IN HINDSIGHT,

the fact that the White House and Pentagon, obvious symbols of American political and military might, were targeted on 9/11 isn't that surprising. One might wonder then, out of dozens of skyscrapers and recognizable landmarks, why the World Trade Center specifically was attacked five years ago.

The Twin Towers were attacked because they were internationally recognized for free-market capitalism. The buildings dominated the skyline: When it was completed in the early 1970s, One World Trade Center was the tallest building in the world. The investment community made up the major tenants, housing powerhouses such as Morgan Stanley, Cantor Fitzgerald, Aon Insurance, along with numerous mutual fund and investment advisory firms. It was home to the New York Board of Trade, where hundreds of millions of dollars of commodities were traded.

In short, the complex was a massive center of productivity, where thousands of people went every day to earn a living. Untold billions of dollars funneled through those buildings every day on a productive journey that improved not only their lives, but the lives of all mankind.

In the subsequent investigation, the attack was shown to be a highly organized plot for which the highjackers were well-trained and prepared. In the grand scheme of humankind, however, it ranks up there with the most gutless sucker punches in history. At the very least, the Japanese strike at Pearl Harbor was directed at a military installation. The 9/11 murderers cowardly attacked unarmed, unaware civilians doing nothing more than peacefully living their lives.

So while the terrorists spent month after month devising an unthinkably evil way to destroy life, the men and women working in the Twin Towers, through their productive businesses, were actively working to create it. While the fanatical criminals were planning in caves or in barren desert terrorist training camps, those working in the towers were using state-of-the-art technology to build companies, provide jobs, cure diseases and improve the human condition.

The contrast couldn't be more apparent: The towers were symbols of creation. The terrorists: devastation.

Both political parties have been blamed for not doing more to prevent the tragedy. What caused 9/11, however, wasn't Bill Clinton, George Bush, faulty airport security or bad intelligence, but the nihilistic evil of militant Islam. The compassionately named "War on Terror" is actually a war against militant Islam. In this bizarre and depraved reality, followers are morally bound to kill those who do not accept and live by Sharia (Islamic) law. Paradise is achieved for those "martyrs" who die in battle, provided they can slaughter plenty of Jews, Americans or other "infidels" along the way. It's painfully obvious that militant Islam is a religious dictatorship with no respect for reason or human life.

Look at areas of the world where militant Islam, groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, Al-Qaeda and Islamic Jihad, reign and you see an almost shockingly low quality of life. Modern comforts such as medicine, technology or sanitary living quarters are virtually nonexistent. Why should we be surprised? A culture based on dogmatic adherence to religious fanaticism will always be stuck in the dark ages.

What has made the U.S. the promised land of opportunity isn't our natural resources (such as Russia) or long history (like China), but our values. In America, our lives don't belong to Allah, Jesus or God. We are autonomous individuals endowed with the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness exactly the opposite of the death-worshiping culture symbolized by militant Islam.

In targeting the World Trade Center, these animals weren't just attacking America, but the American businessman: the profit-seeking, rational individual whose mind creates the prosperity and wealth that propels the world. The fact that man was able to build two 110-story towers filled with creative, productive, money-making enterprises without Allah's help must have really angered them to the core. Their response wasn't capitalist (to trade), but irrational (to kill). That's just about all militant Islam seems to be good at.

In Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran or anywhere else on earth, our values of liberty, capitalism and individual rights are worth protecting. On the fifth anniversary of that horrible event, we should remember the soldiers, police, firefighters and especially businessmen and women killed that day. They embody the spirit that has and will continue to make this country great.

We will miss them. We won't forget them. And we'll fight on in their name.

Related Reading: The Difference Between Us and Them

Jonathan Hoenig is managing member at

Hedge Fund LLC.