Osama is also sought after by Muslims and non-Muslims, young and old, who see him in an entirely different light: as a spiritual leader, a man of action who not only follows the letter of the Islamic law taught by the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), but also a defender of the righteous who actively battles the oppression, poverty and plunder of Muslims that has occurred over many centuries. His supporters (who number in the millions and who are increasing every day) are often transparent, as only a fraction publicly support him. Osama has wide spread support underground, from Muslim and non-Muslim youths, from inside mosques and college campuses, and from citizens in every country of the world who oppose "global Americanization", "Imperialism" and the "New World Order" and who honor him as a hero for exposing what they believe to be sinister US motives.
Whether loved or hated, of one thing there is no doubt - Osama Bin Laden is an extremely capable man, who along with his Al-Qaida Network and the World Islamic Front which is made up of dozens of Islamic militia, has inspired a holy defense of Islam against what they consider to be the invasion of "McWorld".
Often misrepresented in the media and commonly confused with Mujahideen (holy warriors), Al-Qaida is an elite group of Special Forces who have sworn allegiance to Osama to the death. These are highly educated individuals, with advanced skills in a wide range of disciplines and who are experienced in sophisticated military techniques. Al-Qaida operatives are estimated to number some 6,000 worldwide and work in concert with hundreds of thousands of Mujahideen, who form the military arm of Bin Laden's and the World Islamic Front's global network.
Bin Laden is a seasoned administrator who exercises polished management skills, cutting edge technology, and significant financial resources throughout his operations, contrary to the image his enemies depict. He is well educated and he is well equipped. Al-Qaida, meaning "The Base" in Arabic, is said to refer to a "database" of fighters that he established during the war in Afghanistan against the Russians so fighters could be mobilized from around the globe and families could be notified of casualties.
A soft-spoken and deeply religious man, Osama clearly outlined his mandate publicly as early as 1993, issuing Fatwa's (religious rulings) in both 1996 and 1998, responding to the grievances of Muslims against the west. He succinctly and specifically declared that war against America would be waged for the violation of Islamic lands and the oppression of Muslim populations unless American troops left Saudi Arabia and the land of the two Holy Mosques (which the majority of Muslims view as a breach of their religion), unless sanctions were lifted against Iraq which, he attributes to the death of over 1 million Iraqi children, and unless America ceases to arm Israel against the Palestinian Intifada that he insists have claimed hundreds of thousands of Muslim lives. The 1998 Fatwa for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders issued by the World Islamic Front states "The crimes and sins committed by the Americans are a clear declaration of war on God, his messenger, and Muslims".
Even though he gave risky interviews to western media, his message fell on deaf US ears. With a vastly inferior military arsenal, over the next months and years Al-Qaida operatives mobilized through "cells" of supporters to carry out guerilla operations against US targets on a global basis, which he considers a defensive action against continuing US atrocities on Islam.
Within days of the September 11th attacks, the Unites States & its coalition launched a global initiative, its "war against terrorism", with the purpose of eliminating Osama Bin Laden, Mullah Omar (the leader of the Taliban) and his Al-Qaida Network, who were quickly blamed for the catastrophe. Bin Laden issued a statement September 23, 2002, denying any involvement in the attacks.
A recent Gallup poll that interviewed 9,924 Muslim residents in nine countries: Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey during December 2001 and January 2002 reported that 61% of the respondents said they did not believe Arab groups were behind the attacks.
Although early on much was made of the "mountain of evidence" against Bin Laden, the only evidence made public to date is unsubstantiated and the United States has not yet presented evidence that could sustain a conviction in a western court of law.
At the same time, the United States also issued an ultimatum to any country that protected Bin Laden or Al-Qaida operatives: either "hand them over or face the consequences". The Taliban, who at the time governed Afghanistan, refused to hand over their guest, Osama Bin Laden, to any authority other than an Islamic court. |
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Three weeks after the September 11th attacks the United States and its allies began bombing campaigns in Afghanistan to unseat the Taliban regime. Al Qaida's Military Commander Al-Zawahiri issued a statement in response to President Bush's announcement of military action against Afghanistan saying, "There are thousands of the Islamic nation's youths who are eager to die just as the Americans are eager to live". While the US continues to admit that it has no idea where Bin Ladin is, it continues to bomb alleged pockets of remaining Taliban resistance.
" I swear By Almighty God who raised the heavens without pillars that neither United States nor he who lives in the United States will enjoy security before we can see it as a reality in Palestine and before all the infidel armies leave the land of Mohammad, may God's Peace & blessings be upon him. "
By early January, 2002, after approximately 25,000 cluster bombs and 2000 daisy cutters had pulverized what remained of a country already devastated by twenty three years of war, over 6000 Afghan civilians had been killed with countless injured, wide spread discrepancies in official and unofficial US military casualties had been reported, and unknown numbers of Mujahideen had been killed, injured or imprisoned, the United States proclaimed the Afghanistan initiative in its "war on terrorism" had been a success. This has proven to be a premature conclusion.
The Taliban regime has indeed been ousted, at least temporarily, and replaced with a new interim government, however this was not the stated objective of this war. A handful of Al-Qaida operatives have been captured, but Bin Laden, most of his senior Lieutenants, and Mullah Omar, leader of the Taliban, all remain at large.
The new Afghan cabinet includes warlords among others who are still bent on maintaining their own areas of power, thus making it difficult to bring peace and unity to the country.
The country is currently in chaos even with coalition "peacekeepers" on the ground and famine, disease and death are slowly but surely eroding the population, with no sign of economic stability in sight, discounting of course the resurgence of poppy crops used to make heroin which had been previously banned under the Taliban regime and that once again are making their way to global destinations.
" We will not let American troops Escape From Afghanistan "
Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri
More importantly, in recent weeks, as many as 6,000 Al-Qaida, Taliban and Mujahideen soldiers may have regrouped inside Afghanistan, and are currently continuing their "jihad" from well-protected and well armed locations in the mountainous regions, using surface-to air missiles and heavy artillery that is the backdrop for the bloodiest battles and producing the most US military casualties yet.
Ironically, the American "war on terrorism" could end up helping rather than hindering Osama Bin Laden's movement. The tremendous civilian toll in Afghanistan is widely viewed as excessive retaliation that has valued Afghan lives as less than the lives of Americans. The American economy has been shaken, and with the recent increases in military spending, some economists have predicted the possibility of wide spread instability throughout America (and consequently the world economy) by 2005. Furthermore, American citizens are still on edge, wondering when and where the next attack will take place. This has played into the hands of an essentially right-wing American Government that has given itself broad new powers that could infringe on the very rights that America is supposed to be defending.
With new US war campaigns now either underway or under consideration against perceived terrorists in other countries with large Muslim populations, and Bin Laden's whereabouts unknown, one has to question if this war is really against Osama Bin Laden and the World Islamic Front, or whether its against Muslims who number more than a billion worldwide.
Whatever the US war motives are - protection of the western values, revenge for September 11th, control of the Caspian Sea oil, elimination of religious fundamentalism, proliferation of American globalization or the establishment of the New Word Order, Osama Bin Laden claims that in the final analysis, "this will be a war between the believers and the unbelievers".
One thing is paramount, Osama Bin Laden and the World Islamic Front will continue to fight for what they believe is the defense of their religion, land and resources and a long-suffered oppression of the Islamic people, regardless of the cost in human life and for generation after generation, until either they are eliminated from this earth or their objectives are met |
