|
|
|
CIAO DATE: 10/04
Foreign Policy
Between Osama's Lines
James G. Forsyth
Until recently, Osama bin Laden has shown little interest in appealing to, or justifying himself, to non-Muslim audiences. "This war is fundamentally religious," he declared in November 2001, "The people of the East are Muslims. They sympathized with Muslims against the people of the West, who are crusaders." Yet, in April 2004, bin Laden released an audiotape proposing a "reconciliation initiative" through which al Qaeda would cease targeting European countries if they withdrew their troops from Muslim lands and broke from the "U.S. conspiracy on the greater Muslim world." The tape reveals a sophisticated understanding of Europe's political mindset, as bin Laden employs several rhetorical devices to capitalize upon trans-Atlantic tensions and drive a wedge between the Western allies in the war against terrorism:
Neighborhood Watch Bin Laden addresses Europeans as "our neighbors north of the Mediterranean." The salutation is an apparent attempt to tap into the European fear that the Americans will botch the Iraqi occupation, provoking unrest in Iraq and across the Middle East before returning home to the ranch, leaving the Europeans to deal with the consequences of a regional meltdown next door.
Power to the People In February 2004, bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, criticized the French government's decision to ban Islamic headscarves in schools, describing it as "another example of the Crusader's malice, which Westerners have against Muslims." However, in this new message, bin Laden seeks to play down the differences between the East and West. Citing recent opinion polls as proof that "most European peoples want peace," he implores "honest people, especially ulema, preachers, and merchants, to form a permanent committee to enlighten European peoples of the justice of our causes …." Bin Laden reserves his wrath for Europe's leaders. Perhaps mindful of the antiwar protests that swept the continent the year before, and presumably encouraged by the recent election results in Spain, he attacks governments who committed troops to Iraq despite a lack of public support: "[I]njustice is inflicted on us and on you by your politicians, who send your sons—although you are opposed to this—to our countries to kill and be killed."
All Roads Lead to Jerusalem Bin Laden then shifts his focus to the Israeli-Palestinian issue, calling it—as many Europeans do—the "real problem." His denunciation of Israel's targeted killing of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in March echoes opinions in Europe. Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign minister, described it as "very, very bad news," and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw described the act as "unacceptable" and "unjustified." Bin Laden also lashes out against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a widely reviled figure in Europe. Indeed, the section on Palestine is notable for how the al Qaeda leader eschews the vitriol of past statements, which contained lines such as, "Killing Jews is top priority." Rather than offending European sensibilities with outright anti-Semitism, he adopts a more political tone and pillories the "Zionist lobby."
Burning Bush Bin Laden's statement also contains boilerplate, left-wing critiques of the Bush administration that could be found on the editorial pages of many European newspapers. For example, he denounces the U.S. military-industrial complex, noting that the war in Iraq "brings billions of dollars in profit to the major companies, whether it be those that produce weapons or those that contribute to reconstruction, such as the Halliburton Company." And, he repeatedly hammers at President George W. Bush's credibility ("the liar of the White House"), noting that, had the American leader been a true man of peace, he "would not have lied to people and said that we hate freedom and kill for the sake of killing."
European governments dismissed bin Laden's offer out of hand. "One has to treat such claims, proposals by al Qaeda, with the contempt they deserve," declared Straw. "This is a murderous organization which seeks impossible objectives by the most violent of means and has said in terms that whilst we love life, they love death." Yet, while al Qaeda's "truce" failed, the statement does offer an example of how a more politically savvy Islamic radical might attempt to appeal to the European public: He would exploit resentment of U.S. hegemony, emphasize justice for the Palestinians, and offer a belated olive branch to the descendants of the Christian Crusaders.
Back to Think Again: Al Qaeda