Osama bin Laden, Superstar!

Blogger's preface:

• I've been serious about the situation in Iraq for days.
• Last night I read about Britney Spears' remarkable song-and-dance routine at the MTV's Video Music Awards.
• Today, I watched Senators act as if they were doing screen tests for a contemporary Mack Sennett comedy.

I'll let you decide whether or not those phenomena had anything to do with this post.

Now, the post:

For the second time in less than a month, Sheik Osama bin Laden, one of Al Qaeda's founders, and spiritual leader of many jihadists, released an inspirational video.

Bin Laden achieved fame after the super-mega-hit performance of some of his followers six years ago today. Their attacks, on the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon, were slightly marred by uncooperative passengers on Flight 93.

Perhaps in hopes of producing another smash hit soon, Sheik Osama bin Laden urges Muslim youth to join a "caravan" of martyrs, like 9/11 hijacker Waleed al-Shehri.

Bin laden shows the sort of humility so typical of megastars, by reducing his onscreen presence to a simple still photograph, possibly taken from his recent super-hit video. Bin Ladens' voice plays over the picture.

Hijacker and martyr Waleed al-Shehri, in a posthumous appearance, taped before he helped kill thousands of people, warns America that there will be more Muslims like him, bringing death and destruction to America: "We shall come at you from your front and back, your right and left."

Inspirational words!

Wouldn't it be nice, if all that energy could be channeled into something a little more productive than mass destruction? Maybe a "keep your oasis clean" campaign, or saving the Egyptian tortoise?

Related posts, on Individuals and the War on Terror.

Osama bin Laden: Media Star

If you liked Osama bin Laden's video that came out earlier this month, you'll love his new video, appearing soon on a screen near you!

At least, that seems to be what Al Qaeda is hoping. An "Islamic militant Web site" featured a banner announcing bin Laden's coming hit. The New York Sun's Associated Press article quoted the banner in English, although I'm pretty sure it's a translation. Here it is:

"'Coming soon, God willing, the testament of the attacks on New York and Washington, Abu Musab Waleed al-Shehri, presented by Sheik Osama bin Laden, God preserve him,' the banner read. It showed an image of Sheik bin Laden wearing the same black beard and clothes as in the most recent video."

I'm not a big Bin Laden fan, myself, mostly because I prefer a society where my wife can get groceries on her own, my daughters can learn to read and write, and my son won't be taught to beat his future wife and daughters. Call me a bigot, but I don't approve of beliefs like that.

As a reminder of a previous Al Qaeda mega-happening, Abu Musab Waleed al-Shehri is one of the nineteen martyrs who struck a blow against the infidel five years and 364 days ago today.

(I learned something today. Sheik (شيخ‎) seems to be Bin Laden's preferred title, so in the spirit of multiculturalism, I'll drop the western "Mr.")

Related posts, on Individuals and the War on Terror.