By Walid Phares
To Usama Bin Laden, the confrontation in Gaza is not a local national issue but it is part of what he coins as world Jihad against the Kuffars (infidels), or more precisely the “Crusader-Zionist enemy.” This stark ideological reminder came through a new audio message by the leader of al Qaeda at a time Israeli forces and Hamas’ Jihadists were still fighting in the enclave. The Bin Laden address was titled “Call to Jihad to stop the aggression against Gaza” and was addressed to the “Umma” (Islamic Nation). The following is my analysis of this latest tape.
The usual questions first
The media’s first questions are about identification and timing. Is it really Bin Laden on the tape and if so, why is he talking now after long months of silence? While many question the survival of the man who ordered the 9/11 attacks until now, the counter terrorism community as a whole still believe that Usama Bin Laden is alive; this is his voice but arguments are different and diverse. In my view, the two salient indicators about him being alive are: the fact that he mentions contemporary events (assuming this is indeed his voice) and as important, the issue of leadership of the organization. If he dies, it will be known internally, and thus claims for leadership would emerge. As far as timing of UBL’s messages, it has now taken a different character as in the 1990s and just after Tora Bora. The commander of al Qaeda projects himself as the supreme leader of Jihad, a sort of an undeclared Caliph. His interventions are often a “state of the Union” type, dealing with the global war against the infidels, focusing on battlefields here and there. His deputy, a sort of undeclared Prime Minister of Global Jihad, takes care of expanding on issues and responding to arguments and “questions” from the base. However, as Gaza’s battle became unavoidably “the” most important topic in Jihadi propaganda over the past weeks, the “virtual Caliph” was pressed to utter the sublime position, and he just did. Read more ...
To Usama Bin Laden, the confrontation in Gaza is not a local national issue but it is part of what he coins as world Jihad against the Kuffars (infidels), or more precisely the “Crusader-Zionist enemy.” This stark ideological reminder came through a new audio message by the leader of al Qaeda at a time Israeli forces and Hamas’ Jihadists were still fighting in the enclave. The Bin Laden address was titled “Call to Jihad to stop the aggression against Gaza” and was addressed to the “Umma” (Islamic Nation). The following is my analysis of this latest tape.
The usual questions first
The media’s first questions are about identification and timing. Is it really Bin Laden on the tape and if so, why is he talking now after long months of silence? While many question the survival of the man who ordered the 9/11 attacks until now, the counter terrorism community as a whole still believe that Usama Bin Laden is alive; this is his voice but arguments are different and diverse. In my view, the two salient indicators about him being alive are: the fact that he mentions contemporary events (assuming this is indeed his voice) and as important, the issue of leadership of the organization. If he dies, it will be known internally, and thus claims for leadership would emerge. As far as timing of UBL’s messages, it has now taken a different character as in the 1990s and just after Tora Bora. The commander of al Qaeda projects himself as the supreme leader of Jihad, a sort of an undeclared Caliph. His interventions are often a “state of the Union” type, dealing with the global war against the infidels, focusing on battlefields here and there. His deputy, a sort of undeclared Prime Minister of Global Jihad, takes care of expanding on issues and responding to arguments and “questions” from the base. However, as Gaza’s battle became unavoidably “the” most important topic in Jihadi propaganda over the past weeks, the “virtual Caliph” was pressed to utter the sublime position, and he just did. Read more ...
Source: Counterterrorism Blog
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