Book review: The Looming Tower by Larence Wright

On September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked by agents of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden’s terrorist organization.

In The Looming Tower, Lawrence Wright traces the history of fundamentalist Islam from its beginning to its culmination in America’s day of horror. The twentieth century spiritual godfather of radical Islam was Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian intellectual who lived in the United States for several years. Qutb’s view of America would probably shock and perplex many Americans, especially the political left. The values that we consider wholesome and universal—freedom, democracy, and reason—were the same attributes that Qutb saw as corrupt and hypocritical. He was uncomfortable with sexual freedom and openness. He detested the secular government.

Most Americans probably accept that their society is flawed, but still believe it is basically good, and our basic freedoms are envied by the world. Qutb belied that assumption. American freedoms, in his view, were the path to hell.

Qutb returned home to Egypt and joined a group called the Muslim Brotherhood. He eventually landed in prison, where he wrote this most influential works. Qutb’s writing set the tone for the future of radical Islam. His was a manifesto against modernity. “Only a complete rejection of rationalism and Western values offered the slim hope of the redemption of Islam.” (pg. 35)

One of Qutb’s students was Ayman al-Zawahiri, who carried on Qutb’s battle against modernity after Qutb was executed in 1966. Zawahiri was imprisoned and tortured in Egypt, which hardened his resolve to destroy the government of Egypt and replace it with Sharia law. He eventually became the leader of al-Jihad, the forerunner of al-Qaeda.

A straight line can be drawn from Qutb to Zawahiri to bin Laden. Their common thread is their hatred of modernity. With each permutation, the radical Islamic movement became more violent and broadened the scope of its hatred. They had their causes—the establishment if the state of Israel, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia. Perceived and actual injuries mobilized the youth of the Muslim world, and the leaders of the terrorist organizations put them to work. Zawahiri was mainly focused on taking over Egypt, but bin Laden was obsessed with America, and eventually drew other factions into his orbit.

Wright usefully examines the Afghan war and bin Laden’s role in it. It is a popular myth that Arab groups such as bin Laden’s small army defeated the great Red Army. The reality is far different. Sheikh Abdullah Azzam and other radicals worked Arabs into a frenzy about the Communist takeover of Afghanistan, and urged them to make the pilgrimage to Afghanistan and join the fight. The ‘Arab Afghans’, as they were called, did very little actual fighting, and when they did they proved themselves to be incompetent and useless.

Bin Laden was a financier of guerilla groups during the Afghan jihad. He spent most of his time constructing a base that he called “the Lion’s Den”. His ambitions extended well beyond the Afghan conflict. He envisioned a headquarters from which Muslims could launch their attacks against enemies around the world. The Lion’s Den turned out to be a dead end—bin Laden himself destroyed it when the Soviets drew near. It was a learning experience, however. He actively cultivated the myth that he and his compatriots had defeated the great Communist super power. He would turn his ambitions to destroying the perceived source of Islam’s embarrassment: the United States.

Lawrence Wright provides brief biographies of all the major players in the story, including Prince Turki of Saudi Arabia, bin Laden’s nemesis, and Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, who was the first to suggest using airplanes as weapons. The important events in the history of the movement are described in the manner of a suspense novel. Wright wants to get the reader’s heart pumping during the attack on the Great Mosque, the massacre in Queen Hatshepsut's temple in Luxor, Egypt, the bombing of the USS Cole and, of course, the 9/11 attacks.

If there is a theme to the Islamist storyline, it is their fear of modernity. If there is a theme in the American storyline, it is the disastrous lack of cooperation between agencies of the United States government. Highly motivated investigators and intelligence agents from the FBI and the CIA worked tirelessly to track and stop bin Laden before he attacked the U.S., but they each jealously guarded their information. Their unwillingness to share data with other groups prohibited anyone from connecting the clues that could have thwarted bin Laden’s plan. The actions and inactions of the CIA are particularly damning.

Three fascinating figures emerge from the cat-and-mouse game between the Americans and the terrorists. The first is John O’Neill, an obnoxious and highly capable FBI agent who had a knack for cutting through the bureaucracy, and for creating enemies. The second is Dick Clark, Bill Clinton’s counter-terrorism czar who stayed on when George W. Bush entered the White house. Both O’Neill and Clarke were abrasive and polarizing men, but they were dedicated—obsessed, even—with eliminating what they saw as the single greatest threat to the security of the United States. The third remarkable figure is Ali Soufan, an Arab-speaking FBI agent who worked under O’Neill. His experience in America contrasts starkly with that of Sayyid Qutb. Instead of seeing American as a sea of sinful influences, Soufan enjoyed the freedom the country provided to get a good education and to practice his religion. It was Soufan’s interrogation which confirmed that the 9/11 attacks came from al-Qaeda.

The Looming Tower is a good companion to Richard Clarke’s book, Against All Enemies. Both describe the events of 9/11 from different perspectives. For anyone who vividly remembers the attacks and the feelings they stirred, both books will bring those feelings back like a tidal wave.

The most remarkable thing about Wright’s book is the respect and intimacy with which he treats his subjects. He gives us details of secret events about which only the closest members of bin Laden’s family would know. The Looming Tower is a beautiful piece of journalism. The lengthy list of author interviews shows that Wright spoke directly with many of the people involved. He focused on primary sources to place the reader in the middle of the action.

I have read a lot about 9/11, so I can’t say that The Looming Tower significantly changed my thinking about the subject. However, Lawrence Wright’s book provides details that are lacking in many works about al-Qaeda. Wright manages to find the storyline in the jungle of facts, and helps us connect the dots. The Looming Tower is an essential read for anyone who wants to understand the hows and whys behind the worst terrorist attack in American history.

© 2008 Bryan Lower

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