http://www.lauramansfield.com/j/default.asp
April 23, 2006: New Bin Laden Tape Holds American People Responsible for War
By Laura Mansfield
Osama Bin Laden's voice rang out from Al Jazeera this morning in a newly released audiotaped message. So far, only two excerpts from the tape have been released and aired on Al Jazeera.
Bin Laden’s talking points this morning focused on Hamas and Palestine in the first excerpt, and on breakup of the Ottoman Empire and Sudan in the second portion.
He refers back to the statements of Dr. Ayman Zawahiri, who in a previous tape warned Hamas against entering into any kind of agreement with the West.
“Further proof to this is their rejection of Hamas after its election victory. We re-iterate what Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri has already warned against, entering into partnership with the infidels.”
Bin Laden cites the opposition against Hamas from the US and Europe as proof of the existence of a “Zionist Crusade” against Islam.
Bin Laden places responsibility of the war on the people as well as the government.
I tell you, any war is the joint responsibility of the people and their governments. And war rages on and the people are renewing their support of their leaders and politicians. They continue to send their sons to war to fight us. They continue to support them financially and morally while our countries are burned, our homes are bombed and our people are killed and no one cares about us.
It appears that Bin Laden may be setting up further justification for an attack on the US or its allies, one that would have considerable civilian casualties. He makes it very clear that he holds he people of America, the civilian population, responsible for the actions of the US military.
The second portion of the released segment of the tape refers to the Sudan. He speaks of the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, and the resulting state building that occurred.
Bin Laden then goes on to place responsibility for the humanitarian crisis in Darfur on US and British interference.
He calls for Muslims in the Saudi Arabia and in Sudan to prepare for a long war against the US and coalition forces.
A translation of the released portions of the tape follows.
We will update as more portions are released.
Translation
Part I
"…Further proof to this is their rejection of Hamas after its election victory. We re-iterate what Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri has already warned against, entering into partnership with the infidels. But their opposition to Hamas proves that this is a crusader-zionist war against muslims. I tell you, any war is the joint responsibility of the people and their governments. And war rages on and the people are renewing their support of their leaders and politicians. They continue to send their sons to war to fight us. They continue to support them financially and morally while our countries are burned, our homes are bombed and our people are killed and no one cares about us. The outcry to what happens to our people was demonstrated when you ally, Israel, invaded and destroyed a prison in Jericho with support from America and Britain.”
Part II
"...They destroyed the Ottoman empire and divided it into dozens of states and sub-states in order to control it. Then Britain separated Sudan from Egypt. Now Britain returns to divide Sudan and encourage the south to separate itself from the country. It supported the South and helped it build an army. It gave them money, ammunitions and expertise and encouraged them to ask for their independence from Sudan. And America did the same by funding them and putting pressure on world bodies like the united nations and put more pressure on the Khartoum government to sign an unfair treaty to separate the south from Sudan 6 years after signing the agreement.
Let Bush and Bashir know that this agreement isn’t even worth the ink that was used to write it. And it doesn’t even force us to abide by it. They used some tribal divisions in the west of sudan to enrage a war raged among them to create an excuse for the crusaders to invade and control the country. It is a crusader zionist war on Muslims.
I call on the Mujahedeen and their supporters, especially in Sudan and the Arabian Peninsula to prepare for a long war against the crusaders and plunderers in western Sudan. I encourage you to familiarize yourselves with the Darfur landscape. You can kill a land if you know it and the land will kill you if you don't know it well. Our goal is not defending the Khartoum government but defending Islam, its land and its people."
The Bin Laden tape as heard on Al Jazeera can be downloaded
http://www.lauramansfield.com/j/laden.rm