Famous Interviews: Most Wanted Man - Rare interview with Osama bin Laden
Posted on Thursday, August 10 @ 07:40:03 EDT by qjaved
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Anonymous writes " 'We predict a black day for America'
September 23, 2001
In a rare interview, Osama binLaden in 1998 explained to John Miller of ABC News why he has declared a holy war on America.
Miller: Mr. bin Laden, to Americans you are an interesting figure: A man who comes from a background of wealth and comforts who ended up fighting on the front lines. Many Americans would think that's unusual.
Bin Laden: Thanks be to Allah. It is hard for one to understand if the person does not understand Islam. Allah is the one who created us and blessed us with this religion, and orders us to carry out the holy struggle "jihad" to raise the word of Allah above the words of the unbelievers.
We believe this is a form of worship we must follow despite our financial ability. This is a response to Westerners and secularists in the Arab world who claim the reason for the awakening and the return to Islam is financial difficulties. This is untrue.
Miller: You have been described as the "World's Most Wanted Man." There is word that the American government intends to put a price on your head in the millions for your capture. Does it worry you?
Bin Laden: It does not worry us what the Americans think. What worries us is pleasing Allah. The Americans impose themselves on everyone who believes in his religion and his rights. They accuse our children in Palestine of being terrorists. Those children that have no weapons and have not even reached maturity. At the same time, they defend a country with its airplanes and tanks, the state of the Jews, that has a policy to destroy the future of these children.
Miller: You have said, "If the Americans are so brave, they will come and arrest me." Do you think that is something my country will try?
Bin Laden: We have seen in the last decade the decline of the American government and the weakness of the American soldier who is ready to wage cold wars and unprepared to fight long wars. This was proven in Beirut when the Marines fled after two explosions. It also proves they can run in less than 24 hours, and this was repeated in Somalia. We are ready for all occasions. We rely on Allah.
Fatwa against Americans
Miller: You have issued a fatwa [decree] calling on all Muslims to kill Americans where they can, when they can. Is that directed at all Americans, just American military, just Americans in Saudi Arabia?
Bin Laden: Allah ordered us in this religion to purify Muslim land of all nonbelievers. We must use such punishment to keep your evil away from Muslims, Muslim children and women. American history does not distinguish between civilians and military, and not even women and children. [Americans] are the ones who used the bombs against Nagasaki. Can these bombs distinguish between infants and military? America does not have a religion that will prevent it from destroying all people.
We believe that the biggest thieves in the world and the terrorists are the Americans. The only way for us to fend off these assaults is to use similar means.
We do not differentiate between those dressed in military uniforms and civilians; they are all targets in this fatwa. Especially since American officials were released after the Khobar bombing, asking all American civilians to contact the security department in the embassy with information on Muslims and activists. The fatwa includes all that share or take part in killing of Muslims, assaulting holy places, or those who help the Jews occupy Muslim land.
Desire to destroy the U.S.
Miller: No one expected the mujaheddin to defeat the Russians in Afghanistan. That caused a surprise to everyone. What do you see as the future for the American involvement in the Middle East and taking on groups like yours?
Bin Laden: We are sure of Allah's victory and our victory against the Americans and the Jews as promised by the prophet, peace be upon him: "Judgment day shall not come until the Muslims fight the Jews, whereas the Jews will hide behind trees and stones, and the tree and the stone will speak and say 'Muslim, behind me a Jew--come and kill him,' except for the al-Ghargad tree, which is a Jewish plant."
We predict a black day for America and the end of the United States as United States, and [the United States] will be separate states and will retreat from our land and collect the bodies of its sons back to America. Allah willing.
His next targets
Miller: Describe the situation when your men took on the Americans in Somalia? Were you there? 
Bin Laden: After Allah honored us with victory in Afghanistan, and justice prevailed and the killing of those who slaughtered millions of Muslims in the Muslim republics, it cleared from Muslim minds the myth of superpowers. The youth ceased from seeing America as a superpower. After leaving Afghanistan, they headed for Somalia and prepared for a long battle, thinking that the Americans were like the Russians, but they were surprised when the Americans entered with 300,000 troops, and collected more troops from the world--5,000 from Pakistan, 5,000 from India, 5,000 from Bangladesh, 5,000 from Egypt, Senegal and others like Saudi Arabia.
The youth were surprised at the low morale of the American soldiers and realized more than before that the American soldiers are paper tigers. After a few blows, they ran in defeat, and America forgot about all the hoopla and media propaganda after leaving the Gulf War and destroying infrastructure--and destroying baby formula factories, all civilian factories, bridges and dams that help planting food--about being the world leader, and the leader of the new world order. After a few blows, they forgot about this title and left, dragging their corpses and their shameful defeat.
Miller: Many Americans believe that fighting army-to-army like what happened in Afghanistan is heroic for either army, but setting off bombs killing civilians and innocents is terrorism.
Bin Laden: He is using talk that they are not following. After our victory in Afghanistan and defeating the Russians, the world media, led by the American media, started a campaign against us that is still going on today despite the fact that the Russians left in 1989. On the other side, American policy does not admit to differentiating between civilians, military, and child, human or animal. Examples I mentioned before are Nagasaki and Hiroshima, where they tried to eliminate a whole people.
When it comes to Muslims, there is testimony from Westerners and Christians who testified to the death of hundreds of thousands of our children in Iraq. And there is Qana, Sabra and Shattila, Dir Yasin and Bosnia.
The crusaders continued their slaughter of our mothers, sisters and children. America every time makes a decision to support them and prevent weapons from reaching the Muslims, and allow Serbian butchers to slaughter Muslims.
You do not have a religion that prevents you from carrying out these actions, and therefore you do not have the right to object to like treatment. Every action solicits a reaction. It is a punishment that fits the crime. Our religion forbids us to kill innocents--children, women who are not combatants. Women soldiers who place themselves in the battle trenches receive the same treatment as fighting men.
Miller: Do you have a message to the American people?
Bin Laden: The American government, we think, is an agent that represents the Israel inside America. If we look at sensitive departments in the present government, like the Defense Department or the State Department, or sensitive security departments like the CIA and others, we find that Jews have the first word in the American government, which is how they use America to carry out their plans in the world.
The presence of Americans in the Holy Land supports the Jews and gives them a safe back. The American government, in a time where there are millions of Americans living on the street and those living below the standard of living and below the poverty line, we find the American government turning toward helping Israel in occupying our land and building settlements in the Holy Land.
The American government is throwing away the lives of Americans in Saudi Arabia for the interests of the Jews. The Jews are a people who Allah cited in his holy book the Quran as those who attacked prophets with lies and killings, and attacked Mary and accused her of a great sin. They are a people who killed Allah's prophets--would they not kill, rape and steal from humans?
They believe that all humans are created for their use, and found that the Americans are the best-created beings for that use. The American government is driving America to destruction, and those same ones have no doubts about America being a superpower in the next decade.
So, we tell the Americans as a people, and we tell the mothers of soldiers, and American mothers in general, if they value their lives and those of their children, find a nationalistic government that will look after their interests and not the interest of the Jews.
The continuation of the tyranny will bring the fighting to America. This is my message to the American people, to look for a serious government that looks out for their interest and does not attack others, their lands or their honor.
Miller: From history, in 1897, Teddy Roosevelt was a wealthy man who grew up in a privileged situation who fought on the front line, put together his own team not from the army, handpicked his own men and went into battle. You are like the Middle East version of Teddy Roosevelt.
Bin Laden: We are worshippers of Allah, and we carry out our duties. Our duty is to call on all nations to join the fight. Our first duty is being people of this religion and to fight for this religion. Since we grew up, American weapons were on our heads and the heads of our children and mothers, like in Qana and others. The Westerners have been under the impression that we are butchers. They just only need to look at their brother in Eastern Europe, Turkey and Albania to see those who embraced Islam and lived happily with it for centuries. The Western masses have fallen under the effect of Jewish media who do not broadcast on Muslims except that we butcher, and without showing that number of those of us who were butchered is the biggest number. It is our duty to lead people to light.
SOMEWHERE INSIDE AFGHANISTAN--Armed Islamic militants led ABC News correspondent John Miller and his crew on foot through the mountains of southern Afghanistan to the secret hideaway of Osama bin Laden. "
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Average Score: 5
Votes: 7
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