decide to use nuclear weapons in the struggle against neighboring Arab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordechai-vanunu/we-do-not-know-which-irresponsible-israeli-prime-minister-will-take/) [Mordechai Vanunu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordechai-vanunu/) > [Preemptive war is what Israel did in '67 with Arab armies on its borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/preemptive-war-is-what-israel-did-in-67-with-arab-armies-on-its/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [The majority of Arab people would side with Russia and China, not with the West. And they'd throw their 'elites' groomed in and by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-vltchek/the-majority-of-arab-people-would-side-with-russia-and-china-not-with/) [Andre Vltchek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-vltchek/) > [“For the Arab, the past does not merely live. The past defines the present.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davis-bunn/for-the-arab-the-past-does-not-merely-live-the-past-defines-the/) [Davis Bunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davis-bunn/) > [Al Jazeera is a representation of, you know, diversity in the Arab world. In our newsroom, we have every single nationality, we have every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/al-jazeera-is-a-representation-of-you-know-diversity-in-the-arab/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [The twin causes Bin Laden invokes are Islam and Arab self-determination, and armies rise to serve him. No need to convert or dogmatize. Believers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-vincent/the-twin-causes-bin-laden-invokes-are-islam-and-arab-self/) [Norah Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-vincent/) > [Arab youth are taught to wonder, 'Since the Holocaust was a European affair, why are the Palestinians being forced to pay for the creation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-bronfman-sr/arab-youth-are-taught-to-wonder-since-the-holocaust-was-a-european/) [Edgar Bronfman, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-bronfman-sr/) > [The majority of Arab people see the United States and Israel (definitely not Iran or Syria) as the greatest danger to the world. Could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-vltchek/the-majority-of-arab-people-see-the-united-states-and-israel/) [Andre Vltchek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-vltchek/) > [I'm called a terrorist in the Arab media still today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yitzhak-shamir/i-m-called-a-terrorist-in-the-arab-media-still-today/) [Yitzhak Shamir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yitzhak-shamir/) > [I have been to Burj-Al-Arab. And I visit Dubai quite often, I really like the place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-dhupia/i-have-been-to-burj-al-arab-and-i-visit-dubai-quite-often-i-really/) [Neha Dhupia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-dhupia/) > [History may someday record that the Arab awakening that began with the Arab revolt of 1916 against the Ottomans ended about a century later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/history-may-someday-record-that-the-arab-awakening-that-began-with/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [None of us is certain about the outcome of the Arab Spring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/none-of-us-is-certain-about-the-outcome-of-the-arab-spring/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [As you know with the Arab Spring, there were no dividends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/najib-razak/as-you-know-with-the-arab-spring-there-were-no-dividends/) [Najib Razak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/najib-razak/) > [ \[Arab peoples\] are stuck back thousands of years and they think they're going to get out with a TV set. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/arab-peoples-are-stuck-back-thousands-of-years-and-they-think-they-re/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [I was one of the first people in the Palestinian world, in the late 1970s, to say that there is no military option, either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/i-was-one-of-the-first-people-in-the-palestinian-world-in-the-late/) [Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/) [Browse all 310 Arab quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arab/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Because 9/11 was carried out by 19 foreign-born Arab hijackers, many assume that all terrorists who attack the West are foreigners.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Bergen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-foreign-born-arab-hijackers-many/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arab" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-foreign-born-arab-hijackers-many/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/peter-bergen-1880_arab_because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-forei_187478.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/peter-bergen-1880_arab_because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-forei_187478.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/234/peter-bergen-1880_arab_because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-forei_187478.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Because 9/11 was carried out by 19 foreign-born Arab hijackers, many assume that all terrorists who attack…” — Peter Bergen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Peter Bergen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Because 9/11 was carried out by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-foreign-born-arab-hijackers-many/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-foreign-born-arab-hijackers-many/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```