[The_Reader_David]

OBL is an Islamic cleric if enough Muslims think he is. The only standard for authority in Koranic interpretation (which is all Muslim clerics really do, there being no sacredotal role in Islam) is how many Muslims regard your interpretation as authoritative.

His choice of Afghanistan as a base (rather than any other failed state, like Somalia or the Sudan) was an attempt to hook into some Mahdi prophecies, which refer to that region by some archaic Arabic name as the place where the Mahdi will arise.

Of course the jihadis have been considering him to be the Caliph for a while (which doesn't win friends or influence people in Iran or most of Iraq, since the Shi'ites regard the Caliphs as illegitimate usurpers).

[Oorang]

Good point, thanks.

[Cindy]

Thanks David.
That's interesting.

[callmejoe]

"His choice of Afghanistan as a base (rather than any other failed state, like Somalia or the Sudan) was an attempt to hook into some Mahdi prophecies, which refer to that region by some archaic Arabic name as the place where the Mahdi will arise."

The name of the region in the prophecy is Khorasan. It corresponds to modern-day Afghanistan, eastern Iran, and maybe parts of central Asia (IIRC). ("The Black Flags of Khorasan")

The eastern province of Iran is today named Khorasan.

The capital of Khorasan is - - Mashad.

http://www.farsinet.com/mashhad/khorasan.html

The UBL video had him wearing the clothing of a cleric from Mashad. This reinforces my argument from an earlier thread about Iran fronting him as the Mahdi.

Tariq al-Qods.