Arab writer analyzes OBL tape

This is a fascinating look into the Arab mind by a "progressive" Arab writer, Dr. Mamoun Fandy, commenting on Osama bin Laden's recent tape. First he points out that OBL now admits to the attack on the towers, thereby refuting all the Arab commentators who blamed everyone from the CIA and Mossad to the Serbs!

Then he makes a startling observation.

"The second point is that the tape is one of capitulation and bankruptcy, and not one of threat and warning, since bin Laden appears in regular robes and not in a military uniform with a rifle on his side. Bin Laden has relinquished his military [character] and his arms. This, of course, is intentional on the part of the public relations administration within Al-Qa'ida and outside it.

"In addition, bin Laden does not refer at all to Jihad in this tape. There was no [mention] of Hadiths or of Koranic verses, and not even a mention of the month of Ramadan, which we [mark] today. The tape is devoid of religious manifestations and is devoid of any [mention] of the conflict between East and West, or [the war of] the Mujahideen against the infidel Crusaders, whether Christians or Jews.

"Bin Laden's speech was restricted to technical issues of U.S. foreign policy and its relations with the Middle East. In addition, it was restricted to an attempt to influence the voters in every [U.S.] state, with [bin Laden] stating that [each] state is responsible for its own security by means of its vote - and bin Laden's lack of understanding of the internal situation in the U.S. is [yet another] issue, which I will not elaborate on here."

This is breathtaking. Whatever we westerners think of his words, the Arabs obviously will attach significance to the fact that bin Laden was not dressed in his military garb. (Frankly I would have never noticed that difference.) Whatever they may say publicly, the picture of him "out of uniform" has to have an impact.

He closes with this.

"The tape tells George Bush: 'Leave us alone, and we will leave you alone.' It is obvious, from both the language and the body language, that this is a speech of a man who is capitulating, withdrawing, or trying to 'change his spots' from a Jihad fighter to a politician. This tape resembles the announcements of commercial companies which are going out of business.

"Bin Laden gave justifications for the events of September 11, and admitted responsibility for them, and here he is announcing that he votes for John Kerry in the elections. His speech contained expressions borrowed from the Democratic Convention or from Kerry's speeches, such as the story of George Bush telling a girl in Florida a tale about a goat. This expression appeared frequently in John Kerry's speeches, and it is obvious that whoever wrote bin Laden's speeches has democratic leanings, or at the very least that he follows John Kerry's speeches with interest. Moreover, bin Laden appeared in the tape as if he were advisor to Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, for he provided hints, free-of-charge, about the way to [better] preserve U.S. security.

"The outcome of the election we will know today or tomorrow, but the tape will remain a tape of admission, voting, and capitulation."

Arabs place great significance in expressions of power or the lack thereof.

The bin Laden tape must be generating much confusion among Arabs.