--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sheikh Rahman's fatwa was the first time…" description: "\"Sheikh Rahman's fatwa was the first time that anyone associated with al Qaeda had given religious sanction to attacks on American aviation, shipping an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/peter-bergen-1880_al_sheikh-rahman-s-fatwa-was-the-first-time_1749806.png" --- # Sheikh Rahman's fatwa was the first time that anyone… ![“Sheikh Rahman's fatwa was the first time that anyone associated with al Qaeda had given religious sanction to attacks on American aviation, shipping and economic targets.” quote by Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/peter-bergen-1880_al_sheikh-rahman-s-fatwa-was-the-first-time_1749806.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/peter-bergen-1880_al_sheikh-rahman-s-fatwa-was-the-first-time_1749806.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/peter-bergen-1880_al_sheikh-rahman-s-fatwa-was-the-first-time_1749806.png) > “Sheikh Rahman's fatwa was the first time that anyone associated with al Qaeda had given religious sanction to attacks on American aviation, shipping and economic targets.” [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 first religious approval for attacks on U.S. targets marked a new, dangerous shift in extremist tactics. **In simple terms:** First religious sanction for attacks on U.S. targets. Key Takeaway Recognize evolving threats. Themes terrorism religion policy security extremism Mood analytical cautious Type journalistic academic When to use this quote - counterterrorism - law enforcement - academic study - media reporting Key Concepts Radicalization theory policy analysis Questions to Reflect On - How should policy adapt to ideological shifts? - What signs indicate emerging threats? A Different Perspective Religious motives can be complex and not sole drivers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Al](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/al/) [Al qaeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/al-qaeda/) [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [Economic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic/) [Fatwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fatwa/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Qaeda Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/qaeda-given-1595422/) [Rahman Fatwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rahman-fatwa-1595424/) [Religious Sanction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-sanction-1595423/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The American incarceration of Sheikh Rahman was a hot-button issue for al Qaeda for many years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-american-incarceration-of-sheikh-rahman-was-a-hot-button-issue/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Bush administration officials, of course, deny that they didn't take the threat urgently enough, but there is no debating that in their public utterances,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/bush-administration-officials-of-course-deny-that-they-didn-t-take/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The special reverence that al Qaeda had for Sheikh Rahman was underlined by a two-hour propaganda videotape that the group's media division released in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-special-reverence-that-al-qaeda-had-for-sheikh-rahman-was/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Leaders at the top of al Qaeda's hierarchy, the evidence shows, completed plans and obtained the materials required to manufacture two biological toxins -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/leaders-at-the-top-of-al-qaeda-s-hierarchy-the-evidence-shows/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [Counterterrorism analysts have known for years that al Qaeda prepares for attacks with elaborate 'targeting packages' of photographs and notes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/counterterrorism-analysts-have-known-for-years-that-al-qaeda-prepares/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [Based on the people l've spoken to, I think the impression is: Is America safer from Al Qaeda? Yes. Is America weaker as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/based-on-the-people-l-ve-spoken-to-i-think-the-impression-is-is/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [Big Pharma's the Taliban... They're Al Qaeda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/big-pharma-s-the-taliban-they-re-al-qaeda/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [The plan we developed to deal with al Qaeda depended on developing sources of human and technical intelligence that could give us insights into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cofer-black/the-plan-we-developed-to-deal-with-al-qaeda-depended-on-developing/) [Cofer Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cofer-black/) > [Al Qaeda attacked the U.S.S. Cole and bombed several U.S. embassies in East Africa in the late 1990s. We knew who did it, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-troia-mcfarland/al-qaeda-attacked-the-u-s-s-cole-and-bombed-several-u-s-embassies-in/) [Kathleen Troia McFarland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-troia-mcfarland/) > [I want the American people to understand, we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat Al Qaeda in Pakistan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/i-want-the-american-people-to-understand-we-have-a-clear-and-focused/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [There is evidence that some of al Qaeda's nuclear efforts over the years met with swindles and false leads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/there-is-evidence-that-some-of-al-qaeda-s-nuclear-efforts-over-the/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [When Rumsfeld gets up on television and says we have definitive intelligence that al Qaeda is working with Iraq, how is an ordinary citizen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/when-rumsfeld-gets-up-on-television-and-says-we-have-definitive/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [We need to understand that an open society and free speech and press... really are the best weapons against al Qaeda and extremism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/we-need-to-understand-that-an-open-society-and-free-speech-and-press/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [Success means eliminating Al Qaeda's ability to launch terrorist attacks against the United States and our allies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-greitens/success-means-eliminating-al-qaeda-s-ability-to-launch-terrorist/) [Eric Greitens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-greitens/) > [Mistreatment of al Qaeda members and their friends and hangers-on is something I number among my moral concerns. But it's number 1,000,000,001.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/mistreatment-of-al-qaeda-members-and-their-friends-and-hangers-on-is/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) ## 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/) > [Because 9/11 was carried out by 19 foreign-born Arab hijackers, many assume that all terrorists who attack the West are foreigners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/because-9-11-was-carried-out-by-19-foreign-born-arab-hijackers-many/) [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/) [Explore all 201 Peter Bergen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) ## More Al quotes > [I like 'The Usual Suspects'. Great film. I also like 'Scarface', films like that. Lots of gangster films. I really like watching all kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barkhad-abdi/i-like-the-usual-suspects-great-film-i-also-like-scarface-films-like/) [Barkhad Abdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barkhad-abdi/) > [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/) > [If the practice is torture for the al Qaeda operative who masterminded the killing of three thousand Americans, why weren't there court-martials in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-a-rodriguez-jr/if-the-practice-is-torture-for-the-al-qaeda-operative-who/) [Jose A. Rodriguez, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-a-rodriguez-jr/) > [Searches of al Qaeda sites in Afghanistan, undertaken since American-backed forces took control there, are not known to have turned up a significant cache…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/searches-of-al-qaeda-sites-in-afghanistan-undertaken-since-american/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [Nobody had race savvy like Al Unser in his prime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/nobody-had-race-savvy-like-al-unser-in-his-prime/) [Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/) > [There are many causes of violent deaths in America - murders and traffic accidents - that we do not approach with the same 'no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-c-blair/there-are-many-causes-of-violent-deaths-in-america-murders-and/) [Dennis C. Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-c-blair/) > [If you want to join the Republican party, they have to let you in. There's nothing they can do about it. I mean, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/if-you-want-to-join-the-republican-party-they-have-to-let-you-in/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Brian came back in on the road and Al stayed, but Al's the original member of the group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/brian-came-back-in-on-the-road-and-al-stayed-but-al-s-the-original/) [Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/) > [News is the backbone of our network; the main commodity and the main successes of Al Jazeera came out of our involvement in covering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/news-is-the-backbone-of-our-network-the-main-commodity-and-the-main/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [And beyond that, the next issue is how do we guarantee one of these weapons, not necessarily this missile, but nuclear weapons ends up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-eagleburger/and-beyond-that-the-next-issue-is-how-do-we-guarantee-one-of-these/) [Lawrence Eagleburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-eagleburger/) > [I started, actually, as an analyst on African affairs, mainly on Al Jazeera. I remember the first few series were about Saudi students, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/i-started-actually-as-an-analyst-on-african-affairs-mainly-on-al/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [That is because the conflict with al Qaeda is not governed by the Geneva Conventions, which applies only to international conflicts between states that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/that-is-because-the-conflict-with-al-qaeda-is-not-governed-by-the/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [Bin Laden is dead, and most of his friends are dead. But did it need to cost a trillion dollars and two land wars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/bin-laden-is-dead-and-most-of-his-friends-are-dead-but-did-it-need-to/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [Mistreatment of al Qaeda members and their friends and hangers-on is something I number among my moral concerns. But it's number 1,000,000,001.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/mistreatment-of-al-qaeda-members-and-their-friends-and-hangers-on-is/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Success means eliminating Al Qaeda's ability to launch terrorist attacks against the United States and our allies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-greitens/success-means-eliminating-al-qaeda-s-ability-to-launch-terrorist/) [Eric Greitens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-greitens/) [Browse all 218 Al quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/al/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sheikh Rahman's fatwa was the first time that anyone associated with al Qaeda had given religious sanction to attacks on American aviation, shipping and economic targets.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Bergen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/sheikh-rahman-s-fatwa-was-the-first-time-that-anyone-associated-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Al" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/sheikh-rahman-s-fatwa-was-the-first-time-that-anyone-associated-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/peter-bergen-1880_al_sheikh-rahman-s-fatwa-was-the-first-time_1749806.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/peter-bergen-1880_al_sheikh-rahman-s-fatwa-was-the-first-time_1749806.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/peter-bergen-1880_al_sheikh-rahman-s-fatwa-was-the-first-time_1749806.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sheikh Rahman's fatwa was the first time that anyone associated with al Qaeda had given religious sanction…” — 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": "Sheikh Rahman's fatwa was the first...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/sheikh-rahman-s-fatwa-was-the-first-time-that-anyone-associated-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/sheikh-rahman-s-fatwa-was-the-first-time-that-anyone-associated-with/#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 } } ] } ```