From the perspective of an intoxicated rural Southern conservative, the WTC terrorists are literally hideous alien monsters, in that they acted without humanity, they’re from somewhere else, and, being Arab, they look unpleasant (racism is a significant enhancing factor in hating people you already don’t like very much). For you to empathise with those terrorists would be a direct threat to this point of view. It would clearly mark you as not being one of them, and of not sharing their values.
From the perspective of an intoxicated rural Southern conservative, the WTC terrorists are literally hideous alien monsters, in that they acted without humanity, they’re from somewhere else, and, being Arab, they look unpleasant (racism is a significant enhancing factor in hating people you already don’t like very much). For you to empathise with those terrorists would be a direct threat to this point of view. It would clearly mark you as not being one of them, and of not sharing their values.