Word: atta
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...loner tendencies were underlined in a caricature of his college class drawn by Iman Ismail, who depicted Atta standing next to a sign that included a warning posted on Egyptian military perimeter fences: "Coming Near or Taking Photos Prohibited." A speech bubble has Atta saying, "I don't hear, don't see, don't talk...
...will" discovered by U.S. investigators following the September 11 attack, Atta insists that no women be allowed to attend his funeral or visit his grave site...
...Even in his own prosperous family, Atta seemed overshadowed by his lawyer father and the academic success of his two elder sisters, one who lectured at Cairo University and the other who became a doctor. A quiet only son who was strongly attached to his mother, Atta's father nicknamed him "Bolbol" - Arabic for a little bird. Mohammed El Amir recalls his son as a timid boy who avoided fights or squabbles between friends. "In his behavior, my son was almost like an angel," he said. "He is like a virgin girl in his politeness and shyness. Growing...
...Atta graduated from Cairo University with a degree in architectural engineering in 1990, having, according to his father, mastered both English and German in summer courses. His father was eager to see him emulate his sisters' academic achievements, and pressed him to consider studying in Germany in light of the fierce competition from the favored children of faculty staff for post graduate and academic positions at Cairo University. Despite his reluctance to leave, in 1992 he headed for Hamburg to complete a masters degree in urban planning...
...politics and religion, Atta's opinions had been mainstream Egyptian middle class - strongly critical of Israel, but also strongly critical of the Islamist extremism that had taken hold of sections of Egyptian society over the past two decades. "When students on campus would discuss the activities of the Islamic groups who were active on campus and in the student union," says Khalifa, "he would object to their activities from A-Z. He was against them and what they stood for. He was a person who always held a position in the center. He hated extremism. He knew...