He's Back
HE'S BACK
After a year of silence, Osama bin Laden has filled the world's
headlines with an audiotape, and the predictable opinions are
being heard. Is his offering of a truce a sign of weakness or
strength? Is he making such statements because he is harried or
is the statement a result of the recent U.S. missile attack in
Pakistan? All of these questions are to be expected from a media
that has usually asked: Is he really alive? Where is he? It
rarely asks: What did he say/mean?
Bin Laden's public statements - which have almost never been
aired in full-length in the U.S. mainstream media - have been
made primarily based on his religious/ideological
considerations. He has consistently justified Al Qaeda's actions
and those of other jihad groups as a defensive struggle against
Western encroachment on Islamic societies and the 'apostate'
regimes currently ruling Muslim countries. Moreover, he has
consistently elaborated basic themes: one-sided U.S. support for
Israel at the expense of the Palestinians; U.S. historical and
current support for 'apostate' Muslim regimes, such as that
governing Saudi Arabia; the West's pilfering of Muslims' natural
resources, especially oil; and the West's cultural, political,
and military attack on Muslims worldwide.
After the 9/11 attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.,
Al Qaeda was criticized by those within its own ideological
persuasion, not for having attacked the U.S., but for not having
followed correct religious procedures. It had failed to get the
proper religious/legal rulings in support of such an attack; had
not warned Muslims, women, children, and innocent civilians; and
had not made an offer of peaceful resolution - all before
attacking.
As of today, all of these conditions have been fulfilled with
respect to the next attack in the U.S. Religious rulings have
been obtained, warnings have been issued, and offers of a
peaceful resolution - to accept a truce if the U.S. offers one -
have been made. In Bin Laden's mind, and in the minds of
likeminded fundamentalist jihadists, all the preconditions have
been met for directly attacking the United States. This is the
real meaning of the audiotape.