thanks for the info, a few small points
He is the 20th and youngest son of a Saudi construction magnate.
According to Frontline he is the 7th son of 50-something children, but I guess
that doesn't mean he isn't the 20th child or youngest son.
endorsed by none other than Yusef Islam... aka the wild one Cat Stevens.
According to "Behind the Music" Yusef got a bum rap in this instance. He was
asked an out of context question about an interpretation of scripture that had
been used to justify the fatwah. His answer jibed with the justification, but
he never called for violence against anyone. A few shock-jock classic radio
guys latched onto this and started bulldozing piles of Cat Stevens records
etc...
Steve Catanzaro wrote:
> Joni wrote;
>
> > Can anyone tell me what Bin Ladin's message is? What does he want? From
> > what I gather it's not purely a religious issue. It goes beyond Israel vs
> > Arab. I see no way these two groups will ever co-exsist. Both groups
> have
> > valid issues...but neither is willing to budge. No one will win, instead
> we
> > will ALL lose.
>
> Here's what I've been able to gather on Bin Laden. If I'm inaccurate on any
> points, please feel free to correct them.
>
> (To set the stage, keep in mind that *most* Islamic / Arab states have no
> middle class to speak of, this despite the fact that there is often a
> tremendous amount of wealth. Some countries, like the UAE, have an average
> income in the $20,00 range, but for the most part, the middle-eastern man on
> the street has a huge bone to pick with the wealthy, titled classes leading
> these countries.)
>
> 1) Osama (or Usama) is not an Afghan, but a Saudi. He is the 20th and
> youngest son of a Saudi construction magnate. Had he gone another route, he
> might have turned out to be an international playboy like D. Al Fayed (of
> Princess Diana fame...)
>
> 2) Instead, when the Red Army tried to invade Afghanistan, Osama moved there
> to aid in the resistance. He spent millions and millions of his personal
> fortune aiding the Afghan rebels in their 10 year struggle.
>
> 3) Reports say that he was extremely generous, to the point of literally
> giving away the clothes off his back. He was also extremely modest, living
> in small tents and sleeping on the floor.
>
> 4) Osama was aided in his efforts against the Afghan rebels by the CIA.
>
> 5) After the Russians vacated in the late 80's, Osama concentrated on
> building a network called "The Base." Osama was always a very conservative
> Muslim, but the evolution of his thought sees him going in more and more
> radical directions. (Frighteningly, there are apparently ex-members of The
> Base who are even more radical than him.)
>
> 6) The Base has operations in probably 20 or more countries, including,
> according to some sources, Western Pakistan. These operations are not much
> more than tents, shooting ranges, and the like. It is said that Osama
> himself does not use a cell phone any longer, but gives out directives via
> human messenger. This makes him extremely hard to track with modern
> surveilance equipment.
>
> 7) Osama is the father-in-law of the leader of the Taliban government. The
> Taliban (literally, "Students") control 95% of Afghanistan, and they are the
> strictest sect in Islam. In fact, they are so strict that the governement of
> Iran has called them "The most dangerous regime in the world."
>
> The leader of the only viable Afghan resistance to the Taliban, called The
> Northern Alliance, was assasinated and buried this week. (Perhaps the bombs
> going off in the Afghan capital were in retaliation for his murder.)
>
> Afghanistan is probably among the most miserable place on the planet to
> live, especially for women. To "bomb them back to the middle ages" is
> misplaced, as they are already there. There are no roads, no infrastructure,
> and precious little food. Women are not allowed in school, and men are only
> taught to read the Koran... no other subjects.
>
> It is also a mountainous country which would make it very difficult, if not
> impossible, to conduct an effective air-campaign against the The Base. (And
> even if you bomb them, so what? All they've got is tents.)
>
> 8) Osama, who is now protected by the Taliban, directed his wrath on the US
> in '91, after the Saudi king invited the US to defend the Saudi border in
> the Gulf War. This is key because Saudi Arabia is home to two of Islam's
> three holiest sites, Mecca and Medina.
>
> 9) In some interpretations of the Koran, Christianity (i.e. the US, in their
> eyes), is a polytheistic religion as opposed to Islam, which is strongly
> monotheistic; this, coupled with the massive amounts of moral pollution
> broadcast from US shores, (i.e. Britney Spears on down) led Osama to
> conclude that US citizens are infidels.
>
> For this reason, it is the highest outrage that US soldiers should be
> allowed to step foot on the hallowed ground of Saudi Arabia. (Remember that
> during the Gulf War, US troops were not allowed to bring either their Bibles
> or their Playboy magazines, both of which are forbidden there.)
>
> Despite this, Osama feels that the King of Saudi Arabia has sold him, and
> Islam, out. He wants the US infidels completely out of the Middle East.
>
> 10) Although he is, to my knowledge, not a cleric, he has nevertheless
> issued "Fatwahs" which are religious declarations. One of the most famous
> fatwahs was issued by the Ayatollah Khomeni, who declared that author Salmon
> Rushdie must be killed for penning "The Satanic Verses." (This Fatwah,
> interestingly enough, was, I believe, endorsed by none other than Yusef
> Islam... aka the wild one Cat Stevens. Can anyone confirm this?)
>
> Bin Laden's fatwah is that it is incumbent on all Moslems anywhere to kill
> as many US citizens, military or civilian, as is possible at any time they
> get the opportunity.
>
> When George HW Bush sent a peacekeeping-humanitarian mission into Somalia,
> Bin Laden took credit for supplying the weapons that killed 18 soldiers.
> However, he has not taken credit for the recent attack, and in a way, this
> is probably the truth. Once the fatwah has been issued, it is up for
> individual Moslems to carry it out in ways that they see fit.
>
> Today, Bin Laden said, rather craftily, in my view, that those who committed
> the acts were pursuing their own agendas. True enough, but their agenda is
> quite obviously to fullfil Bin Laden's fatwah!
>
> Bin Laden provides the support, monetarily, for these groups, and the
> training they need to commit acts of terror, but the individual members act
> for themselves. Cheney accurately described the base as sort of an "internet
> chat room" of terror where members come and go, taking what they need to
> fulfill their own purposes. (It is also rumored that Bin Laden is almost
> completely out of money and that he is in ill health. I know many of you are
> heartbroken by that news.)
>
> It is also probably not an exaggeration to say if the US and Israel were
> both gone, there would be no peace between the Islamic extremist groups
> themselves.
>
> 11) As for Israel. Well, the 3rd of the three holiest sites for Islam is
> Jerusalem, so the presence of the Hebrews there is, in light of these
> radical views, obviously somewhat problematic.
>
> It must be noted that it is probably fair to say that most Moslems in the
> Middle East do not agree with the radicalized interpretation of Islam or the
> Koran practiced by Bin Laden or the Taliban. Yet these radicals are often
> used by the various leaders of the Arab states, i.e. Syria, Libya, and,
> according to the Isrealis, even by Arafat and the Palestinian Authroity.
>
> Also, consider that even "moderate" Arab states like Saudi Arabia often have
> abysmal human rights records and women are generally viewed as second or
> third class citizens.
>
> Let me conclude by saying that the war is not between Islam and
> Christianity, or Islam and Judaism. The war is fundamentally between 2
> irreconcilable forms of governement, theocracy and democracy.
>
> My rather bleak view is that it will not be enough to eradicate the current
> generation of dangerous, deadly theocratic zealots. As long as the Arab
> states resist democratic reform, the conditions that will produce further
> generations of Osama Bin Ladens will still obtain.
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