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Great Seal of the United States National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States



Third public hearing of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States

Terrorism, Al Qaeda, and the Muslim World

The one-day session focused on "Terrorism, al Qaeda, and the Muslim World." The Commission heard testimony from experts on the character of the transnational terrorist threat, the relationships of Arab states to these groups, and the phenomenon of violent extremism within the Muslim community. An agenda and list of panelists accompanied this advisory.

In announcing the hearing, the Commission's Chair, former New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean, said: "A key Commission responsibility is to understand the enemy. Good policy recommendations will depend on a clear understanding of al Qaeda's emergence and strategy."

The Vice Chair, former Indiana Representative Lee H. Hamilton, added: "There is considerable knowledge of al Qaeda and terrorist groups outside the government. This session will enable us to achieve a better understanding how the Arab world has viewed this danger, before and after September 11."

Archived Video and Transcripts

Hearing Agenda

July 9, 2003

Terrorism, Al Qaeda, and the Muslim World

9:00 AM

Hearing Commences

Opening Statement from Chairman Kean

PANEL ONE: Al Qaeda

Rohan Gunaratna, Head of Terrorism Research and Associate Professor, Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies, Singapore and author of Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror

Mamoun Fandy, Senior Fellow, United States Institute of Peace and author of Saudi Arabia and the Politics of Dissent

Marc Sageman, Lecturer, Solomon Asch Center for the Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict, University of Pennsylvania

11:00 AM

PANEL TWO: States and Terrorism

Laurie Mylroie, Adjunct Fellow, American Enterprise Institute and author of Study of Revenge: Saddam Hussein's Unfinished War Against America

Judith Yaphe, Senior Research Fellow and Middle East Project Director, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University

Murhaf Jouejati, Adjunct Scholar, Middle East Institute and Lecturer, George Washington University

Mark Gasiorowski, Professor of Political Science, Louisiana State University

1:00 PM

Break

2:00 PM

PANEL THREE: The Challenge within the Muslim World

Rachel Bronson, Senior Fellow and Director of Middle East Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

Steven Emerson, Executive Director of the Investigative Project and author of American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us

Gilles Kepel, Professor, Institute of Political Studies, Paris and author of Jihad: The Trail of Political Islam

Dennis Ross, Director and Ziegler Distinguished Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy

4:00 PM

Hearing Concludes. Press availability to follow.



Current News


The Commission has released its final report. [more]

The Chair and Vice Chair have released a statement regarding the Commission's closing. [more]

The Commission closed August 21, 2004. [more]

Commission Members


Thomas H. Kean
Chair


Lee H. Hamilton
Vice Chair


Richard Ben-Veniste
Fred F. Fielding
Jamie S. Gorelick
Slade Gorton
Bob Kerrey
John F. Lehman
Timothy J. Roemer
James R. Thompson

Commission Staff


Philip D. Zelikow
Executive Director


Chris Kojm
Deputy Executive Director


Daniel Marcus
General Counsel