WCJ Comments on the Osama bin Laden Message to the American People (November 2002)
Publication date: 2002-12-04

The World Court of Justice Comments on the Osama bin Laden Message to the American People

In November 2002 a document was published on the Internet purported to be a message from Osama bin Laden to the American people. The document is believed to be genuine and has been accepted by the American administration as such.

This is the second most important document that will affect the life of Mankind in the coming months, years and decades.

The first document of this importance is The National Security Strategy of the United States of America Report (September 2002).

Although the Osama bin Laden Letter has been published later than the NSS USA Report, it states the reasons for the attacks on the Americans by the al‐Qaida, the reactions to which attacks by the US administration has lead to the present American “War on Terror”.

The purpose of these comments on the Osama bin Laden Letter is to clarify the issues in the War on Terror, and to establish how these issues can be resolved by peaceful means, thus sparing Mankind decades of destruction and bloodshed.

 Osama bin LadenComments
AIn the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most MercifulThe customary Muslim way of beginning an important document.
B“Permission to fight (against disbelievers) is given to those (believers) who are fought against, because they have been wronged and surely, Allah is Able to give them (believers) victory” (Qur'an 22:39)

“Those who believe, fight in the Cause of Allah, and those who disbelieve, fight in the cause of Taghut (anything worshiped other than Allah e.g. Satan). So fight you against the friends of Satan; ever feeble is indeed the plot of Satan.” (Qur'an 4:76)

Some American writers have published articles under the title ‘On what basis are we fighting?’ These articles have generated a number of responses, some of which adhered to the truth and were based on Islamic Law, and others which have not. Here we wanted to outline the truth — as an explanation and warning — hoping for Allah's reward, seeking success and support from Him.

While seeking Allah's help, we form our reply based on two questions directed at the Americans:
  1. Why are we fighting and opposing you?
  2. What are we calling you to, and what do we want from you?
Here Osama explains the reasons for this document.

Most human disputes arise, because the parties resort to hostilities and violence, before having clarified the issues involved in the dispute and seeking ways to resolve it by peaceful means on the basis of justice.

We recommend that in all cases where a person (tribe, nation, etc) believe that they have suffered an injustice, they state their case point by point in a written letter.

Such letter should contain a list of the facts which constitute the injustices, and a list of the steps that the other party should take to redress these injustices. And only, if the other party fails to give satisfactory explanation for its actions, or, if its actions cannot be justified, fails to take adequate steps to redress the wrongs, should steps be taken to resolve the dispute by violent means. “Violent means” in this context means resort to the organised violence of a judicial system, or to wars and terrorism, if no other means of redressing wrongs exist.

Lawyers will recognise in this recommendation the standard “Letter before Action”.

Although Osama bin Laden has published his letter in the middle of the violence, the fact that he seeks to clarify the issues of the dispute in writing is a welcome step. This step opens possibilities of resolving the dispute on the basis of justice rather than continuing with endless “tit‐for‐tat” violence hoping that, if one hits the other side hard enough, it will give up fighting and peace will follow on the stronger party's terms (as per Benjamin Netanyahu's doctrine of “War on Terror”).
C0As for the first question:

“Why are we fighting and opposing you?”

The answer is very simple:
“Because you attacked us and continue to attack us.”
If a person (tribe, nation, etc) is attacked and there are no peaceful means to prevent or to resist the attack, then he is entitled to use violence in his self‐defence.

This is a generally accepted principle.

The question is whether this principle is applicable to Osama bin Laden's case.

Unlike G.W. Bush, who says that Israel has right to defend itself, just because it is Israel, rather than Palestine, Chechnya, or Iraq, Osama does not limit himself to such unsubstantiated declaration, but proceeds to enumerate facts on which he bases his claim.

And the answer to the question whether Osama bin Laden's actions are justifiable on the basis of self‐defence depends on the outcome of consideration of the facts which follow below.

Before we can proceed to consider Osama's points, however, we need to establish the identities of the parties to this case.

Osama bin Laden is a private individual, who has taken upon himself, of his own free will and on his own initiative, defence of the Muslim Nation world wide. By the Muslim Nation he means all people who for reasons of ethnicity or religious belief identify themselves and are identified by others as Muslims, and who, as Osama claims, are victims of the alleged by him injustices, and are entitled to be represented by him for the purpose of redressing these injustices.

George W. Bush is the President of the United States of America, duly elected in accordance with the laws and customs of his country. The United States “enjoys a position of unparalleled military strength and great economic and political influence”. G.W. Bush seeks to use this strength and influence “to create a balance of power that favors human freedom: conditions in which all nations and all societies can choose for themselves the rewards and challenges of political and economic liberty”. He seeks “to defend the peace by fighting terrorists and tyrants”. And, on behalf of the United States and the rest of World, he seeks to achieve these objective by fighting a “war on terror” in accordance with the theory developed by Benjamin Netanyahu.

Can Osama and Bush be accepted as representatives of the parties in this conflict, which undoubtedly exits, and which is called by Osama “Jihad” and by Bush “War on Terror”?

It can be argued that Osama does not represent all the Muslims, that most governments of Muslim countries have publicly dissociated themselves from him, that his view of Islam is not the viewshared by all the Muslims, and that he represents just “fanatic extremists”. And it can be argued that Bush does not represent the whole world, that some countries are against his belligerent policies, and that even some Americans oppose his “war on terror” as a series of crimes against humanity.

It is true that few governments in the world have true 100% support of their people in anything they do, but for the purpose of resolution of international disputes it has to be accepted that the current head of state of a country involved in a war is a legal representative of that country, as long as he is in command of its armed forces. And in the same way it has to be accepted that a terrorist leader is a legal representative of the terrorist group, as long as he has authority over that group.

In this case both Bush and Osama have clear authority over the groups they represent and for that reason alone should be accepted as representatives of the parties in this case.
1
  1. You attacked us in Palestine:

    1. Palestine, which has sunk under military occupation for more than 80 years. The British handed over Palestine, with your help and your support, to the Jews, who have occupied it for more than 50 years; years overflowing with oppression, tyranny, crimes, killing, expulsion, destruction and devastation. The creation and continuation of Israel is one of the greatest crimes, and you are the leaders of its criminals. And of course there is no need to explain and prove the degree of American support for Israel. The creation of Israel is a crime which must be erased. Each and every person whose hands have become polluted in the contribution towards this crime must pay its price, and pay for it heavily.

    2. It brings us both laughter and tears to see that you have not yet tired of repeating your fabricated lies that the Jews have a historical right to Palestine, as it was promised to them in the Torah. Anyone who disputes with them on this alleged fact is accused of anti‐semitism. This is one of the most fallacious, widely‐circulated fabrications in history. The people of Palestine are pure Arabs and original Semites. It is the Muslims who are the inheritors of Moses (peace be upon him) and the inheritors of the real Torah that has not been changed. Muslims believe in all of the Prophets, including Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all. If the followers of Moses have been promised a right to Palestine in the Torah, then the Muslims are the most worthy nation of this.

      When the Muslims conquered Palestine and drove out the Romans, Palestine and Jerusalem returned to Islam, the religion of all the Prophets peace be upon them. Therefore, the call to a historical right to Palestine cannot be raised against the Islamic Ummah that believes in all the Prophets of Allah (peace and blessings be upon them) — and we make no distinction between them.

    3. The blood pouring out of Palestine must be equally revenged. You must know that the Palestinians do not cry alone; their women are not widowed alone; their sons are not orphaned alone.


This item raises the following issues:
  1. Have the Palestinians suffered an injustice as a result of, or in the course of, the creation of the State of Israel in 1948?

    Yes, they have. In 1947–1949 the Israelis destroyed over 350 Palestinian villages and some 1,000,000 Palestinians were expelled from their houses and became refugees. These injustices are the primary cause of the present “Middle East Conflict”.

  2. Do the Jews have a historical right to Palestine which justifies their acts of injustice against the Palestinians?

    The claim to a historical right of the Jews to Palestine is based on the existence of an Israeli kingdom of Solomon (Suleiman) some 3000 years ago.

    Throughout human history tribes and nations fought each other, pillaged and devastated each other's lands, and killed and raped and enslaved men, women and children. Empires were replacing empires, only to be replaced by other empires. If we try to establish justice going back in history, we shall never succeed in that task. The most that can be done is to redress the current injustices and to prevent future injustices.

    The Palestinian Arabs who lived in Palestine between 1947 and 1949 were lawful residents of Palestine who lived there for hundreds of years, or came and settled there by lawful means. While there is nothing wrong with people of any race or religion moving from one country to another, it is wrong to drive by force the lawful local inhabitants from their houses. The historical connection of the Jews with Palestine did not give them right to expel from Palestine the Arabs so as to clear place for themselves.

    The expulsion by the Jews of the Palestinian Arabs from their houses at the time of the creation of the State of Israel was a criminal act which has no justification.

  3. Are the Americans responsible for the crimes against the Palestinians committed by the Israelis from 1948 onwards?

    The US have supported financially, diplomatically and politically all the criminal acts committed by the Israelis against the Palestinians. Although Bush has put forward a vision of a Palestinian state in 2005, in practice he has been supporting the Israelis in their acts of violence against the Palestinians and attempts to expand and strengthen their control over the Palestinian land.For that reason the Americans bear responsibility for the crimes committed by the Israelis against the Palestinians.

  4. Is Osama justified in seeking to redress the injustices suffered by the Palestinians at the hands of the Israelis?

    Any person is justified in seeking to redress any injustice, as long as his actions are limited to those necessary for redressing that injustice. As long as the actions of Osama are limited to those necessary for redressing the injustices suffered by the Palestinians at the hands of the Israelis, the actions of Osama are justified.
  1. You attacked us in Somalia; you supported the Russian atrocities against us in Chechnya, the Indian oppression against us in Kashmir, and the Jewish aggression against us in Lebanon.

This item raises the following issues:
  1. The reference to Somalia is probably to the US military involvement in Somalia in 1992–1995, which finished with American defeat and withdrawal.

    If this is the case, than the significance of this reference is purely historical, and does not amount to a claim of current injustices committed by the Americans against the Somalis which would justify any present hostilities against the Americans.

    If there is any active American involvement in Somalia, it would have to be specified.

  2. The Russian atrocities in Chechnya are committed by the Russians, not the Americans. American involvement in the Russian war in Chechnya has been limited to non‐intervention. This fact can be used to demonstrate American hypocrisy, but it does not substantiate charges of “support”.

  3. The hostilities in Kashmir are conducted by India, not America. If there is any American involvement in that conflict, it needs to be specified.

  4. This reference appears to be to the past Israeli occupation of Lebanon. Again any American involvement needs to be specified.

Although this item does not disclose any current American involvement in the conflicts, which wouldjustify use of violence against the Americans, having declared a global “War on Terror”, the Americans have made themselves “legitimate targets” for violence, as parties to that war.

Under your supervision, consent and orders, the governments of our countries which act as your agents, attack us on a daily basis;
  1. These governments prevent our people from establishing the Islamic Shari'ah, using violence and lies to do so.

  2. These governments give us a taste of humiliation, and places us in a large prison of fear and subdual.

  3. These governments steal our Ummah's wealth and sell them to you at a paltry price.

  4. These governments have surrendered to the Jews, and handed them most of Palestine, acknowledging the existence of their state over the dismembered limbs of their own people.

  5. The removal of these governments is an obligation upon us, and a necessary step to free the Ummah, to make the Shari'ah the supreme law and to regain Palestine. And our fight against these governments is not separate from out fight against you.

  6. You steal our wealth and oil at paltry prices because of you international influence and military threats. This theft is indeed the biggest theft ever witnessed by mankind in the history of the world.

  7. Your forces occupy our countries; you spread your military bases throughout them; you corrupt our lands, and you besiege our sanctities, to protect the security of the Jews and to ensure the continuity of your pillage of our treasures.

  8. You have starved the Muslims of Iraq, where children die every day. It is a wonder that more than 1.5 million Iraqi children have died as a result of your sanctions, and you did not show concern. Yet when 3000 of your people died, the entire world rises and has not yet sat down.

  9. You have supported the Jews in their idea that Jerusalem is their eternal capital, and agreed to move your embassy there. With your help and under your protection, the Israelis are planning to destroy the Al‐Aqsa mosque. Under the protection of your weapons, Sharon entered the Al‐Aqsa mosque, to pollute it as a preparation to capture and destroy it.
This item raises the following issue:
    Do the claims of Osama against the Arab states justify acts of violence against Americans?

    No, they do not.

    The claims of Osama against these governments can only give him right of action against those governments, but not against the Americans or anybody else. The claims against these governments need to be specific, and could be only considered as separate cases for each government.

    But any American involvement in these countries could expose them to action against them.

    And, of course, having declared a global “war on terror”, the Americans, and all their allies in that war have become “legitimate targets”, as parties to a war.
2These tragedies and calamities are only a few examples of your oppression and aggression against us. It is commanded by our religion and intellect that the oppressed have a right to return the aggression. Do not await anything from us but Jihad, resistance and revenge. Is it in any way rational to expect that after America has attacked us for more than half a century, that we will then leave her to live in security and peace?!!This item does not raise any specific issues in addition to those considered above.

The right to self‐defence is available to everybody, and Osama has right to take upon himself thedefence of the victims of injustice.

But each case of injustice needs to be clearly specified, all use of violence must be restricted to the minimum required, and all aggression has to be limited to the guilty party.
3You may then dispute that all the above does not justify aggression against civilians, for crimes they did not commit and offenses in which they did not partake:
  1. This argument contradicts your continuous repetition that America is the land of freedom, and its leaders in this world. Therefore, the American people are the ones who choose their government by way of their own free will; a choice which stems from their agreement to its policies. Thus the American people have chosen, consented to, and affirmed their support for the Israeli oppression of the Palestinians, the occupation and usurpation of their land, and its continuous killing, torture, punishment and expulsion of the Palestinians. The American people have the ability and choice to refuse the policies of their Government and even to change it if they want.

  2. The American people are the ones who pay the taxes which fund the planes that bomb us in Afghanistan, the tanks that strike and destroy our homes in Palestine, the armies which occupy our lands in the Arabian Gulf, and the fleets which ensure the blockade of Iraq. These tax dollars are given to Israel for it to continue to attack us and penetrate our lands. So the American people are the ones who fund the attacks against us, and they are the ones who oversee the expenditure of these monies in the way they wish, through their elected candidates.

  3. Also the American army is part of the American people. It is this very same people who are shamelessly helping the Jews fight against us.

  4. The American people are the ones who employ both their men and their women in the American Forces which attack us.

  5. This is why the American people cannot be not innocent of all the crimes committed by the Americans and Jews against us.

  6. Allah, the Almighty, legislated the permission and the option to take revenge. Thus, if we are attacked, then we have the right to attack back. Whoever has destroyed our villages and towns, then we have the right to destroy their villages and towns. Whoever has stolen our wealth, then we have the right to destroy their economy. And whoever has killed our civilians, then we have the right to kill theirs.

The American Government and press still refuses to answer the question:

“Why did they attack us in New York and Washington?”

If Sharon is a man of peace in the eyes of Bush, then we are also men of peace!!!

America does not understand the language of manners and principles, so we are addressing it using the language it understands.

In this item Osama seeks to refute the American assertions that governments have right to wage wars, because they are “lawful combatants”, but terrorists have not, because they are civilians (“unlawful combatants”) and attack civilians. According to the theory developed by Benjamin Netanyahu followed by the Americans, it is legitimate for governments to attack civilians targets as “collateral damage”, but not for terrorists.

The Osama arguments are as follows:
  1. Because the American people choose their government of their own free will, they are responsible for their government's policies.

    It is not true that all Americans choose “their government” of their own free will. Their choice to choose a government is very limited. They have two candidates to choose from. Their ability to influence their government is still more limited. They are misinformed, miseducated, and even, if they understood what their government are doing, their ability to influence their government actions is none. Benjamin Netanyahu has more influence over American policy than the Americans — he is the one who has charted it out for the American administration.

    Some Americans are even protesting against their government policies, but their protests have little influence.

  2. Although the American people are the ones who pay the taxes which fund the attacks against they have little control over how much taxes they pay, or how this money is used.

Although the Americans have much less control over their government then Osama thinks they have, in all wars people are identified with their countries and their governments, and for that reason they are attacked and killed. This is the reality of wars and terrorism, and the only way to prevent “civilian casualties” is to abandon wars and politics as a method of government, which will make terrorism redundant.

But governments prefer to indulge in wars and politics thus subjecting their own people to terror attacks. And it is those governments, who cause terrorism by committing injustices, that are to blame for the “civilian casualties” on their territories as a result of terrorism.

D0As for the second question that we want to answer:

“What are we calling you to, and what do we want from you?”

In this part Osama moves from retaliation and self‐defence to a different subject — moral advice.
1The first thing that we are calling you to is Islam.Osama has a right to call the Americans to Islam, but this should be disengaged from his acts aimed at redressing the injustices inflicted by the Americans against Muslims.

From a persecuter of the Americans Osama is turning to being their well‐wisher and moral guide.

These roles are distinct, but not necessarily contradictory and incompatible. An honest, competent and effective government will punish harshly the criminals to protect the people within its area of governance from injustice, but at the same time it will educate and instruct these people for these people's own benefit.
  1. The religion of the Unification of God; of freedom from associating partners with Him, and rejection of this; of complete love of Him, the Exalted; of complete submission to His Laws; and of the discarding of all the opinions, orders, theories and religions which contradict with the religion He sent down to His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Islam is the religion of all the prophets, and makes no distinction between them — peace be upon them all.

    It is to this religion that we call you; the seal of all the previous religions. It is the religion of Unification of God, sincerity, the best of manners, righteousness, mercy, honor, purity, and piety. It is the religion of showing kindness to others, establishing justice between them, granting them their rights, and defending the oppressed and the persecuted. It is the religion of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil with the hand, tongue and heart. It is the religion of Jihad in the way of Allah so that Allah's Word and religion reign Supreme. And it is the religion of unity and agreement on the obedience to Allah, and total equality between all people, without regarding their color, sex, or language.

Islam is indeed such religion.
  1. It is the religion whose book — the Qur'an — will remained preserved and unchanged, after the other Divine books and messages have been changed. The Qur'an is the miracle until the Day of Judgment. Allah has challenged anyone to bring a book like the Qur'an or even ten verses like it.

This is true.
2The second thing we call you to, is to stop your oppression, lies, immorality and debauchery that has spread among you.Here Osama speaks as a well‐wisher of the American people.
  1. We call you to be a people of manners, principles, honor, and purity; to reject the immoral acts of fornication, homosexuality, intoxicants, gambling, and trading with interest.

    We call you to all of this that you may be freed from that which you have become caught up in; that you may be freed from the deceptive lies that you are a great nation, that your leaders spread amongst you to conceal from you the despicable state to which you have reached.

Fornication, homosexuality, intoxicants and gambling are immoral acts by any standards. While increasingly growing number of Americans are indulging in these immoral acts, there are still many Americans who deplore and condemn them. They also deplore disappearance of manners, principles, honor and purity.

Trading with interest is not seen as vice by most Americans, although usury is.
  1. It is saddening to tell you that you are the worst civilization witnessed by the history of mankind:

    1. You are the nation who, rather than ruling by the Shari'ah of Allah in its Constitution and Laws, choose to invent your own laws as you will and desire. You separate religion from your policies, contradicting the pure nature which affirms Absolute Authority to the Lord and your Creator. You flee from the embarrassing question posed to you: How is it possible for Allah the Almighty to create His creation, grant them power over all the creatures and land, grant them all the amenities of life, and then deny them that which they are most in need of: knowledge of the laws which govern their lives?

    2. You are the nation that permits Usury, which has been forbidden by all the religions. Yet you build your economy and investments on Usury. As a result of this, in all its different forms and guises, the Jews have taken control of your economy, through which they have then taken control of your media, and now control all aspects of your life making you their servants and achieving their aims at your expense; precisely what Benjamin Franklin warned you against.

    3. You are a nation that permits the production, trading and usage of intoxicants. You also permit drugs, and only forbid the trade of them, even though your nation is the largest consumer of them.

    4. You are a nation that permits acts of immorality, and you consider them to be pillars of personal freedom. You have continued to sink down this abyss from level to level until incest has spread amongst you, in the face of which neither your sense of honor nor your laws object.

      Who can forget your President Clinton's immoral acts committed in the official Oval office? After that you did not even bring him to account, other than that he “made a mistake”, after which everything passed with no punishment. Is there a worse kind of event for which your name will go down in history and remembered by nations?

    5. You are a nation that permits gambling in its all forms. The companies practice this as well, resulting in the investments becoming active and the criminals becoming rich.

    6. You are a nation that exploits women like consumer products or advertising tools calling upon customers to purchase them. You use women to serve passengers, visitors, and strangers to increase your profit margins. You then rant that you support the liberation of women.

    7. You are a nation that practices the trade of sex in all its forms, directly and indirectly. Giant corporations and establishments are established on this, under the name of art, entertainment, tourism and freedom, and other deceptive names you attribute to it.

    8. And because of all this, you have been described in history as a nation that spreads diseases that were unknown to man in the past. Go ahead and boast to the nations of man, that you brought them AIDS as a Satanic American Invention.

    9. You have destroyed nature with your industrial waste and gases more than any other nation in history. Despite this, you refuse to sign the Kyoto agreement so that you can secure the profit of your greedy companies and industries.

    10. Your law is the law of the rich and wealthy people, who hold sway in their political parties, and fund their election campaigns with their gifts. Behind them stand the Jews, who control your policies, media and economy.

    11. That which you are singled out for in the history of mankind, is that you have used your force to destroy mankind more than any other nation in history; not to defend principles and values, but to hasten to secure your interests and profits. You, who dropped a nuclear bomb on Japan, even though Japan was ready to negotiate an end to the war. How many acts of oppression, tyranny and injustice have you carried out, O, “callers to freedom”?
Osama speaks here as a sincere friend of the American people. Only a sincere friend can be saddened by others' shortcomings. An enemy would have rejoiced at them.
  1. Osama is not alone in condemning frivolity with which politicians enact laws.

    An English judge, Lord Coke, stated in Bonham's case in 1610, “when an act of Parliament is against common right or reason or repugnant or impossible to be performed, the common law will control it, and adjudge such act to be void.”— which means that he acknowledged that politicians are capable of passing such laws.

    Today's politicians pass laws, as for example laws recognizing two homosexuals as a family for the purpose of adoptions of children, which many Americans would see as against common right, reason and totally repugnant.

  2. The control by Jews of the American economy and the media is a well‐known fact. Ariel Sharon on October 3rd, 2001 in a speech said: “We, the Jews control America, and Americans know it”. And every key concept of George Bush's War on Terror comes directly from the books and speeches of Benjamin Netanyahu.

    The issue here is not that American bankers or media proprietors are of Jewish origin, or religion, but that they use American resources to finance the Israeli crimes against the Palestinians and to misinform the American people so as to justify the Israeli crimes against the Palestinians and to push the world into another war.

  3. Usage of intoxicants has been an American scourge for a long time. Some well‐meaning Americans even tried to prohibit their use. Remember the Prohibition? And many Americans are just as saddened at alcoholism and drug‐addiction in America as Osama himself.

  4. Many Americans are just as saddened at the spread of sexual immorality in America as Osama himself.

  5. Dishonesty in business are just as saddening to many Americans as to Osama.

  6. Many Americans women will agree with Osama that it is immoral to exploit women's sexuality.

  7. Many Americans are just as saddened by use of sex in advertising and media in America as Osama himself.

  8. AIDS has indeed been spread by the Americans.

  9. Many Americans are just as saddened by industrial pollution in America as Osama himself.

  10. Many Americans are just as saddened by the establishmentarianism in America as Osama himself.

  11. Many Americans are just as saddened by destructive, aggressive American policies as Osama himself.

Many Americans would agree with what Osama states in this item.

  1. Let us not forget one of your major characteristics: your duality in both manners and values; your hypocrisy in manners and principles. All manners, principles and values have two scales: one for you and one for the others.

    1. The freedom and democracy that you call to is for yourselves and for white race only; as for the rest of the world, you impose upon them your monstrous, destructive policies and Governments, which you call the “American friends”. Yet you prevent them from establishing democracies. When the Islamic party in Algeria wanted to practice democracy and they won the election, you unleashed your agents in the Algerian army onto them, and to attack them with tanks and guns, to imprison them and torture them — a new lesson from the “American book of democracy”!!!

    2. Your policy on prohibiting and forcibly removing weapons of mass destruction to ensure world peace: it only applies to those countries which you do not permit to possess such weapons. As for the countries you consent to, such as Israel, then they are allowed to keep and use such weapons to defend their security. Anyone else who you suspect might be manufacturing or keeping these kinds of weapons, you call them criminals and you take military action against them.

    3. You are the last ones to respect the resolutions and policies of International Law, yet you claim to want to selectively punish anyone else who does the same. Israel has for more than 50 years been pushing UN resolutions and rules against the wall with the full support of America.

    4. As for the war criminals which you censure and form criminal courts for — you shamelessly ask that your own are granted immunity!! However, history will not forget the war crimes that you committed against the Muslims and the rest of the world; those you have killed in Japan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Lebanon and Iraq will remain a shame that you will never be able to escape. It will suffice to remind you of your latest war crimes in Afghanistan, in which densely populated innocent civilian villages were destroyed, bombs were dropped on mosques causing the roof of the mosque to come crashing down on the heads of the Muslims praying inside. You are the ones who broke the agreement with the Mujahideen when they left Qunduz, bombing them in Jangi fort, and killing more than 1,000 of your prisoners through suffocation and thirst. Allah alone knows how many people have died by torture at the hands of you and your agents. Your planes remain in the Afghan skies, looking for anyone remotely suspicious.

    5. You have claimed to be the vanguards of Human Rights, and your Ministry of Foreign affairs issues annual reports containing statistics of those countries that violate any Human Rights. However, all these things vanished when the Mujahideen hit you, and you then implemented the methods of the same documented governments that you used to curse. In America, you captured thousands the Muslims and Arabs, took them into custody with neither reason, court trial, nor even disclosing their names. You issued newer, harsher laws.

      What happens in Guatanamo is a historical embarrassment to America and its values, and it screams into your faces — you hypocrites, “What is the value of your signature on any agreement or treaty?”


One of the main reasons for anti‐American feelings around the world is American hypocrisy: one set of scales for themselves and “their friends” and another one for the others.
  1. It is true that the American interpretation of the word “democracy” is a government chosen not by the people of a county but by the Americans themselves. “Regime change” is a key concept of the American foreign policy (taken from Netanyahu).

  2. The issue of the WMD in Iraq is being used as a pretext to start a war against that country, as per the Netanyahu “rogue states” theory.

  3. It is true that America uses UN as it is convenient to themselves. Israel has indeed been violating UN resolutions throughout all its history with American support.

  4. Granting to themselves legal immunities is a clear example of American duplicity and hypocrisy.

  5. Double standards concerning Human Rights do not do favor to the American image.

By drawing the American's attention to the hypocrisy of their government Osama renders an valuable and important service to the Americans. Learning to be objective and even‐handed is an important step in achievement by the Americans of the stated objectives of their Foreign Policy.

3What we call you to thirdly is to take an honest stance with yourselves — and I doubt you will do so — to discover that you are a nation without principles or manners, and that the values and principles to you are something which you merely demand from others, not that which you yourself must adhere to.Taking an honest view of themselves is something that Jesus advised people.
4We also advise you to stop supporting Israel, and to end your support of the Indians in Kashmir, the Russians against the Chechens and to also cease supporting the Manila Government against the Muslims in Southern Philippines.Taking sides in conflicts does not help to resolve them. Adopting an objective impartial approach to conflict resolution is a sure step towards their resolution. Osama gives a sound advice in this case.
5We also advise you to pack your luggage and get out of our lands. We desire for your goodness, guidance, and righteousness, so do not force us to send you back as cargo in coffins.Unwanted military presence in other countries leads to conflicts and endangers life of American personnel. Osama gives a wise, sound advice.
6Sixthly, we call upon you to end your support of the corrupt leaders in our countries. Do not interfere in our politics and method of education. Leave us alone, or else expect us in New York and Washington.Support of corrupt leaders and interference in politics and methods of education in other countries is certainly a bad thing.
7We also call you to deal with us and interact with us on the basis of mutual interests and benefits, rather than the policies of subdual, theft and occupation, and not to continue your policy of supporting the Jews because this will result in more disasters for you.Interaction with others on the basis of mutual interests and benefits is certainly preferable to policies of subdual, theft and occupation. Osama is right on this point.
EIf you fail to respond to all these conditions, then prepare for fight with the Islamic Nation. The Nation of Monotheism, that puts complete trust on Allah and fears none other than Him. The Nation which is addressed by its Qur'an with the words:
“Do you fear them? Allah has more right that you should fear Him if you are believers. Fight against them so that Allah will punish them by your hands and disgrace them and give you victory over them and heal the breasts of believing people. And remove the anger of their (believers') hearts. Allah accepts the repentance of whom He wills. Allah is All‐Knowing, All‐Wise.” (Qur'an 9:13–14)

The Nation of honor and respect:

“But honor, power and glory belong to Allah, and to His Messenger (Muhammad — peace be upon him) and to the believers.” (Qur'an 63:8);

“So do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will be superior ( in victory )if you are indeed (true) believers” (Qur'an 3:139);

The Nation of Martyrdom; the Nation that desires death more than you desire life:

“Think not of those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive with their Lord, and they are being provided for. They rejoice in what Allah has bestowed upon them from His bounty and rejoice for the sake of those who have not yet joined them, but are left behind (not yet martyred) that on them no fear shall come, nor shall they grieve. They rejoice in a grace and a bounty from Allah, and that Allah will not waste the reward of the believers.” (Qur'an 3:169–171)

The Nation of victory and success that Allah has promised:

“It is He Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad peace be upon him) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islam), to make it victorious over all other religions even though the Polytheists hate it.” (Qur'an 61:9)

“Allah has decreed that ‘Verily it is I and My Messengers who shall be victorious’. Verily Allah is All‐Powerful, All‐Mighty.” (Qur'an 58:21)

The Islamic Nation that was able to dismiss and destroy the previous evil Empires like yourself; the Nation that rejects your attacks, wishes to remove your evils, and is prepared to fight you. You are well aware that the Islamic Nation, from the very core of its soul, despises your haughtiness and arrogance.

If the Americans refuse to listen to our advice and the goodness, guidance and righteousness that we call them to, then be aware that you will lose this Crusade Bush began, just like the other previous Crusades in which you were humiliated by the hands of the Mujahideen, fleeing to your home in great silence and disgrace. If the Americans do not respond, then their fate will be that of the Soviets who fled from Afghanistan to deal with their military defeat, political breakup, ideological downfall, and economic bankruptcy.

This is our message to the Americans, as an answer to theirs. Do they now know why we fight them and over which form of ignorance, by the permission of Allah, we shall be victorious?

A letter before action should contain a statement of intended action in case of failure of the defaulting party to remedy the default. This item is apparently intended to play this role. And in the absence of any workable peaceful means of resolving international disputes Osama is justified in taking whatever action he can. This illustrates the need for establishing workable institutions for peaceful resolution of international disputes on the basis of justice.
Conclusion:

In this document Osama appears as a champion of the persecuted Muslims worldwide: in Palestine, Chechnya, Kashmir, etc.

His allegations are justified, although for a legal document greater precision would be required in some cases. He also appears as a sincere and deeply moral person, genuinely concerned for the fate of Mankind, and of the American people in particular.

It is unfortunate that he has no other means to redress the injustices suffered by the Palestinians, the Chechens and other Muslims around the world except through violence. It is imperative that workable peaceful means be established for resolution of international disputes. Such measure would also meet the desire of the American people for peace and security.

It is suggested that the American administration give a thorough consideration to the Osama bin Laden Message to the American People and engage in a peaceful constructive dialogue with Osama bin Laden with the object of resolving the current international conflicts and establishing a world order based not on wars, terrorism and politics, but on truth, honesty and justice. This will be in the interests of all Mankind.


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Copyright (C) 2002 Shams Ali — All rights reserved