Asharq Al-Awsat ran a story today on the new videotape of Osama Bin Laden broadcast yesterday on Al-Jazeera. Although most in the West were long ago convinced of Bin Laden's culpability for the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, most Muslims and Arabs stubbornly refuse to accept the evidence. They rejected a damning videotape captured by US forces in Afghanistan and released on December 13th, 2001 as a 'fabrication.' Most Moslems still cling to the idea that the Mossad was behind the attack. It will be interesting to see what impact the Al-Jazeera tape of Bin Laden taking responsibility - in his own words - for the attack has on Arab opinions on the subject.
Asharq Al-Awsat writes, "over still photos of the hijackers, Bin Laden?s voice was heard naming some of the attackers in the Sept. 11 strikes, including Egyptian Muhammad Atta who he said "led the group which destroyed the first tower" of the World Trade Center. Describing the attacks as "the New York and Washington raids," Bin Laden praised "the men who changed the course of history and cleansed the (Arab-Islamic) nation from the filth of treacherous rulers and their subordinates."
"Al-Jazeera also aired footage of one of the hijackers saying in his "will" that he was trained by Bin Laden. "May God reward all those who trained me and made possible this glorious act, notably the fighter and Mujahed (Islamic warrior) Osama Bin Laden, God protect him," said Saudi kamikaze Abdul Aziz Al-Omari. Al-Omari, who according to the FBI was one of five suicide hijackers who slammed an American Airlines Boeing 767 into the north tower of the World Trade Center, was shown wearing a gray robe with his shoulder-length hair turbaned in a keffiyeh (checkered headdress)."
Asharq Al-Awsat had no editorial comment on the report.
The Egyptian Gazette had this to say about America's War on Terror: "Last week's failed attempt on the life of Afghan President Hamid Karzai was yet the latest sign that the American job in the country is far from done... The mood across Afghanistan is grim and jittery. Unease prevails over the security situation and the possible reemergence of the militant Taliban and their allies, the Al-Qaeda network of Saudi-born dissident, Osama bin Laden. The latest spate of explosions in Kabul and Kandahar (once Taliban's stronghold) were blamed on Al-Qaeda. On launching the first phase of its "war on terror" in Afghanistan, the US declared that one key aim was to reintroduce stability into the hapless country, ravaged by decades of strife and devastation...Afghanistan's healing from festering wounds of bloodletting and under-development is certainly a process that will not be achieved overnight. The mission requires far more than sophisticated weaponry and trigger-happy servicemen, facts which have yet to dawn on the Americans, now shifting their sights to Iraq."
As for the anticipated American military move against Iraq, Abdelbari Atwan, the publisher and editor of Al-Quds al-Arabi, says the following: "As for the prospect of war triggering an Arab public backlash, US policymakers appear to have discounted that completely. ?The predominant view in the West is that there is no such thing as Arab public opinion or an Arab street. They reason that this ?street? did not topple a single government in 50 years and are thus supremely confident as they go into this war,? says Atwan.
?In previous wars they occupied (Arab) lands, imposed mandates, divided the spoils and gifted Palestine to the Jews. This time, the same scenario will be repeated. They will occupy the entire region and present it on a platter to the Jewish state, to become the trusted sentry guarding the oil fields which they want completely under their permanent control, while the Arabs or what remains of them revert to rearing camels for the Americans and the English,? Atwan says.
Asharq Al-Awsat writes, "over still photos of the hijackers, Bin Laden?s voice was heard naming some of the attackers in the Sept. 11 strikes, including Egyptian Muhammad Atta who he said "led the group which destroyed the first tower" of the World Trade Center. Describing the attacks as "the New York and Washington raids," Bin Laden praised "the men who changed the course of history and cleansed the (Arab-Islamic) nation from the filth of treacherous rulers and their subordinates."
"Al-Jazeera also aired footage of one of the hijackers saying in his "will" that he was trained by Bin Laden. "May God reward all those who trained me and made possible this glorious act, notably the fighter and Mujahed (Islamic warrior) Osama Bin Laden, God protect him," said Saudi kamikaze Abdul Aziz Al-Omari. Al-Omari, who according to the FBI was one of five suicide hijackers who slammed an American Airlines Boeing 767 into the north tower of the World Trade Center, was shown wearing a gray robe with his shoulder-length hair turbaned in a keffiyeh (checkered headdress)."
Asharq Al-Awsat had no editorial comment on the report.
The Egyptian Gazette had this to say about America's War on Terror: "Last week's failed attempt on the life of Afghan President Hamid Karzai was yet the latest sign that the American job in the country is far from done... The mood across Afghanistan is grim and jittery. Unease prevails over the security situation and the possible reemergence of the militant Taliban and their allies, the Al-Qaeda network of Saudi-born dissident, Osama bin Laden. The latest spate of explosions in Kabul and Kandahar (once Taliban's stronghold) were blamed on Al-Qaeda. On launching the first phase of its "war on terror" in Afghanistan, the US declared that one key aim was to reintroduce stability into the hapless country, ravaged by decades of strife and devastation...Afghanistan's healing from festering wounds of bloodletting and under-development is certainly a process that will not be achieved overnight. The mission requires far more than sophisticated weaponry and trigger-happy servicemen, facts which have yet to dawn on the Americans, now shifting their sights to Iraq."
As for the anticipated American military move against Iraq, Abdelbari Atwan, the publisher and editor of Al-Quds al-Arabi, says the following: "As for the prospect of war triggering an Arab public backlash, US policymakers appear to have discounted that completely. ?The predominant view in the West is that there is no such thing as Arab public opinion or an Arab street. They reason that this ?street? did not topple a single government in 50 years and are thus supremely confident as they go into this war,? says Atwan.
?In previous wars they occupied (Arab) lands, imposed mandates, divided the spoils and gifted Palestine to the Jews. This time, the same scenario will be repeated. They will occupy the entire region and present it on a platter to the Jewish state, to become the trusted sentry guarding the oil fields which they want completely under their permanent control, while the Arabs or what remains of them revert to rearing camels for the Americans and the English,? Atwan says.