Al-Qaeda news
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Paul, I thought you might be interested in the following, given our previous discussion on the topic:
[url]http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/21/news/edgerges.php[/url]
His mentor turns on bin Laden
By Fawaz A. Gerges
Published: September 21, 2007
NEW YORK:
After Osama bin Laden reappeared on the world's television screens on the sixth anniversary of 9-11, commentaries focused on his newly blackened beard and his changed message. But more important was the reaction of a Saudi cleric.
In an open letter, one of bin Laden's most prominent Saudi mentors, the preacher and scholar Salman al-Oadah, publicly reproached bin Laden for causing widespread mayhem and killing.
"How many innocent children, elderly people, and women have been killed in the name of Al Qaeda?" asked al-Oadah in a letter on his Web site, Islamtoday.com, and in comments on an Arabic television station.
"How many people have been forced to flee their homes, and how much blood has been shed in the name of Al Qaeda?"
Al-Oadah is a prominent Salafi preacher with a large following in Saudi Arabia and abroad. In the 1990s, he was imprisoned by the Saudi regime along with four leading clerics for criticizing the kingdom's close relationship with the United States, particularly the stationing of American troops there after the 1991 Gulf war.
It is worth noting that the decision to post American forces in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, was the catalyst for bin Laden's murderous journey. Throughout the 1990s, he frequently cited al-Oadah as a critic of the Saud royal family and fellow Salafi who shared his strict religious vision and world view.
Although al-Oadah and other senior Muslim scholars condemned the 9-11 attacks, until now they had refrained from direct criticism of bin Laden.
Now, with al-Oadah's new frontal assault on bin Laden, there is no longer any ambiguity.
In his statement, al-Oadah holds bin Laden personally accountable for the occupation of Muslim lands in Afghanistan and Iraq, the displacement of millions of Iraqis and the killings of thousands of Afghans, and for deluding young Muslims and tarnishing the image of Islam and Muslims all over the world.
"Are you happy to meet Allah with this heavy burden on your shoulders?" al-Oadah asks bin Laden. "It is a weighty burden indeed - at least hundreds of thousands of innocent people, if not millions [displaced and killed]. And it is all because of the 'crimes' perpetrated against civilians by bin Laden's Al Qaeda on 9/11."
Al-Oadah also reminds his former disciple that Islam prohibits the killing of any bird or animal, let alone "innocent people, regardless of what justification is given."
The open letter to bin Laden has received considerable publicity in the Arab media, including the Al Jazeera network and Islamonline.com, and has already elicited angry reactions from Al Qaeda supporters.
...
(the article continues at the site cited above)
I was wondering how widespread this news was - has this criticism of Bin Laden been reported much in the mainstream media? I hadn't heard a thing about it until today, but since I've been kinda behind on non-sports news these days, that doesn't necessarily mean much.
[url]http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/21/news/edgerges.php[/url]
His mentor turns on bin Laden
By Fawaz A. Gerges
Published: September 21, 2007
NEW YORK:
After Osama bin Laden reappeared on the world's television screens on the sixth anniversary of 9-11, commentaries focused on his newly blackened beard and his changed message. But more important was the reaction of a Saudi cleric.
In an open letter, one of bin Laden's most prominent Saudi mentors, the preacher and scholar Salman al-Oadah, publicly reproached bin Laden for causing widespread mayhem and killing.
"How many innocent children, elderly people, and women have been killed in the name of Al Qaeda?" asked al-Oadah in a letter on his Web site, Islamtoday.com, and in comments on an Arabic television station.
"How many people have been forced to flee their homes, and how much blood has been shed in the name of Al Qaeda?"
Al-Oadah is a prominent Salafi preacher with a large following in Saudi Arabia and abroad. In the 1990s, he was imprisoned by the Saudi regime along with four leading clerics for criticizing the kingdom's close relationship with the United States, particularly the stationing of American troops there after the 1991 Gulf war.
It is worth noting that the decision to post American forces in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, was the catalyst for bin Laden's murderous journey. Throughout the 1990s, he frequently cited al-Oadah as a critic of the Saud royal family and fellow Salafi who shared his strict religious vision and world view.
Although al-Oadah and other senior Muslim scholars condemned the 9-11 attacks, until now they had refrained from direct criticism of bin Laden.
Now, with al-Oadah's new frontal assault on bin Laden, there is no longer any ambiguity.
In his statement, al-Oadah holds bin Laden personally accountable for the occupation of Muslim lands in Afghanistan and Iraq, the displacement of millions of Iraqis and the killings of thousands of Afghans, and for deluding young Muslims and tarnishing the image of Islam and Muslims all over the world.
"Are you happy to meet Allah with this heavy burden on your shoulders?" al-Oadah asks bin Laden. "It is a weighty burden indeed - at least hundreds of thousands of innocent people, if not millions [displaced and killed]. And it is all because of the 'crimes' perpetrated against civilians by bin Laden's Al Qaeda on 9/11."
Al-Oadah also reminds his former disciple that Islam prohibits the killing of any bird or animal, let alone "innocent people, regardless of what justification is given."
The open letter to bin Laden has received considerable publicity in the Arab media, including the Al Jazeera network and Islamonline.com, and has already elicited angry reactions from Al Qaeda supporters.
...
(the article continues at the site cited above)
I was wondering how widespread this news was - has this criticism of Bin Laden been reported much in the mainstream media? I hadn't heard a thing about it until today, but since I've been kinda behind on non-sports news these days, that doesn't necessarily mean much.
Comments
That said, there is a lot of news that never makes it to the mainstream news. Check out this story:
[url]http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=24190§ionid=3510203[/url]
Do you remember the recent story about the B52 bomber that "accidentally" flew over the United States loaded with nuclear warheads.
Within a 7 day period, six of the airmen who loaded that bomber have now died in various "accidents". Six in a week. Does that strike anyone as odd?
Of course, the main stream news is keeping us distracted with tales of Britney, Anna Nicole, and Rosie O Donnell.