Let me start by saying that I appreciate the work of James Loewen. His book Lies My Teacher Told Me has been deeply impactful in shaping my world view and understanding of politics. With that being said, I want to critique part of his book.

On pg. 199 of the Young Readers Edition of Lies My Teacher Told Me, James Loewen notes that in George W. Bush’s speech to Congress after 9/11 he said,

Americans are asking, why do they hate us? They hate what we see right here in this chamber – a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms. Our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other.

Loewen goes on to note, “What a happy thought – they hate us because we’re good! Bush repeated the same message for a year. It caught on, perhaps because it made people feel better. The notion that terrorists attacked us because of our values or freedoms may soothe our anguish and anger, but it is shallow and inaccurate.”

The letter Bin Laden wrote shortly after 9/11 seems to have been removed from most places online. Here is a wikipedia description of the letter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_to_the_American_People

He critiques the secularism of the United States. Loewen noting that terrorists attacked us because of our values and freedoms is inaccurate is remarkable. This isn’t the only reason the United States was attacked, but having a secular government and freedom of religion certainly was one of the reasons. Bin Laden was upset of Western influence impacting Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East. Bin Laden’s ideal world was one in which everyone would practice Sharia Law.