(NationRise.com) – An open letter written by Osama Bin Laden, the late Al-Qaida leader, has been making waves on social media platform TikTok, leading to its removal from multiple sites. The letter was an attempt to justify the horrifying terror attacks that shook the world on September 11, 2001.
This sudden surge in interest came about as users, particularly young Americans, began sharing videos of themselves reacting to the letter’s content. The Guardian, which had hosted the transcript since 2002, withdrew the letter from its website on Wednesday. Despite its removal, the page was the second most viewed document on the site as of this writing.
TikTok users have been expressing shock and, in some cases, support for the letter in their videos. One user urged viewers to pause and read the letter, describing it as “the craziest thing I’ve read in a while.” The user went on to discuss the concept of settler colonialism and how any form of resistance is often labeled as terrorism.
Another user warned viewers about feeling disillusioned after reading the letter, comparing it to their experience of deconstructing Christianity. Others showed a mix of reactions, with some even celebrating the news of Bin Laden’s demise in 2011 while expressing confusion after reading his letter in 2023.
The letter in question, penned just over a year after the 9/11 attacks, includes several quotes from the Quran and devotes significant attention to Israel, which Bin Laden describes as a “crime that must be erased.” It criticizes homosexuality, women’s liberation, and the stock market, among other things. Additionally, it calls for the implementation of fundamentalist Islamic law.
Bin Laden claimed that his fight against the West was due to its attacks on Palestine and its ongoing assaults on Muslims worldwide. He called on the West to abandon its “oppression, lies, immorality and debauchery.”
The Guardian was not alone in removing the letter. Bryn Mawr College, a liberal arts institution in Pennsylvania, also removed the letter from its website.
The resurgence of interest in the letter coincided with the recent attacks on Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7 that resulted in the loss of around 1,200 lives and the abduction of approximately 240 individuals. Israel retaliated with missile strikes and an invasion of the Gaza Strip.
In a response, the White House condemned those who shared the manifesto, stating that doing so is an insult to those who perished on 9/11.
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