Sept. 10 — A videotape purporting to show al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden aired Wednesday on the Arabic-language news channel Al-Jazeera. The videotape was accompanied by an audiotape in which the voice of a man claiming to be bin Laden’s top deputy promised new attacks in the United States and denounced the U.S.-backed Middle East peace process as a “road map to hell.”
Al-Jazeera reported that the latest package was produced in late April or early May. It did not say whether it knew why the tapes were not delivered until now, but Wednesday was the eve of the second anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, which were widely blamed on al-Qaida.
On the audiotape, a man purporting to be bin Laden spoke briefly, praising the 19 men who flew hijacked jetliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon two years ago in terms closely similar to statements bin Laden has purportedly made in numerous earlier statements.
The speaker mentioned five of the Sept. 11 hijackers by name.
“I am honored to have known those men,” he said. “Saeed Alghamdi and his brothers have proven their true faith by sacrificing themselves and their heads for the sake of Allah … causing the infidels great wrath, which will continue for a long time, Allah willing, when they moved to practical implementation and radical solutions in support of the religion.”
He praised the attackers as true believers who should become an ideal for other believers.
“Whoever wanted to learn loyalty and courage in support of the religion should learn from Alghamdi, Mohammed Atta, Khalid al-Mihdhar, Ziad Jarrah, Marwan Al-Shehhi and others,” he said, saying they had learned from “the path of our prophet, Muhammad.”
But much of the roughly hour-long audiotape was taken up by a statement in which the man claiming to be Zawahiri denounced the Middle East peace process.
This is the same genius who advised Saddam: "Fear not the American smart bombs, the dirt is your friend."?
Frankly UBL loses if he is unable to Strike the US on it's soil. Short of that he can bomb embassies, attack US troops overseas, and kill civilians but unless he is able to bring terror home to the US he will become a rapidly ageing videographer.
Now that the Saudi's are cracking down (really) UBL is without an important source of support recruits and cash.
"Osama" again huh? He is always wheeled out when it most politically conveniant for the Bush regime, as is Saddam with his recorded taped messages. These timely appearances by the favourite bogeymen of the yanks are getting rather tiring, like a predictable Hollywood script, but more people are getting wise to this sort of thing.
Mark my words both Osama and Saddam are all in safe places which the American's are well aware of, and will be 'captured' at the most politically opportune times. After all the election is coming up....
Wow... How come there is no fatwa against this. I am sure all muslims would agree that comparing Mohhamad Atta to Prophet Mohammad is a big offense. No?
Mat the only reason we may get offended when you make such comparisons is because unliek OBL u are not a jackass.
as far as ppl passing fatwas, the kind that padd fatwas every time they feel like it, whether or not it makes sense and whether or not the majority of muslims care about there whining..are themselves more like OBL than like an avg muslim, dont expect any fatwaas from them.
the real scholars who dont pass fatwas right left and center and are more concerned with spiritual guidance and scholarly pursuits will ignore it.
I however being niether of the above pass a fatwa that OBL needs to be placed in front of a pimp slappin machine for the rest of his life and been made the plaything of various bubbas.
OBL couldn’t have given Bush a bigger shot in the arm if he was on his payroll. With the American campaign in Iraq floundering devoid of any clear objectives and now proving expensive and costly in manpower, Bush’s war on terrorism needed a timely boost.
SO Fraudiya let me get this staight. A non-muslim who highlights a terrorist making this comparison is chastized but nothing is done to rebuke or go after or ostracize the terrorists. I think the reason could be two fold.
1) Deep down there might be a soft spot for terrorists like these or..
2) Fear of getting chastized yourself by those who deem themselves the stalwarths of the faith.
I would imagine if Salman Rushdie had made this comparison, there would be 19 threads all over Gupshup regarding the topic. So spare me the sermon.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Matsui: *
A non-muslim who highlights a terrorist making this comparison is chastized but nothing is done to rebuke or go after or ostracize the terrorists.
[/QUOTE]
I think in Pakistan there's very much been an effort to ostracize and pursue the terrorists, quite a few joint operations with CIA have seen supporters of Al Qaida netted so that charge seems unjustified.
JM, I think on the whole people have done a good job. It is a shame that a literary personalities gets a death threat issued by the Shia leader for saying something against Islam in a fictional book, but there are no virulent speeches, actions asked of the muslim world by muslims ,(just conspiracy theories mind you) against people that not only linked a terrorist to their prophet but moreover killed a lot of people.
It's a fair point Matsui but a nation can only be responsible for it's own citizens. In this case with 15 of the 19 hijackers being of Saudi origin looks to me that prime responsibilty should lie with the Saudi Kingdom for allowing such ideologies to foster.
With that same attitude, the US government should be held responsible for every hate crime committed by the KKK or the Neo-Nazis. A government can not and should not be held accountable for the actions of a lone or group of individuals if they did not sanction such an action.
Following the same thought process, the pakistani government should be held accountable for every action taken by a Pakistani taken abroad ie Kashmir. Same can be said for Iran as it supports Hizbollah in Lebanon.
Blasphemy is blasphemy Matsui. It doesnt matter who commits it. You still have book burnings in the US because parents dont want their children to read about witches and goblins. In todays "politically correct and acceptable" world, i doubt anybody would survive long in the US if he refered to Mary the mother of Jesus as a whore who gave birth to a con man.
*Originally posted by Matsui: *
**SO Fraudiya let me get this staight. A non-muslim who highlights a terrorist making this comparison is chastized but nothing is done to rebuke or go after or ostracize the terrorists. I think the reason could be two fold.
1) Deep down there might be a soft spot for terrorists like these or..
2) Fear of getting chastized yourself by those who deem themselves the stalwarths of the faith.
*I would imagine if Salman Rushdie had made this comparison, there would be 19 threads all over Gupshup regarding the topic. *
So spare me the sermon.
[/QUOTE]
There was no sermon to be spared.
You asked about Fatwas..I answered based on that. Not about posters on GS blasting this statement.
Posts on GS are not the same as Fatwas. if that is what you meant, maybe you should have stated that..
Had it not been for your post, I would not have even read that part, I got bored of reading OBLs lame statements long time ago and would not have caught that idiotic statement.
I responded and noted that the type of loons who pass fatwas are ideologically closer to OBL than an avg muslim so do not expect any fatwa against his statements from them..which is identical to your Point #1. I dont know about the fear part