So an interesting development of the week that was was the resurgence of the 21-year-old letter by Osama bin Laden in which the deceased al-Qaeda leader attempted to justify the September 11, 2001 attacks. It was written after the onslaught but prior, obviously, to his death.
The letter portrays America as hostile to the Muslim world. It condemns U.S. support for Israel. It criticizes the U.S. for not adopting Sharia law. (Note: an enlightening case study is how Sharia views the LGBTQ community and what they see as a just consequence for such engagement — might be a wise pursuit for current anti-Israel/pro-Hamas protestors to undertake… lest we digress…)
An even more interesting development of the week that was was the ample amount of favorable attention persons paid to bin Laden’s letter on social media. I did say “favorable.” For example…
“So I just read ‘A Letter to America’ and I will never look at life the same. I will never look at this country the same.”
“If you haven’t, you have to go read Osama’s letter to America. Then you’ll see what this has to do with us. They have lied to us more than enough. Reading that was honestly life changing. My bond with this conflict is unshakable.”
“If we’re going to call Osama bin Laden a terrorist, so is the American government.”
Ah, yes, sympathizing with a terrorist.
Why?
Let us first acknowledge that most of the viral sharing occurred on TikTok.
80% of TikTok’s users are between the ages of 16-34. Ages 10-19 make up 25% of their users. Ages 20-29 comprise the next most at 22.4%.
Let’s also be clear, anyone under the age of 22 and 1 month never witnessed 9/11 firsthand. They didn’t see what we saw. They didn’t feel what we felt. They did not know the horror for which bin Laden was amorally responsible.
It’s amazing how easy it is to feel what you want to feel when you omit the amoral.
So let’s ask some questions. With no desire to pick on TikTok (although with reasonable questions as to whose controlling what) and knowing many of us are either in these age groups or have dear friends and family included here, what should we ask them? What do they not know? What do they not know that allows them to have any sense of admiration or praise for a man who intentionally murdered thousands?
Are they aware of what Osama bin Laden actually believed?
… that the U.S. government was evil because it was secular… that because the U.S. is a democracy, civilians are fair targets… that Afghanistan was “the only Islamic country” in the Muslim world… that music was wrong…
Are they aware of what Osama bin Laden actually said?
… that homosexuality is “immoral”… that [He] “We love death. The U.S. loves life. That is the difference between us two”… and that “the ruling to kill the Americans and their allies — civilians and military — is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it”…
Yikes. There is so much so easy to overlook when you omit the amoral. Said one man, who was 15 when his father died in the Twin Towers: “You should all know that Hamas and Al-Qaeda and people that you are supporting and giving credibility to would not hesitate one second to kill you or kidnap you and your family and hold you ransom simply based on the color of your skin or your gender identity or your nationality or your religion.”
Clearly, sometimes social media gets in the way. Clearer still, sometimes it is not reflective of truth. As British-born journalist Charles C.W. Cooke said on The Editors podcast last week: “How do you get to a point, at which you read a letter from Osama bin Laden and say, ‘Wow, I guess I’ve had the wool pulled over my eyes. He had a point.’ What do you lack in general education, general understanding of the world, general context?”
That’s it. They’re lacking something. They’re lacking an awareness of the amoral.
Respectfully…
AR