[edit] 21st century (2001-2100) (1421 AH – 1527 AH) - 2000: Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip begin the Al-Aqsa Intifada, prompted by Ariel Sharon's visit to a disputed religious site holy to both Jews and Muslims. President Hafez al-Assad of Syria dies of a heart attack. His son Bashar al-Assad is elected President by Syria's Majlis Al Shaa'b (Parliament). Earthquake in Gujarat, India at Richter scale of 7.8, 25,000 people died
- 2001: Members of Al Qaeda, a Jihadi organization, attack the United States. Hijacked commercial airliners are flown into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon building on September 11, 2001, killing upwards of three thousand. The United States subsequently declares a War on terror and invades Afghanistan, whose Taliban regime had given refuge to Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The Taliban are ousted from power, though the fate of bin Laden is unknown as of 2008[update].
- 2002: The riots between Hindus and Muslims in Gujarat, India. More than 5000 reported killed, most of them Muslims.
- 2003: The United States leads the invasion of Iraq, searching for "weapons of mass destruction", starting the second Iraq War. Shirin Ebadi becomes the first Muslim woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in promoting human rights.
- 2004: A Jihadi group claims responsibility for bombings in Madrid's commuter railway and several trains. The Jihad attack killed 191, and wounded 1,460 others. Nevertheless the Islamists' claim, latest unveilings suggest that perhaps the role of Islamic extremists was less capital than it has been officially presented. The second largest earthquake ever recorded occurs in the Indian Ocean triggering the Asian Tsunami. Indonesia suffers the heaviest damage with 167,736 dead, 37,063 missing and 500,000+ displaced.
- 2005: A radical Muslim group claims responsibility for bombings in the London Underground. The attack kills 52, and wounds over 700 others. Bombings in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt kill at least 83 and wound hundreds. Saudi Arabia's King Fahd dies. Fahd's brother Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz, who had assumed de facto leadership of the country after King Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke in 1994, is declared king. A powerful, 7.6-magnitude earthquake hits Pakistan administered Kashmir, killing upwards of 73,000 people. Israel removed Jewish settlers and military personnel from the Gaza Strip in August 2005.
- 2006: Israel attempts to invade Lebanon in pursuit of Hezbollah paramilitary forces, but fails. Death of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein by hanging for crimes against humanity. Muhammad Yunus wins Nobel Peace Prize for successful application of microcredit schemes to poor entrepreneurs in Bangladesh.
- 2007:Ethiopian forces invade Somalia and routed Islamic Courts from Mogadishu.
- 2008: Kosovo becomes independent and immediately recognised by the USA and the EU.
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