Moroccans, Tunisians Reject Bin Laden's Call To Violence

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From 'Magharebia': Moroccans and Tunisians have rejected fugitive al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's call to violence in two audio recordings aired last week. In bin Laden's first message, aired Wednesday (March 19th) by al-Qaeda's As-Sahab media unit, the terrorist leader accused Pope Benedict XVI of playing a role in a "new crusade" against Islam and warned of a "severe reaction" to cartoons containing images of the Prophet Mohamed reprinted in Danish newspapers in February. In the second message, aired on Thursday, bin Laden rejected negotiations and dialogue and called on Muslims to "liberate Palestine" with "fire and iron". He urged support for the "jihad" in Iraq, which he claimed is the path to Palestine's liberation.

Tunisian student Makram al-Hemeidi told Magharebia he hardly paid attention to the tape when it was broadcast on Aljazeera. "You can predict what the man is going to say, without having to continue to listen. We have heard him say that over and over again, and nothing has changed. Things are getting worse in the Arab world day after day." Student Ilham al-Dereidi suspects it was not bin Laden speaking. "In the age of technology, everything is possible. I think bin Laden has been dead for a while. They just use his pictures to voice whatever they wish to say."

In a statement to Magharebia, expert on Tunisian Islamist groups Slaheddine Jourchi underscored the timing of the new message, which coincided with the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq. Jourchi said bin Laden is trying to reach out to his followers who suffer from "a state of visible retreat", especially in Iraq where he said the terror organisation is experiencing a setback following a rise in anti-al-Qaeda sentiment.

Tunisian civil servant Murad bin Nusair responded sarcastically to bin Laden’s call. The threats, concealed under a stated desire to defend the Prophet, "were made on the eve of celebrating the birth of the Prophet, an event Muslims mark by highlighting the honourable virtues of their Messenger, not by threatening to kill innocent souls," he said. His colleague Hatim bin Milad thought the recent reprinting of the cartoons was more a deliberate affront to Muslims than a defense of freedom of speech. "As for bin Laden," he said, "those threats he voiced made him an ally of the Danish papers, whether he likes it or not."

Although the majority of Moroccans deplored bin Laden's call to violence, the terror leader's messages drew mixed reactions. International relations professor Mohamed Madihi told Magharebia that in his latest message, bin Laden attempted to exploit the sensitive issue of Palestine to rally the world's Muslims behind him. "Bin Laden is taking advantage of the opportunity to spread his message to an audience that is ready to hear it, and has chosen this moment to call for jihad. His recordings may therefore have the impact he hopes for," he commented.

Lahcen Daoudi, a member of the Islamist Justice and Development Party's parliamentary bloc, disagreed. "I don’t think Muslim communities will pay much attention to what Osama bin Laden has said, even though Muslims constantly seek news and information. Nevertheless, all world leaders should take the necessary precautions to prevent a backlash from a minority influenced by extremist thinking. Preventive measures are necessary to tackle extremism and terrorism," he said.

Many Moroccans said the terror leader's strategy is unhelpful to Muslims. According to IT worker Khalid Jouhari, bin Laden made a huge mistake on September 11th, 2001. "Because of him, Muslims are treated with suspicion and now face tremendous pressure, instead of being allowed to live their lives peacefully," he said.

"The publication of the cartoons of the prophet Mohamed was an insult and a crime, as bin Laden says," primary-school teacher Karima Raji told Magharebia. "But I don’t agree with him about the harsh reprisals he has announced. What we need is dialogue led by officials and intellectuals to resolve the issue, not violence."