Reading the Laden mind
The war against terrorism is increasingly looking like a conflict between
Osama and the rest of the world - exactly how Osama actually wanted
Osama bin Laden is portraying himself as the modern day Robin Hood and the Western electronic media is providing him an ample opportunity to prove him so.
The Saudi billionaire is posing himself to be a leader who is concerned about the
plight of Muslims in Palestine and Iraq. He apparently wants to claim leadership of
the Muslim Ummah by default. One, therefore, needs to understand Osama's line of
argument and thinking, in a bid to counter his strategy of twisting Islamic teachings
to his benefit.
In his most recent declaration courtesy Al-Jazeera TV, Osama said: "God has guided a bunch of Muslims to be at the forefront and destroy America. The Holy Quran categorically says, "They commit a gross sin, then say, … God has commanded us to do it. God never advocates sin" (Ch. 7, Verse 28).
But it is interesting to note that Osama did not mention the Taliban or the people of
Afghanistan. Besides, he did not give any reference to the US forces' presence in
Saudi Arabia. Instead, he focused on the Palestine issue and the killing of civilians in
Iraq, which was a clear shift from his previous pattern of approaching the issue. He
was trying to reach out to common Muslims, who are very much concerned about
the Palestine issue. He is closely following the mood in the Islamic world and knows
what to say and when.
He, in a way, also talked about the much-discussed theory of civilizations' clash.
Irrespective of the simplistic connotation, its resonance in the Islamic world was
discernible for quite some time now. President Bush has been persistently saying that
it is not a war against Islam, but his inadvertent use of the word 'crusade' was
widely reported, and Osama got the clue.
Osama's final remarks, addressed to the American nation, were an intriguing use of
psychological warfare tactics. "America will never taste security and safety unless
we feel security and safety in our land and in Palestine". With no access to
communication tools, Osama used the US media to convey this threat. And he should
be thankful to the Western media.
One feels that before September 11, Osama was being underestimated. Even after
the attacks, the US intelligence agencies seem to have got very few clues about his
next move. First of all, he is employing unconventional methods with an element of
surprise. Secondly, gauging from his comments, his new targets might include some
of the Islamic countries supporting the US in its crusade against Osama and his
Al-Qaeda network.
One feels that the Islamic world should take seriously Osama's mention of "clergymen
of the government". Even if a single Muslim cleric, supporting the ongoing war
against terrorism is attacked, there will be few who would be forthcoming on the
issue. The Muslims are in dire need of progressive scholars, intellectuals and clerics
who can enlighten them on the true concept of Jihad.
The war against terrorism is increasingly looking like a conflict between Osama and
the rest of the world - exactly what Osama actually wanted. Therefore, any other
success on ground would be meaningless unless Osama is "brought to justice". From
another perspective, a dead Osama may turn out to be more dangerous than the
living one. An international tribunal including Islamic jurists should thus be
constituted to try him, if at all we want to bury the phenomenon along with him.
Hassan Abbas, a police officer from Pakistan, is a Master's candidate at the
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.
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