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CounterPunch
February
12, 2003
Bin Laden's
New Tape
How It Plays
in the Arab World
by R.S. ZAHARNA
Score another public diplomacy point for Osama
bin Laden in his war with the United States to win the hearts
and minds of the Arab and Muslim world. At a time when the Bush
administration seems determined to attack Iraq, the cradle of
Arab civilization and home of the early Muslim Abbassid dynasty,
bin Laden has come with a message of hope and inspiration as
well as tactical advice.
The Bush administration may make much
of the latest bin Laden tape aired today on Al-Jazeera. Colin
Powell, in an unannounced visit to Capital Hill alerted members
of Congress to the tape's existence. News shows spoke of the
tape, yet their information was so sketchy, they did not know
if the tape to be aired on Al-Jazeera "tonight," meant
night in Qatar or night in the United States. As it turned out,
it was 11 PM Qatar time, where Al-Jazeera's is based, and 3 PM
American time. This mix-up gives just a hint of the misunderstandings
and American-centric perspective that underlies America's ill-fated
readings of bin Laden.
News reports further stated that the
tape would bolster America's case that the Bush administration
has been making, namely, that there are links between bin Laden
and al-Qaeda with Iraq and its leader Saddam Hussein. After listening
to the tape, in Arabic, there does not appear to be that connection.
What the Americans perceive is not what the Arab world is likely
to perceive.
Most significant about the bin Laden
tape is its timing. Two points stand out. One is the imminent
nature of the war against Iraq. People in the region are fearful
and Arab leaders have been inconspicuous by their silence. The
only leaders speaking out are in Europe. Bin Laden spoke to the
fears of the people with a message of hope and inspiration, "be
patient" and rely on God and your faith. On the surface,
such a message may seem ludicrous to a technology-driven society
such as the United States. However, for people in the region,
faith is seen as a very powerful weapon, especially when there
is little else to that they can fight with. That bin Laden chose
to speak to the people at this time, knowing their fears, underscored
his image as a leader.
He further reinforced his image as a
leader through his frequent referencing of the Quran, specifically
battles of the Prophet Mohammed, and blessed the prophet with
each mention of the prophet's name. The mention of the Prophet,
and blessing the Prophet's name, emotionally resonates with the
people. Such emotional references during such a stressful time
increases the power of bin Laden's overall message. In speaking
of the battles from the Quran, bin Laden referred to those in
which the blessed Prophet was outnumbered by the opposing troops
and weaponry, but still emerged victorious by patiently persevering
and with God's help. The Quran says, "one hundred who patiently
persevere will vanquish 1,000 disbelievers" (Sura 8, verse
66).
Bin Laden's timing was significant for
another reason: today is the first day of a major Muslim holiday,
the Eid al-Adha. The holiday is one of two major Muslim holidays,
the first holiday occurs after the holy month of Ramadan and
the second occurs approximately 40 days later. The first, Eid
al-Fitir, is the "little feast," which the Eid al-Adha
is the "big feast." During both occasions, sending
greetings to families and friends is top on the list of things
to do. Greetings made on the "first day" of the three-day
holiday carry more weight than those on the second or last day.
Even though no one knows his whereabouts, bin Laden reinserted
himself firmly within the fabric of Muslim society by airing
his message on the first day of the Eid.
Bin Laden also gave some tactical advice.
His message was not just about have faith and you will survive,
but rather, have faith and take these practical, concrete steps.
His reference to building bunkers, not panicking with the smart
bombs, and extending the war so that foreign troops are forced
to engage in urban combat significantly bolstered his credibility.
He sounded as if it knew what he was talking about, and indirectly,
he was further underscoring his image of leadership by sharing
a personal experience of one particularly fierce onslaught of
American weaponry that he and his group survived. The underlying
message is, "We survived and so can you. Take heart, be
strong." And, as is typical of an idealized Muslim leader,
bin Laden humbly gave credit of his survival not to his own forces,
but to God and his faith in God.
Many U.S. commentators will most likely
focus on the anti-American or Israeli references contained in
bin Laden's message. While this may be a rallying cry for the
Americans, it is more of a projection of what they feel is significant
rather than what many in the Arab Muslim world may see. American
analysts tend to focus on the content of the message, when it
is the context of the message that carries the most meaning.
Americans focus on the What. In the Arab world, it is the How,
When, Where, or Why a person says something is often conveys
what is important or significant.
When one looks at the how, when, where,
or why of this latest bin Laden tape is fairly clear: in the
battle for the hearts and minds of the Arab world, he is still
a powerful force.
How he will use that force though, is
not clear. If there is anything for the American officials to
worry about it is not any direct links between Iraq and al-Qaeda,
but rather that the message was so generalized. Bin Laden appears
to be speaking to all of the Arab Muslim world, not "his
operatives in Iraq" as some may claim by his reference to
"his brothers in Iraq." The use of familial references
such as brothers, sisters, etc. is common. American officials
may exploit that link, but in doing so they miss the underlying
and much more powerful message and its intent.
Rather than any specific group of evil-doers,
bin Laden's audience appears to be the whole of the Arab and
Muslim world. Speaking in a manner that resonates of commonality,
he conveys a powerful underlying message of solidarity: "I
[Osama bin Laden] am not the enemy. The United States is."
That generalized message, made to a generalized audience and
occurring within the context that it did does not bode well for
the young American troops and the emotional terrain they soon
may be entering. If America and its troops are hoping to be seen
as the liberators of Iraq, bin Laden has just eclipsed the United
States with another, more powerful message to the entire region.
R.S. Zaharna
is a Middle East analyst for Foreign
Policy In Focus and an assistant professor of public communication
at American University. Zaharna served as a media analyst for
the Palestinian Delegation to the Washington peace talks (1991-93).
He can be reached at: zaharna@american.edu
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