Visions of Osama bin Laden
LIKE a seer of antiquity, Osama bin Laden has returned from the wilderness to cast his curse against the evildoers. America, he predicts, will fail in Iraq just as the Soviet Union did in Afghanistan. Capitalism and democracy are the worst form of “polytheism”, causing war, global warming, poverty and costly mortgages.
The solution to such wickedness, says al-Qaeda’s leader, is for Americans to “embrace Islam”. Then war would end and Americans would be richer, because Islam (he claims) has no income taxes except the 2.5% tithe known as zakat. The call to convert is no rhetorical flourish; Islamic jurisprudence requires that non-believers be given a chance before they are attacked.
These are mostly familiar themes, though intelligence analysts will search the sermon (and a second internet message) for clues about his intentions, whereabouts (thought to be Pakistan’s border region) and state of health. Is it a sign of confidence that his beard is dyed and neatly trimmed, and that he has forsaken his camouflage jacket and gun?
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