Power and the Study of Islam South of the Sahara

On Friday 7 August 1998, the world was horrified by two bomb attacks on the American embassies in Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam. Although 250 Kenyan citizens and about ten Tanzanians were killed in these attacks, the attention of the world focused mainly on the distress caused by the deaths of twelve Americans. The perpetrators were immediately sought among Muslims in the Middle East. The past of Osama Bin Laden - the suspected mastermind behind the attacks - was dredged up and a possible Dutch connection with international terrorism was explored in depth. Africa seems to have been no more than an accidental setting for these attacks, possibly selected because airport security leaves so much to be desired