Osama bin Laden’s new video with full video and transcript.
Posted on Saturday the 8th of September, 2007 at 7:35 pm in Politics, ReligionFriday, Osama bin Laden released his first video in three years, and it has been posted, in full, online. Unlike his fire and brimstone videos in the past, this one is more relaxed and he talks in a calm, definite manner as if he was trying to teach people his beliefs rather than indoctrinate them by force. Bin Laden doesn’t directly attack America as a whole—as he is prone to do—but instead attacks certain aspects of American culture and history that he disagrees with and which demonstrate the faults he believes America has.
( At the end of the post there are two videos: the first video is of a newscast from Al Jazeera English and the second is the actual full 26 minute speech which is rather hard to find and isn’t being distributed by the major video networks. Also, you can read the full text translation, download the the original PDF scan of the NBC transcript or view a up version here)
The odd thing is that most of his complaints are reasonable: for example he blames global warming on large corporations:
The life of all mankind is in danger because of the global warming resulting to a large degree from the emissions of the factories the major corporations…and despite this brazen attack on the people [referring to global warming], the leaders of the West — especially Bush, Blair, Sarkozy and Brown — still talk about freedom and human rights with a flagrant disregard for the intellects of humans?
The sad thing is if he had started this way 6 years ago rather than killing thousands, people would have been more likely to listen, but since he decided to start with violence like a psychopath rather than act civilized, this message is far too little too late and just screams propaganda.
What major News organizations are saying
From CNN:
“We continue to see a very determined enemy who wants to plot, plan and kill Americans and act against American interests,” White House homeland security adviser Fran Townsend told CNN.
“But I’d encourage Americans to keep in mind whenever we see these sorts of statements, they’re propaganda. And they’re the enemy’s propaganda. They’re meant to manipulate the American people and to frighten them,” she said.
From BBC News:
Gone is the straggly, unkempt beard that was heavily flecked with grey.
Instead, his beard appears dark, thick and trimmed, although analysts have suggested that rather than being dyed, it may be actually false, and that to help avoid detection he is clean-shaven these days.
The al-Qaeda leader’s face still looks tired and lined, as befits a fugitive who may well have to sleep in different locations almost every night, but it is not quite as gaunt or exhausted looking as it was three years ago.
Unlike some of the more psychopathic adherents of al-Qaeda, Bin Laden has often tried to sway the opinions of the Western public in the hopes of driving a wedge between them and their leaders, and between European countries and his most hated enemy, the US government.
From ABC
The Homeland Security Department was continuing to analyze the video to see if it includes any coded messages, department spokesman Russ Knocke said. But the department has found no credible information of an imminent threat to the homeland.
Also from ABC
Osama bin Laden’s latest message is a hodgepodge of anti-capitalist vitriol, impassioned Islamic evangelism and what can best be described as a twisted attempt at reconciliation: Join us, or we’ll kill you.
Whether the video will resonate on the Arab or Muslim street is not at all clear. In Iraq, where disillusionment with the United States runs high, most people voiced disgust with bin Laden’s latest message.
Al Jazeera English
The Speach
Cleaned up transcript images
(Click to see full images.)
Daaamn! images should have been of a little better quality
Reply to WeissUPDATE: The video was changed to be clearer, and a link was added to Al Jazeera English who posted the full text translation.
Reply to AaronPlease correct the wrong link!
Reply to justsomeoneThat aljazeera link is to the english transcript of the Oct 2004 video.
(However, the transcript images are ok – they are of this one i.e. the sept 2007 video all right.)
I’m not saying that I support Osama, but your statement is inaccurate and propaganda-like.
This is a war!
No country in the world can lead war against USA in a “civilized” way.
(Are you saying that Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and all the wars are civilized way of behaviour!?)
So, Osama is fighting his way, conducting war against USA.
American people should know that they were dragged in a this war by their government.
No one is right when people are dieing.
It is stupid to make God (Allah) supporter of killings.
Power!?
Reply to TrudenWho has the power to ask for forgiveness?
I believe violence is the easiest way to make a point, and it is just lazy to use it. It takes no effort to be violent because, to a certain extent, violence is innate.
Most definitely not. All violence, including war, is just a childish way of dealing with things. I’m not a “peace at all costs” type of person, so I understand that some violence is necessary (eg. the passengers on one of the 9/11 planes fought back or a law enforcement officer fires his weapon at a dangerous suspect); however, this means that a violent response is only necessitated when violence is used in the first place and there is no other possible response whose result is better than using violence.
Cultural and religious differences should never be solved through violence.
Reply to AaronWell, war is nothing less than violence.
It is laziness of the mind to remember Hiroshima and Dresden when Americans are speaking of violence.
Obviously Osama thinks that it is right to answer with violence to the violence and calls it war (which actually it appears to be), although the civilized definition of war stays way from the “terrorism” definition.
BTHW, I think that in Iraq died more people during the war than people died during Saddam’s regime.
Reply to TrudenDoes it matter how do you call it, violence or war!?
Like I said: violence is the tool of animals, it should not be the tool of humans who, theoretically, have the intellectual capacity to work around innate behaviours.
War is mass state-sponsored violence. As I said before, violence is justifiable if you are defending yourself or your family (and through this your country) from a direct attack, but war in any form is still violence and should only be a last result.
Moving this to a specific issue, I can understand America going to war with Afghanistan because Afghanistan directly sponsored, protected, and provided a base of operations for the source of thousands of deaths, but it should have ended there and America should have focused solely on rebuilding the country. The actual war part of “War on Terror” should have been over, and the “War on Terror” should have become a police and intelligence operation which focused on finding and preventing individual terrorist attacks and destroy the operational structure of individual groups.
Reply to AaronWhat if the color of his beard is a code for something? I mean that would be genius seeing as how thats something the media would immediately focus on. I mean most of the news networks leave out what he is actually saying and just summerizes it for the viewing public, therefore why would he put a secret message in his words?
Reply to RobI read in one of the news articles that the only time that Islam permits a muslim to dye their beard is before they go into battle, so they wondered if this was a signal to attack.
It kinda makes sence because in olden-days if you had a army that had a lot of older people (distinguished with their long greying beards) in it other armies would be able to see it easily and know you were just faking it.
It also makes sence that he would make secret codes up based on what he looks like, as he would know that the media would show a screencap. You’ll notice that the screen freezes after a minute or two.
Reply to Eric Strauss