Understanding Al-Qaeda and the War on Terror.
Recently Mo Mowlem has suggested that talks should be held with Al-Qaeda to diffuse tension. She also said that the US action in Iraq was making matters worse and would lead to more support for terrorism in the Middle East.
I believe that she is completely wrong. In fact, so incredibly wrong that it's hard to believe that this is the same woman who championed Winston Churchill as the `Greatest Briton'. I don't ever recall Churchill seeking talks with Hitler and I don't think he suggested that the RAF should restrain itself from attacking the Luftwaffe on the grounds that it would only encourage more disaffected young Germans to become pilots.
Her remarks betray a complete ignorance of what is at stake. Nothing that George W. Bush does can make matters worse, for one simple reason:
Al-Qaeda declared war on the United States in August 1996, long before Bush came into office. You can read the declaration of war at:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/terrorism/international/fatwa_1996.html
It's rather long and takes up 17 pages of A4, but is worth reading in the original nonetheless. It was published in the London based Arabic newspaper Al Quds al Arabi.
The first three paragraphs just contain a general introduction and passages from the Koran but in paragraph four the real business begins:
"The horrifying pictures of the massacre of Qana, in Lebanon, are still fresh in our memory. Massacres in Tajikistan, Burma, Kashmir, Assam, Philippine, Fatani, Ogadin, Somalia, Eritria, Chechnya and in Bosnia and Herzegovina took place, massacres that send shivers through the body and shake the conscience. All of this the world watched and heard, yet not only didn't respond to these atrocities, but also, with a clear conspiracy between the USA and its allies and under the cover of the iniquitous United Nations, the dispossessed people were even prevented from obtaining arms to defend themselves."A few things should stand out from this. The first is that many of these injustices have nothing to do with the United States at all. The US does not control what happens in Kashmir, Burma, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Chechnya, Tajikistan and several others on the list. In addition, it's clear that he hates the United Nations also because it did nothing to help the oppressed people of these places to fight back. Those who argue that Iraq should be turned over to the UN have to realise that it's no panacea at all. This is especially true as since this declaration was written, Al-Qaeda's hate for the UN has grown due to the latter's creation of East Timor; a Christian nation taken from the mostly Muslim Indonesia.
In the next paragraph we learn why he singles out the US for his venom:
'The latest and the greatest of these aggressions, the greatest incurred by the Muslims since the death of the Prophet (ALLAH'S BLESSING AND SALUTATIONS ON HIM) is the occupation of the land of the two Holy Places, the foundation of the House of Islam, the place of the revelation, the source of the message and the place of the noble Kaa'ba, the Qiblah of all Muslims, by the armies of the American Crusaders and their allies. We bemoan this and can only say: "No strength and no power acquired except through Allah".'The arrival of US troops into Saudi Arabia, which he calls `the land of the two Holy Places' after Mecca and Medina, was to protect the country from aggression from Iraq and not as a colonisation. That distinction is lost however on those who see American soldiers as second-rate citizens. He goes on to blame the US for the arrest of some Islamic scholars and for his own forced exile. Helpfully he gives his address in Afghanistan
`But by the Grace of Allah, a safe base is now available in the high Hindukush mountains in Khurasan, where - by the Grace of Allah - the largest infidel military force of the world was destroyed. And the myth of the super power was withered in front of the Mujahideen cries of Allahu Akbar (God is greatest).'The phrase
'No strength and no power acquired except through Allah' is repeated many times. How does a secular or non-Muslim democratic society, where power is given to those who win elections, conform to this? It can't, so those who cherish the freedom to think outside the strictures of the Koran should realise that Al-Qaeda has them in the crosshairs too, whether they support the US in Iraq or not.
Bin Laden next goes on to discuss the economic conditions of life in Saudi Arabia. He writes:
'People are fully concerned about their everyday living; everybody talks about the deterioration of the economy, inflation, ever-increasing debts, and jails full of prisoners. Government employees with limited income talk about debts of ten of thousands and hundred of thousands of Saudi Riyals. They complain that the value of the Riyal is greatly and continuously deteriorating among most of the main currencies.
Great merchants and contractors speak about hundreds and thousands of millions of Riyals owed to them by the government. More than three hundred forty billion Riyals is owed by the government to the people in addition to the daily accumulated interest, let alone the foreign debt. People wonder, are we the largest oil exporting country? They even believe that this situation is a curse put on them by Allah for not objecting to the oppressive and illegitimate behaviour and measures of the ruling regime: Ignoring the divine Shari'ah law; depriving people of their legitimate rights; allowing the American to occupy the land of the two Holy Places; imprisonment, unjustly, of the sincere scholars.'This is crucial. The Saudi royal family (over 6,000 princes at the latest count) has bled the country dry with its extravagance. The standard of living for those without royal connections has been in decline for decades. The combination of this with a high birth rate makes for an explosive combination. Bin Laden seeks to attract Saudis to his cause by appealing to their sense of being exploited.
Much later in the declaration, bin Laden shows his conviction that the US is weak. He relates how the Clinton administration's Defence Secretary, William Perry, said after the bombing of the Khobar Towers that it has taught him the lesson that he should not withdraw when attacked by cowadly terrorists. Bin Laden writes mockingly:
'We say to the Defence Secretary that his talk could induce a grieving mother to laughter! And it shows the fears that have enveloped you all. Where was this courage of yours when the explosion in Beirut took place in 1983 CE (1403 A.H). You were transformed into scattered bits and pieces; 241 soldiers were killed, most of them Marines. And where was this courage of yours when two explosions made you to leave Aden in less than twenty-four hours!
But your most disgraceful case was in Somalia; where, after vigorous propaganda about the power of the USA and its post-cold war leadership of the new world order, you moved tens of thousands of international forces, including twenty-eight thousand American solders, into Somalia. However, when tens of your solders were killed in minor battles and one American Pilot was dragged in the streets of Mogadishu, you left the area in disappointment, humiliation, and defeat, carrying your dead with you.
Clinton appeared in front of the whole world threatening and promising revenge, but these threats were merely a preparation for withdrawal. You had been disgraced by Allah and you withdrew; the extent of your impotence and weaknesses became very clear. It was a pleasure for the heart of every Muslim and a remedy to the chests of believing nations to see you defeated in the three Islamic cities of Beirut, Aden, and Mogadishu.'It's abundantly clear from this that it is US weakness and not strength that inspires Al-Qaeda. He descibes how young muslims will fight the US and explains:
`To liberate the sanctuaries is the greatest of issues concerning all Muslims; it is the duty of every Muslim in this world. I say to you, William (Defence Secretary), that: These youths love death as you love life.'Just in case you don't get the message the first time, he goes on to say:
`Those youths will not ask you (William Perry) for explanations. They will tell you, singing, there is nothing between us that needs to be explained, there is only killing and neck-smiting.'How does Mo Mowlam plan to talk to them then?
So far, you may have noticed that he has said nothing about Iraq, but it does get a small mention towards the end:
`More than 600,000 Iraqi children have died due to lack of food and medicine and as a result of the unjustifiable aggression (sanctions) imposed on Iraq and its people.'The figure of 600,000 is an overstatement, but is widely accepted due to Madelaine Albright's disastrous non-denial when asked to comment on claims of over half a million deaths of Iraqi children. However there were many deaths caused after the imposition of UN sanctions. Remarkably, bin Laden doesn't seem to think of blaming Saddam Hussein for any of this, despite the latter being worth between $4bn and $7bn at the time of his downfall.
So what of Iraq and the `War on Terror', then? I hope that I have shown the futility of seeking talks with bin Laden, who in any case I suspect, has been dead for some time now. There is nothing to discuss with someone who says that his followers love death as much as we love life. What is the middle ground?
What the US has done is to try to address some of the causes of the hostility. US troops are out of Saudi Arabia and the US is getting less and less friendly with its former friends in the Saudi government whose lack of accountability has radicalised the Saudi people.
By toppling Saddam, the sanctions against Iraq can be ended and the economy will grow very fast. The introduction of democracy to a region that has never had it will show the Arab people how to diffuse tensions before they reach the crisis point.
Supporters of terrorism have been put on warning that the US is prepared to take action. The US has shown strength, which is crucial in dealing with religious fanatics who believe that US weakness is an indication that their god is on their side.
In a few years time, there is the very real possibility that Iraq will be peaceful and prosperous, with its people enjoying more freedom than exists anywhere else in the Arab world. The lesson will not be lost on the people of the neighbouring countries who will see that there is an alternative to despotism and religious fanaticism.
Those who wish that the Arab people remain oppressed and discontented are fighting against the US now. Those who would like to see freedom and peace flourish should support the US endeavour.
_ DY
at 8:04 PM BST
Updated: Wednesday, 14 April 2004 8:18 PM BST