The original Jerusalem Post link is old, so this is a link to a thread that reprinted the 2002 article. It gives a little background on the pharaoh association. The 89th Surah (al-Fajr or "The Dawn") is the last to talk of Pharaoh. It is about Judgment Day. It is about God destroying the unparalleled towers of Iram (Iram=Aram=Babel?).
According to my index, it is one of only two places in the Quran that talk of Pharaoh (the third reference in the 12th Surah is regarding the Pharaoh of Joseph's time - - centuries earlier). The other reference, in the 38th Surah, mentions Pharaoh in the same context of nations destroyed by God (the civilization of Noah, Sodom and Gommorah, and the Ten Plagues that hit Egypt at the time of the Exodus) as in the 89th Surah.
The only two direct mentions of Pharaoh in the Quran are short verses in these two chapters (38 and 89) describing the divine judgment and destruction of a civilization. Surah 89 ("The Dawn") is therefore apocalyptic. So references to Zarqawi's "new dawn on the horizon" combined with the Bin Laden's "How to Prevent Another Manhattan" (another "Dawn"/falling towers) tape from late October (where he talks of destroying the towers of NYC after seeing Beirut's destruction), tie both to Surah 89 - - a description of apocalypse.
I doubt most Muslims read the Quran this way (seeing apocalyptic prophecies). It is an aberration just as some Protestants in the American South twisted Old Testament verses to "prove" that slavery was justified by a Hamitic curse. Unfortunately, that twisting of the Bible by a minority of Christians led to war in the same way that the new apocalyptic interpretation of "jihad" (that did not exist a few decades ago) by a fringe minority of Muslims could lead to global war.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/747518/posts
"Abu Arafeh explains that he found many "striking similarities between the US administration and the corrupt Pharaoh who oppressed the believers and enslaved them." He cites several verses from the Koran, which he claims back his theory. . .
Abu Arafeh says that by examining Pharaoh's description in these verses, one is shocked at the similarities between him and the US, especially after what the Americans did in Afghanistan. According to the booklet, which is being bought by worshipers at mosques in many Palestinian cities and villages, one of the definitions of Pharaoh is "big house." A further investigation by the author showed that Pharaoh's residence was built with white stone.
"We are now facing Pharaoh II," Abu Arafeh concludes. "We are facing Bush II, who is just like Ramses II." He claims he was also astonished to discover that the picture of the pyramids is printed on US dollar bills. Moreover, the symbol of Egypt's pharaoh was the eagle, "which is the same symbol of the pharaoh of America and the White House. And anyone who visited Washington knows that the White House keeps a pharaoh obelisk in one of its gardens."
He cites another sura, or verse, which in his opinion provides further evidence that the US is about to be exterminated: "And we leveled to the ground the great work and fine buildings which Pharaoh and his people erected [such pride]." Abu Arafeh says he reached this conclusion based on the thorough analysis of the Koran and that he will publish the details later."