What WeÂ’ve Learned From 9/11: The Making of a Terrorist

7 years after the atrocity of 9/11, Americans may know more details about what happened that tragic early autumn day, but we still have trouble fathoming how religious extremists could commit such a calculated, monstrous attack on thousands of innocent, unsuspecting people. Terrorism isn’t anything new and excessive religiosity isn’t a modern ailment – even in America. More than a hundred fifty years ago, on another September 11th, an act of religious terrorism left more than a hundred American men, women and children dead. And the perpetrators? Fellow Americans. A closer look at this relatively obscure attack may shed some light on how religious terrorists are created and serve as a warning, that terrorists don’t always speak another language, have a different color skin, or live across the ocean. The Mountain Meadow Massacre occurred on September 11th, 1857. It was carried out by a group of Mormons who attacked a wagon train of pioneers traveling from Arkansas through Utah...