After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda surpassed the IRA and the PLO as the world's most well-known terrorist organization. Al-Qaeda, or "the base" in Arabic, is the network of extremists organized by Osama bin Laden. Al-Qaeda has its origins in the uprising against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Thousands of volunteers from around the Middle East came to Afghanistan as mujahideen, warriors fighting to defend fellow Muslims. In the mid-1980s, Osama bin Laden became the prime financier for an organization that recruited Muslims from mosques around the world. …
