by Mark Silva
On the eve of President Barack Obama's address to the Muslim world from Cairo, where he will deliver an appeal for mutual understanding, the Arab world has heard from another voice: A recorded audio-tape attributed to Osama bin Laden, fugitive leader of al Qaeda, accusing Obama of fomenting "hatred'' with military action in Pakistan.
The purported broadcast of bin Laden's words, aired by the Arab-language Al Jazeera satellite television station as Obama was arriving in Saudi Arabia today, stood as a stark reminder of the hurdles that the United States still faces throughout the region.
While the president is intent on "resetting''' U.S. relations with the Muslim world in his planned televised address from the campus of Cairo University in Egypt, some of the long-elusive sponsors of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist assaults against the United States remain at large and refocused on overturning the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"I don't think it's surprising that al Qaeda would want to shift attention away from the president's historic efforts ... to reach out and have an open dialogue with the Muslim world,'' Robert Gibbs, Obama's press secretary, said as the president was holding private meetings with the king of Saudi Arabia.
Bin Laden, son of a Saudi family that gained enormous wealth in construction and built the royal palaces of the late King Saud, became involved in the militant Jihadist movement in Afghanistan after the Soviet Union invaded that nation. After returning to Saudi Arabia, he was confined to house arrest, and left the country in the early 1990s - his Saudi citizenship publicly revoked in 1994.
If Obama's mission in the Middle East has a clear purpose, the administration maintains, so does the timing of al Qaeda's message.
The tape's broadcast follows comments from al-Qaeda's second- in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, urging Egyptians to shun Obama and contending that the "torturers of Egypt" and "slaves of America'' had invited the American leader to speak in Cairo.
The administration has attempted to draw a contrast between an al Qaeda in hiding and an American leader taking a high-profile stance with his appeal to the Muslim world.
"You have, you know, the leader of the free world speaking from one of the great cities in the world, and you have, you know, bin Laden speaking from an undisclosed... location,'' said Philip J. Crowley, assistant secretary of state for public affairs. "That speaks volumes in terms of the contrast.''
While unable to verify the authenticity of the bin Laden recording, the State Department spokesman said Wednesday: "I don't think the timing is of coincidence. And bin Laden's message is exactly what you would expect. You know, everyone on earth, Muslim or not, understands that bin Laden is entirely invested in promoting a clash of civilizations... So I think there will be a contrast between... bin Laden's vision of intolerance and perpetual conflict, and the president's message.'''
The dual messages of bin Laden and his deputy this week are signs that al Qaeda's leaders fear the impact that a new American president with clear popularity in the region can have in a battle for public support, says Tom Sanderson, a terrorism expert.
"This is a two-pronged attack by al Qaeda to undermine the Obama-mania that threatens to undermine the al Qaeda information campaign,'' said Sanderson, deputy director of the Transnational Threats Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"This guy sends chills up their spine, because they have to rely so much now - while they're not making attacks - on an information campaign. Here's someone who really pulls the carpet out from under them,'' he said. "He's whipping (them) in terms of U.S. public diplomacy... Sure, nothing concrete has happened yet, but this Obama is laying a groundwork for relations with Muslim countries... It can only hurt al Qaeda.... We're making genuine steps, literally taking steps, walking into these countries.''
In the audio-tape attributed to bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader accused Obama of inflaming "hatred'' toward the United States by ordering Pakistan to crack down on militants in the Swat Valley and block Islamic law. It claims that U.S. pressure has led to a campaign of "killing, fighting, bombing and destruction" that has prompted the exodus of a million Muslims from the valley in northwest Pakistan.
It accuses Obama of ordering Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to "prevent the people of Swat from implementing the Shari'a law by fighting and killing them through bombings and destruction.
"This simply means that Obama and his administration have planted new seeds of hatred and vengeance towards America," the message, translated into English, continued.
"In this manner,'' the speaker said, "Obama appears to have followed the same path taken by his predecessor, in creating more enmity towards Muslims, and adding on to the fighting enemies, thus paving the way for new long wars.''
Comments
Getting blasted by obl just before making an address to Egyptians from Cairo.
Talk about timing.
On other fronts - go to www.memri.org and click on SD #2377 concerning women's sports in Saudi Arabia.
If it weren't so sad it would be funny. These people are TERRIFIED of the 21st century and want us ALL back in the 11th century - THOSE were the good old days.
Posted by: Terry | June 3, 2009 4:05 PM
Uh....hellooooo,
Osama Bin Laden has been dead since at least 2003.
Stop regurgitating this BS, please.
Posted by: captainkona | June 3, 2009 4:08 PM
Why are we all of a sudden getting tapes and not current VIDEOS from Bin-Laden? This man has medical issues & is believed to be on a dialysis machine. I don't believe he's alive, the Pakistani tribes are protecting the Taliban and Bin Laden’s successor by coming out with these "tapes".
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAaSPq1Rmc0
Posted by: DrainYou | June 3, 2009 4:10 PM
*POOF*, *POP*, *THUD*
These are the sounds of liberals pipe dreams, clouds, and altered reality crashing back to Earth.
So much for the hype and blaming of Bush....seems Bin Laden isn't all that impressed or politically correct like the leftists.
Posted by: Batboy | June 3, 2009 4:13 PM
Batboy - I do believe you don't realize what is going on - Obama scares them because he is open and honest. Hardly like Bush - Al Queida has to be totally bummed that Bush is gone - he made us an easy target with his trash talking.
Posted by: Bill | June 3, 2009 5:07 PM
These are the sounds of liberals pipe dreams, clouds, and altered reality crashing back to Earth.So much for the hype and blaming of Bush....seems Bin Laden isn't all that impressed or politically correct like the leftists.
Posted by: Batboy | June 3, 2009 4:13 PM
****************
Bin Laden is scared to death because unlike those Wingnut thug mouthbreathers you voted for (Bush, Cheney), Obama is speaking directly to the Muslim population without using bombs and trumped up war intel.
Try again, Slick....
Posted by: Mr FACE | June 3, 2009 5:20 PM
Seems Obi-Wan Kenobi is still waiting for the conservatives to pick him up at the gates of hell.
.
Dead or alive, poof-pop-thud-crunch, he's been waiting awfully long for that cab ride.
Posted by: SnowPatrol | June 3, 2009 5:28 PM
Obama and most liberals never even considered the possibility that Bin Laden would respond favorably to any message about the U.S. working to improve our relationships with the Muslim world. Bin Laden and his followers are entreched in their distorted reality just like the Obama haters are here. You can't expect rational thought to change irrational minds.
Posted by: Paul Jay | June 3, 2009 5:52 PM
Nobody is scared of Obama. Get real. He is the epitome of a "girly man".
Posted by: Funny | June 3, 2009 5:52 PM
Obama should put Bin-Laden on his agenda. Perhaps he could negotiate a peace with Al Queda?
Posted by: River North Mike | June 3, 2009 5:53 PM
Obama and most liberals never even considered the possibility that Bin Laden would respond favorably to any message about the U.S. working to improve our relationships with the Muslim world. Bin Laden and his followers are entreched in their distorted reality just like the Obama haters are here. You can't expect rational thought to change irrational minds.
Posted by: Paul Jay | June 3, 2009 6:32 PM
Osama should be worried about Obama. No blonde haired, blue-eyed "Christian" crusader charge can be leveled. Obama is a democratic repudiation of the guy who attacked Afghanistan and Iraq. When public opinion in the Muslim world shifts, they'll turn him out for the ransom or kill him.
Too bad Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld took their eyes off the ball and started the Mess in Mesopotamia. We might have captured the guy by now. They wasted billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives. And guess what? Abortion is still legal, homosexuals are getting married and the economy crashed. Too bad they even screwed the folks whole voted for him. The Bush Family, masters of the shaft.
Posted by: thebob.bob | June 3, 2009 6:56 PM
Bin Laden has been dead for many years. These fake tapes pop up every time people start questioning the logic of fighting an unending war on terrorism.
The media needs to stop posting these fake tapes. You might as well publish a video of WALL-E or Schrek threatening to destroy the US.
Posted by: Joe Smith | June 3, 2009 7:04 PM
Darth Vader replaces fourth heart before retiring from gov. Jedi Master wins again!
.
Conservatives rejoice.
Posted by: Could not help it. | June 3, 2009 7:11 PM
Why doesn't the Bush family just ask Osama to shut up and not to be such a wimp in hiding? Does Osama's religion promote that men do their deeds and live their life in hiding? Didn't the Bush family and Osama's family do oil bidness together? Didn't Bush fly some of Osama's family quietly out of the USA on 9/11 when no other planes were allowed in the air? Didn't Poppy attend a group breakfast in the USA with bin-Laden's brother on the morning of 9/11? Didn't Bush need a reason to push through his agenda--with his "war on terror" and war on American privacy directives? Weren't some of these directives already written long before 9/11? Osama seemed to oblige Bush in big ways. Maybe Poppy Bush should call on Osama. Perhaps it could be accomplished with the three phone call principle--or directly. Wonder why Osama was never caught. Funny. Don't more of Osama's threats continue to aid Cheney & Bush & Repugs & FISA rulings that err on the side of a police state? Wonder why Osama was never caught.
Posted by: Vivian | June 3, 2009 7:13 PM
Well, now that teh Dick Cheney has publically and clearly stated there was no connection between Iraq and 9/11, I guess the ghost of OBL needs to make a tape try to scare folks again. It ain't workin' kiddo. We all know you're dead.
Posted by: tried and true American | June 3, 2009 7:21 PM
Obi-Wan drinks too much of his own Kiil-Aid.
Posted by: Pearl | June 3, 2009 7:58 PM
Our friends on the left, whose patriotism we would never question, have always maintained good contact with Mr. bin Laden, if not a good relationship. They always seem to know where he is, what he is really up to. They are telling us that:
- Any lingering bin Laden fallout is due to The Prince of Darkness
- Any lingering bin Laden fallout is due to Darth Vader
- Mr Laden’s dialysis is not going well, the insurance company refuses to cover all the claims
- Mr. Laden met Mr. Allah several years back, when Prince was loose and conducting his reign of terror
But here is the most incredible offering: ~ Mr. Laden, the alive Mr. Laden, is actually living in terror himself, because he is scared, very scared, of Mustapha Mond. Maybe Mr. Laden heard about Rick Waggoner, but other than that, this is a heckuva of a story. bin Laden, shaking and quaking, fearful of Mustapha Mond. What, exactly, are they loading in that koolade?
Posted by: Django - N Exile In/Around the 30th Parallel | June 4, 2009 2:44 AM
Django, I think Bin Ladin is probably suffering from a deep depression since January. His greatest ally and protector, George W Bush leaving office probably made him very sad. Bush worked so hard to divert attention from him. Bush worked so hard to ensure that resources were diverted from the search for him. Bush ensured that he had that nice new safe haven in Pakistan to hide in, safe and secure. Bush arranged for the fantastic AQ training and recruitment ground in Iraq. Now that's all over. I'm sure whe was devestated to see Bush leave. If only his allies like you in the Republican party could be back in power, he'd be so much happier.
Posted by: Mario | June 4, 2009 9:22 AM
Well, thanks Mario. bin Laden is really a student of American politics, as it plays out, and he is in depression over the outcome of the 2008 election. But is he in denial? I'm not. I am just trying to get through a bad movie.
I do "hope" that Mr. Laden realizes that Prince was NOT on the ballot in 2008. Hell, do the democrats realize that Prince was Not on the ballot in 2008. The 22nd Amendment of the United States Constitution limits the president to 2 elected terms, even if it is the Prince of Darkness. Wouldn't expect Mr. Laden to know that or most democrats for that matter.
In any case Mr. Laden needs, in addition to dialysys, psychoanalysis as well. Would Mustapha's health care plan cover any of that? Bad health is a bear. Mustapha needs to be sure to extend coverage to Mr. Laden. You just gotta take care of your health.
Thanks though, for connecting all the loose ends. What about Bill Clinton though. He cared and nurtured Mr. Laden throughout the 90's. That oughta count for something. Annnnnnnd does Mr. Laden have any hobbies? Fox or CNN? Cubs or White Sox? Thanx, and Let Mr. Laden be a good, bad example with respect to the health thing. I knew somebody drinking the Koolade would know the story.
Posted by: Django - N Exile In/Around the 30th Parallel | June 4, 2009 1:20 PM
No Django, rather then your Blessed Prince we could have had John McCain, with his "Don't you dare even discuss attacking Bin Ladin in Pakistan" platform. McCain made it abudenrtly clear that the Pakistan safe haven would be absolutely secure under his administration. I'm sure Bin Ladin's cave was plastered with McCain/Palin stickers.
Posted by: Mario | June 4, 2009 1:43 PM
Mario,
At 9:22 a.m., your contention is that Prince, with a little help from his allies, like me, made Mr. Laden the threat that we think he may still be. That is assuming that he has not met with Allah already.
At 1:43 p.m., you are making the McCain-Palin - bin Laden connection. Would there be any other Republicans involved? What about Newt, Darth, Darth's daughter, Liz, the esteemed, but dangerous, Rick Perry? Surely Bristol Palin would be in on this set-up.
O.K., Mario. This has certainly been delightful and most enlightening. My cup runneth over. Thanks for the special insight into the surreal World of leftists democrats. I must leave that World now, and meld with a Martin or a Stratocaster. May the koolade never go flat.
Posted by: Django - N Exile In/Around the 30th Parallel | June 4, 2009 8:59 PM