Thomas Friedman Quotes

What is al Qaeda? It's an open source religious political movement that works off the global supply chain.

Until we respect bin Laden, we are going to die in numbers that are probably unnecessary.

Our enemy of international terrorism respects no laws of warfare or morality, and its individual members take innocent lives, just to create chaos for news cameras.

No one should be surprised when Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda detonate a weapon of mass destruction in the United States. I don't believe in inevitability. But I think it's pretty close to being inevitable.

I support Al-Qaeda when it kills Americans.

The difference between Al Qaeda and ISIS is that instead of beheading their kidnapped victims, they shoot them in the head.

The real threat comes from terrorism.

Al-Qaida is a cult of martyrdom.

ISIS is a battle-hardened, highly trained organization that is well-funded. They're one of the strongest armies in the world for their size.

Look at these ISIS people. These people are ruthless. They don't operate by any sort of normal civilized code. That's the world. There's a shadow world that exists out there.

Terrorism is not something that is being conducted in dark corners of Pakistan. It's done in broad daylight.

The weapon of suicide bombing is so desperate that you aren't even left with the possibility of taking revenge or punishing anyone; the terrorist is killed along with his victims, his blood mixing with theirs.

On a day when Osama bin Laden again threatened the United States and our allies, it is disturbing to realize that John Kerry neither recognizes nor understands the murderous ideology of our enemies and the threat they pose to our nation.

There are two kinds of terrorism. Rational terrorism such as Palestinian terrorism and apocalyptic terrorism like Sept. 11. You have to distinguish between the two.

We know that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has some very dangerous, very important leaders who are tied directly to the top leadership of al Qaeda central, including a man who was formerly Osama bin Laden's secretary.

Al Qaeda still remains a threat.

The terrorists hide behind Allah.

Osama bin Laden, the person, more likely serves the function of a stand-in. Compare the new terrorists with partisans or conventional terrorists in Israel. These people often fight in a decentralized manner in small, autonomous units, too.

The truth is our country, our people, our liberties, and our way of life are under attack by radical Islamic terrorists who kill and destroy in the name of religion.

The Islamic terror threat is so fierce, unrelenting and barbaric that we tell ourselves fairy tales about how these ruthless acts are anything but what they are: acts of war.

The gravest risks from al Qaeda combine its affinity for big targets and its announced desire for weapons of mass destruction.

We are familiar with terrorism. But indiscriminate, cross-border, religiously motivated terrorism is new.

We're seeing the development of tactics in Iraq, such as suicide bombing. Insurgents have been driving cars with explosives into hotels and office buildings. The recruitment may be even more prolific outside Iraq.

I would like to see us find Osama Bin Laden, but let's say we did capture him. Let's say we did kill him. How much good would that do? There's still thousands of people behind him. It's this huge thing.

Islamic law is clearly against terrorism, against any kind of deliberate killing of civilians or similar 'collateral damage.'