Silver-tongued terrorist
Osama bin Laden's black-and-white rhetorical skill surprises editor
Joanne Laucius
Ottawa Citizen
canada.com
Friday, November 18, 2005
OTTAWA -- Islamic scholar Bruce Lawrence thinks there's something pretty ironic about the attention focused on his controversial new book Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama bin Laden. It's the fact that the one piece of bin Laden's writing that has been the real grabber may not have been written by bin Laden at all.
The piece is Chapter 16, one of 24 translated speeches, interviews and written messages by bin Laden collected in the new book. It's a diatribe in which he demands that America convert to Islam, chides Americans to "stop your oppression, lies, immorality and debauchery" and calls on Americans to "reject the immoral acts of fornication, homosexuality, intoxicants, gambling and usury."
The message goes on to suggest the U.S. "exploits women like consumer products or advertising tools" and sells them in the name of entertainment, tourism and freedom.
"It is saddening to tell you that you are the worst civilization witnessed in the history of mankind."
Harsh stuff.
But Lawrence, who edited and annotated the book of new translation from the Arabic by James Howarth says if you examine bin Laden's other interviews, videotapes, faxes and speeches, it becomes clear that this piece, which was posted on the Internet on Oct. 14, 2002, is probably at least partially the work of bin Laden's associates.
For one thing, the language and style are not as eloquent, lyrical or compelling as his other work, said Lawrence Thursday from New York City, where he was promoting the book.
Lawrence's goal was to present bin Laden beyond his video clips and sound bites. In the book, he annotates the context of each statement, as well as bin Laden's use of a broad sweep of scriptural and historical sources.
The religion professor at Duke University says he was "stunned by bin Laden's rhetorical skill" and impressed by the sheer poetry of his words. "I thought he must be quoting someone from classical Arabic."
Reaction to Messages to the World has been varied. In Canada, the book has been distributed mostly to independent booksellers.
The Observer called the book "the complete bin Laden reader," but Lawrence has been accused of being an apologist for a terrorist.
Rather than being a religious campaigner who uses political language, bin Laden is a political campaigner who justifies his own stand in religious terms, Lawrence says. He sometimes felt a chill when reading bin Laden's words. "He clearly has political ambitions."
Bin Laden sets himself up as a quasi-saint -- someone in the mould of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, who sought to reclaim the Catholic church's connection to God, and wanted to do it in a militant way. Bin Laden also claims piety, quoting often from the Koran.
The language he uses echoes the patterns of the Koran and uses no colloquialisms. While the Western media has often found that these speech patterns verge on the comedic, it has missed the fact that bin Laden has purposely chosen an almost archaic way of speaking in Arabic.
"The appeal of his rhetoric is that it's black and white. You're either with us or against us," Lawrence says.
Bin Laden's message is that the listener can only effectively be a Muslim if they follow him. It's not a matter of practice, or knowing the Koran or giving alms. In bin Laden's view of the world, "you count as true Muslim only when you sign on for him."
But even the cool bin Laden has crumpled under the glare of the media. This happened on Oct. 21, 2001, when he faced an interview with the dogged al-Jazeera journalist Taysir Alluni, who put bin Laden on the spot about the issue of killing innocents. He points out that even the prophet Mohammed said it should not be done.
Bin Laden replies by rhyming off a list of scholars who have argued it is acceptable to kill women and children if Islam is threatened. But Alluni doesn't let him get off so easily. These scholars are all from the 13th century, and he knows it.
"That's a huge stretch for any Muslim," Lawrence says. "The interviewer really pierces his armour."
Bin Laden on Saddam Hussein: "Saddam Hussein is a thief and an apostate."
On the United States: "We believe the defeat of America is achievable -- with the permission of God -- and it is easier for us . . . than the defeat of the Soviet empire."
On Ariel Sharon: "If Sharon is a man of peace in the eyes of Bush, then we are also men of peace. America does not understand the language of manners and principles, so we are addressing it using the language it understands."
- - -
THE WEST AS OSAMA WOULD HAVE RUN IT
A complete translation of the terrorist leader's statements portrays a world in which Islam's enemies will take the first steps towards salvation by embracing the "religion of all the Prophets." Bin Laden's terms for an American surrender appeared after the September 2001 suicide attacks and include demands that amount to the abandonment of much of western life:
- The West would generally have to stop its "oppression, lies, immorality and debauchery" that have made it the "worst civilization witnessed in the history of mankind."
- Alcoholic drinks and gambling would be barred
- Any woman serving "passengers, visitors and strangers" would be out of a job.
- No more women's photos in newspapers or advertising.
ON SADDAM HUSSEIN:
"Saddam Hussein is a thief and an apostate."
ON THE UNITED STATES
"The Americans have made laughable claims. They said that there are hidden messages intended for terrorists in bin Laden's statements. It is as if we are living in a time of carrier-pigeons, without the existence of telephones, without the Internet, without regular mail, without faxes, without e-mail."
ON THE MEDIA WAR:
"The U.S. government interfered and banned the media outlets from airing our words, because they felt that the truth started to appear to the American people..."
Ran with fact box "The West as Osama would have run it", which has been appended to the end of the story.
© The Vancouver Sun 2005 |
