Few other days have shaped recent history as profoundly as September 11, 2001. On that day, terrorist attacks carried out by the Islamist group al-Qaeda in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania killed nearly 3,000 people and injured more than 6,000. The victims came from around 90 countries—primarily the United States, but also nations such as Great Britain, Japan, and Germany.
The attacks triggered wars and further acts of terrorism, while straining relations between nations, neighbors, and religious communities.
Horst Kretschi spoke with American scholar Ken Chitwood about developments since September 11, 2001. Dr. Chitwood is an expert in Islamic studies currently working in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Bayreuth; one of his areas of specialization is the relationship between Christians and Muslims worldwide.