In Reel II (to the extent that it is available), the image of bin Laden becomes the primary focus, though at the end there are clips from speeches by other sheikhs, whose voices are invariably more strident than bin Laden's. Sometimes a religious teacher, sometimes a military man in turban and camouflage jacket, he quietly and logically explains how the Muslim community came to such a dire situation. While some of the causes deal with those who assault the umma, the first involves Muslims themselves: their preference for the worldly pleasures of this world at the expense of their eternal reward in the next and their fear of death, even though death comes to everyone and death in a holy cause brings heavenly rewards.
Excerpt 1: Love of this world, hatred of death
The opening of Reel II, "The Causes," goes directly to bin Laden speaking in the open air, filmed from below as if the cameraman is amongst the audience. The voices of children are heard in the background, reinforcing the sense that bin Laden is telling a group of ordinary people about the problems they face and the reasons behind them. "Muslims must examine Allah's book, the Quran, in order to understand their predicament and the causes of their illnesses so that they may find a way out of their entrapment." After much reflection and search in the Quran, bin Laden notes that the main problem facing Muslims lies in the love of this world and hatred of death. "This is the most fundamental reason for the dismal and shameful conditions of the Muslim umma today." Two other sheikhs convey similar messages. First heard is the voice of the Egyptian sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, who was convicted in New York City of conspiracy to carry out acts of terrorism. The label under his picture says that he is a "prisoner in the prisons of America." Then comes a known mentor of bin Laden, Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, a former professor in Jordan with roots in the Muslim Brotherhood who died in the struggle against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. Excerpt 2: Love of this world, hatred of death, continued
Bin Laden also calls on Muslims to stop giving excuses for not fighting on behalf of their religion. He castigates Muslims for putting worldly affairs and obligations over the necessity of preserving the Dar al-Islam. He reminds the believers that their elders were more pious than they are because they understood well that what matters most is not this life but the afterlife. The image of a street scene in Saudi Arabia symbolizes the easy life he is asking Muslims to put behind them. Excerpt 3: (title missing in original video)
The speeches from which the clips in this excerpt are drawn took place in a conference setting with the three speakers sitting at a long table before a wall-sized map of the world. The occasion evidently took place during the Clinton administration, probably in 1999.Dr. Ayman Zawahiri, founder of Islamic Jihad in Egypt and believed to be a strong influence on bin Laden's adoption of a strategy of attacking the United States: "America pursues a hypocritical policy toward the Muslim world. America claims to be the champion and protector of human rights, democracy, and liberties, while at the same time forcing on Muslims oppressive and corrupt political regimes. Egypt is a case in point. As you well know, there are about 60,000 political prisoners in Egyptian jails and dozens of death sentences have been carried out. All this takes place with America's supervision, approval, and orders. America has a CIA station as well as an FBI office and a huge embassy in Egypt, and it closely follows what happens in that country. Therefore, America is responsible for everything that happens in Egypt and responsible for human rights violations there, and in other Arab countries as well."Sheikh Abu Yasir concurs: "Sadat said that the Americans control 99 percent of the cards of the political game. After succeeding him, Mubarak said that 100 percent of the cards are in the Americans' hands." Sheikh Yasir accuses Egypt's leaders of sacrificing the country's national and religious interests on the altar of their own personal interests serving the United States. Bin Laden accuses: "The American government is independent in name only. We believe that it represents and is controlled by Israel. If we take a look at the most important ministries in the current government [the Clinton administration], such as the defense department and the state department, and the sensitive intelligence services and others, we find that the Jews have the final say in the American government. The Jews manipulate America and use it to execute their designs in the world, particularly in the Muslim world. The US presence in the Land of the Two Holy Places [Saudi Arabia] helps the Jews to consolidate their control over the al-Aqsa Mosque [in Jerusalem] and protects their back. Thus the American government endangers the survival of its own citizens. Rational people have no doubts that America will lose its status as a great power in the new millennium." |
