This web site offers Middle Eastern and South Asian background which may help readers understand what may have motivated the actors in the World Trade Center calamity of September 11, 2001 to hijack planes, destroy the World Trade Center towers and attack the U.S. military in their home base. Stuart Schaar, Professor of Middle East History at Brooklyn College made the selections and wrote the following commentary. He alone is responsible for its content. Comments, questions and suggestions for future updates may be addressed to him at