Usama bin Laden Says Israeli Regime is
Behind the 9-11 Attacks
KABUL, Afghanistan (Ummat):
Prominent Arab mojahed (freedom
fighter) Usama bin Laden or the Al-Qaida group has nothing to do
with the 11 September attacks on the Bush Administration,
according to an Usama bin Laden interview with Ummat, the
Karachi-based Pakistani daily newspaper. In his interview, Usama
bin Laden pointed out that the Israeli regime is behind the 9-11
attacks.
He expressed gratitude and support for Pakistan, urging
the Pakistani people to continue their jehad against dictators,
tyrants, traitors, crooks, criminals, dictatorships and
tyrannies. Following is the text of Usama Bin Laden's interview
conducted by a "special correspondent" and published in the
daily Ummat on Friday, 28 September 2001. [The place and date of
the interview was not given by Ummat.]
Daily UMMAT: You have been accused of involvement in the
attacks in New York and Washington. What do you want to say
about this? If you are not involved, who might be?
USAMA BIN LADEN: In the name of Allah (God ), the most
beneficent, the most merciful. Praise be to Allah, Who is the
creator of the whole universe and Who made the Earth as an abode
for peace, for the whole humankind. Allah is the Sustainer, who
sent Prophet Muhammad (saw) for our guidance. I am thankful to
The Ummat Group of Publications, which gave me the opportunity
to convey my viewpoint to the people, particularly the valiant
and momin (true Muslim) people of Pakistan who refused to
believe the lies of the demon (Pakistani military dictator
General Pervez Musharraf).
I have already said that I am not involved in the 11 September
attacks in the United States. As a Muslim, I try my best to
avoid telling a lie. I had no knowledge of these attacks, nor do
I consider the killing of innocent women, children and other
humans as an appreciable act. Islam strictly forbids causing
harm to innocent women, children and other people. Such a
practice is forbidden even in the course of a battle.
It is the
United States, which is perpetrating every maltreatment on
women, children and common people of other faiths, particularly
the followers of Islam. All that is going on in Palestine for
the last 11 months is sufficient to call the wrath of God upon
the United States and Israel. There is also a warning for those
Muslim countries, which witnessed all these as a silent
spectator. What had earlier been done to the innocent people of
Iraq, Chechnya and Bosnia?
Only one conclusion could be derived
from the indifference of the United States and the West to these
acts of terror and the patronage of the tyrants by these powers
that America is an anti Islamic power and it is patronizing the
anti-Islamic forces. Its friendship with the Muslim countries is
just a show, rather deceit. By enticing or intimidating these
countries, the United States is forcing them to play a role of
its choice. Put a glance all around and you will see that the
slaves of the United States are either rulers or enemies of
Muslims.
The U.S. has no friends, nor does it want to keep any because
the prerequisite of friendship is to come to the level of the
friend or consider him at par with you. America does not want to
see anyone equal to it. It expects slavery from others.
Therefore, other countries are either its slaves or
subordinates.
However, our case is different. We have pledged
slavery to God Almighty alone and after this pledge there is no
possibility to become the slave of someone else. If we do that
it will be disregardful to both our Sustainer and his fellow
beings. Most of the world nations upholding their freedom are
the religious ones, which are the enemies of the United States,
or the U.S. itself considers them as its enemies.
The countries which do not agree to become the U.S. slaves are
China, Iran, Libya, Cuba, Syria [Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Iraq, Sudan, Indonesia, Malaysia] and Russia.
Whoever committed the act of 11 September are not the friends of
the American people. I have already said that we are against the
American system, not against its people, whereas in these
attacks, the common American people have been killed.
According
to my information, the death toll is much higher than what the
U.S. Government has stated. But the Bush Administration does not
want the panic to spread. The United States should try to trace
the perpetrators of these attacks within itself; the people who
are a part of the U.S. system, but are dissenting against it. Or
those who are working for some other system; persons who want to
make the present century as a century of conflict between Islam
and Christianity so that their own civilization, nation,
country, or ideology could survive.
They can be anyone, from
Russia to Israel and from India to Serbia. In the U.S. itself,
there are dozens of well-organized and well-equipped groups,
which are capable of causing a large-scale destruction. Then you
cannot forget the American Jews, who are annoyed with President
Bush ever since the elections in Florida and want to avenge him.
Then there are intelligence agencies in the U.S., which require
billions of dollars worth of funds from the Congress and the
government every year. This [funding issue] was not a big
problem till the existence of the former Soviet Union but after
that the budget of these agencies has been in danger. They
needed an enemy.
So, they first started propaganda against
Usama
and Taleban and then this incident happened. You see, the
Bush
Administration approved a budget of 40 billion dollars. Where
will this huge amount go? It will be provided to the same
agencies, which need huge funds and want to exert their
importance. Now they will spend the money for their expansion
and for increasing their importance. I will give you an example.
Drug smugglers from all over the world are in contact with the
U.S. secret agencies. These agencies do not want to eradicate
narcotics cultivation and trafficking because their importance
will be diminished. The people in the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Department (...Administration - DEA) are encouraging drug trade so that they could show
performance and get millions of dollars worth of budget.
General
Noriega was made a drug baron by the CIA and, in need, he was
made a scapegoat. In the same way, whether it is
President Bush
or any other U.S. President, they cannot bring Israel to justice
for its human rights abuses or to hold it accountable for such
crimes. What is this? Is it not that there exists a government
within the government in the United Sates? That secret
government must be asked as to who carried out the attacks.
Daily UMMAT: A number of world countries have joined the
call of the United States for launching attacks on Afghanistan.
These also include a number of Muslim countries. Will Al-Qaida
declare a jehad against these Islamic countries as well?
USAMA BIN LADEN: I must say that my duty is just to
awaken the Muslims; to tell them as to what is good for them and
what is not. What does Islam says and what the enemies of Islam
want? Al-Qaida was set up to wage a jehad against infidelity,
particularly to counter the onslaught of the infidel countries
against the Islamic states. Jehad is the sixth undeclared pillar
of Islam.
[The first five being the basic holy words of Islam
(There is only one God in the entire universe and Muhammad is
the last Prophet of God ), prayers, fast, pilgrimage to Mecca and
giving alms (zakat).]
Every anti-Islamic person is afraid of
jehad. Al-Qaida wants to keep jehad alive and active and make it
a part of the daily life of the Muslims. It wants to give it the
status of worship. We are not against any Islamic country. We do
not consider a war against an Islamic country as jehad. We are
in favor of armed jehad only against those infidel governments,
which are killing innocent Muslim men, women and children just
because they are Muslims.
Supporting the U.S. act is the need of
some Muslim countries and the compulsion of others. However,
they should think as to what will remain of their religious and
moral position if they support the attack of the Christians and
the Jews on a Muslim country like Afghanistan. The orders of
Islamic Shariah [jurisprudence] for such individuals,
organizations and countries are clear and all the scholars of
the Muslim brotherhood are unanimous on them.
We will do the
same, which is being ordered by the Ameer-ul-Momeneen [the
commander of the faithful Afghans] Muhammad Omar and the Islamic
scholars. The hearts of the people of Muslim countries are
beating with the call of jehad. We are grateful to them.
Daily UMMAT: The losses caused in the attacks in New York
and Washington have proved that giving an economic blow to the
U.S. is not too difficult. U.S. experts admit that a few more
such attacks can bring down the American economy. Why is Al-Qaida
not targeting their economic pillars?
USAMA BIN LADEN: I have already said that we are not
hostile to the United States. We are against the [U.S.
Government] system, which makes other nations slaves of the
United States, or forces them to mortgage their political and
economic freedom. This system is totally in control of the
American-Jews, whose first priority is Israel, not the United
States. It is clear that the American people are themselves the
slaves of the Jews and are forced to live according to the
principles and laws laid by them. So, the punishment should
reach Israel. In fact, it is Israel, which is giving a blood
bath to innocent Muslims and the U.S. is not uttering a single
word.
Daily UMMAT: Why is harm not caused to the enemies of
Islam through other means, apart from the armed struggle? For
instance, urging the Muslims to boycott Western products, banks,
shipping lines and TV channels.
USAMA BIN LADEN: The first thing is that Western products
could only be boycotted when the Muslim fraternity is fully
awakened and organized. Secondly, the Muslim companies should
become self-sufficient in producing goods equal to the products
of Western companies. Economic boycott of the West is not
possible unless economic self-sufficiency is attained and
substitute products are brought out.
You see that wealth is
scattered all across the Muslim World but not a single TV
channel has been acquired which can preach Islamic injunctions
according to modern requirements and attain an international
influence. Muslim traders and philanthropists should make it a
point that if the weapon of public opinion is to be used, it is
to be kept in the hand. Today's world is of public opinion and
the fates of nations are determined through its pressure. Once
the tools for building public opinion are obtained, everything
that you asked for can be done.
Daily UMMAT: The entire propaganda about your struggle
has so far been made by the Western media. But no information is
being received from your sources about the network of Al-Qaida
and its jehadi successes. Would you comment?
USAMA BIN LADEN: In fact, the Western media is left with
nothing else. It has no other theme to survive for a long time.
Then we have many other things to do. The struggle for jehad and
the successes are for the sake of Allah and not to annoy His
bondsmen. Our silence is our real propaganda. Rejections,
explanations, or corrigendum only waste your time and through
them, the enemy wants you to engage in things which are not of
use to you.
These things are pulling you away from your cause.
The Western media is unleashing such a baseless propaganda,
which makes us surprise but it reflects on what is in their
hearts and gradually they themselves become captive of this
propaganda. They become afraid of it and begin to cause harm to
themselves. Terror is the most dreaded weapon in modern age and
the Western media is mercilessly using it against its own
people.
It can add fear and helplessness in the psyche of the
people of Europe and the United States. It means that what the
enemies of the United States cannot do, its media is doing that.
You can understand as to what will be the performance of the
nation in a war, which suffers from fear and helplessness.
Daily UMMAT: What will be the impact of the freeze of Al-Qaida
accounts by the U.S.?
USAMA BIN LADEN: God opens up ways for those who work for
Him. Freezing of accounts will not make any difference for Al-Qaida
or other jehad groups. With the grace of Allah, Al-Qaida has
more than three alternative financial systems, which are all
separate and totally independent from each other.
This system is
operating under the patronage of those who love jehad. What to
say of the United States, even the combined world cannot budge
these people from their path. These people are not in hundreds
but in thousands and millions.
Al-Qaida comprises of such modern
educated youths who are aware of the cracks inside the Western
financial system as they are aware of the lines in their hands.
These are the very flaws of the Western fiscal system, which are
becoming a noose for it and this system could not recuperate in
spite of the passage of so many days.
Daily UMMAT: Are there other safe areas other than
Afghanistan, where you can continue jehad?
USAMA BIN LADEN: There are areas in all parts of the
world where strong jehadi forces are present, from Indonesia to
Algeria, from Kabul to Chechnya, from Bosnia to Sudan, and from
Burma to Kashmir. Then it is not the problem of my person. I am
a helpless fellowman of God, constantly in the fear of my
accountability before God. It is not the question of Usama but
of Islam and, in Islam too, of jehad.
Thanks to God, those
waging a jehad can walk today with their heads raised. Jehad was
still present when there was no Usama and it will remain as such
even when Usama is no longer there. Allah opens up ways and
creates loves in the hearts of people for those who walk on the
path of Allah with their lives, property and children. Believe
it, through jehad, a man gets everything he desires. And the
biggest desire of a Muslim is the life after death. Martyrdom is
the shortest way of attaining an eternal life.
Daily UMMAT: What do you say about the Pakistan
Government policy on Afghanistan attack?
USAMA BIN LADEN: We are thankful to the Momin and valiant
people of Pakistan who erected a blockade in front of the evil
forces and stood in the first file of battle. Pakistan is a
great hope for
the Islamic brotherhood. Its people are awakened,
organized and rich in the spirit of faith. They backed
Afghanistan in its war against the Soviet Union and extended
every help to the mojahedeen (freedom fighters) and the Afghan
people.
Then these are very Pakistanis who are standing shoulder
by shoulder with the Taleban. If such people emerge in just two
countries, the domination of the West will diminish in a matter
of days. Our hearts beat with Pakistan and, God forbid, if a
difficult time comes we will protect it with our blood. Pakistan
is sacred for us like a place of worship. We are the people of
jehad and fighting for the defense of Pakistan is the best of
all jehads to us.
It does not matter for us as to who reforms
Pakistan. The important thing is that the spirit of jehad is
alive and stronger in the hearts of the Pakistani people.
