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September 11, 2008 Osama Bin Laden as Robin Hood?By Raymond IbrahimIn English, best-selling author and ex-CIA analyst, Michael Scheuer compares the words of Osama bin Laden to Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, as Jefferson spoke about the tyranny of Britain's King George III. There are indeed a few parallels, but Scheuer uses a false analogy. The fundamental problem with Scheuer's line of reasoning is that the "words" of Osama are backed by Islamic doctrine, and indeed are often verbatim quotations from Islam's most authoritative sources, namely the Koran, hadith (sayings of Muhammad), and the verdicts of Islam's premiere jurists and theologians. On the other hand, the words of Jefferson are the words of temporal man and representative of nothing more than a philosophical, that is, subjective, position. In many ways, Scheuer is the paradigmatic case of an otherwise knowledgeable and experienced Western adult who simply refuses to take al-Qaeda at its word. According to his book, Imperial Hubris, his credentials and thus authority to speak about al-Qaeda and its goals are impressive: "For the past seventeen years, my career has focused exclusively on terrorism, Islamic insurgencies, militant Islam... I have earned my keep and am able to speak with some authority and confidence about Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, [and] the dangers they pose and symbolize for the Unites States..." The remainder of his book makes several fine points, articulating well -- arguably even better than bin Laden -- the grievances that al-Qaeda and the Muslim world have vis-à-vis specific US policies. However, the book's fundamental thesis is bin Laden's own: al-Qaeda's terrorism is simply a reaction to US foreign policy. Writes Sheuer:
He then proceeds to quote and accept, rather naively, several of bin Laden's messages to the West, such as: "Therefore, I am telling you [Americans], with Allah as my witness, whether America escalates or de-escalates the conflict, we will reply to it in kind..." Bin Laden, of course, often begins every message directed at the West by saying "reciprocal treatment is part of justice"-i.e., "leave us alone, we leave you alone." Scheuer takes it one step further by concluding that al-Qaeda's war revolves around "love": "Bin Laden and most militant Islamists, therefore, can be said to be motivated by their love for Allah and their hatred for a few, specific, US policies and actions they believe are damaging-and threatening to destroy-the things they love. Theirs is a war against a specific target, and for specific, limited purposes. While they will use whatever weapon comes to hand-including weapons of mass destruction-their goal is not to wipe out our secular democracy, but to deter us by military means from attacking the things they love. Bin Laden et al are not eternal warriors. Thereafter, bin Laden is likened to heroes like Robin Hood or (of all people) Saint Francis of Assisi-a friar known for his benevolence towards animals. Surprisingly, Scheuer overlooks the theological underpinnings-offensive jihad, enforcement of "dhimmitude," and enmity for non-Muslims-that dominate al-Qaeda's worldview and which are delineated over and over in The Al Qaeda Reader. These innate to al-Qaeda's worldview hostile doctrines clearly demonstrate that, contrary to Scheuer's assessment, al-Qaeda and their kind do-indeed must-hate the US for more than a "few, specific policies," and that their war transcends "specific, limited purposes," and thus that they are "eternal warriors." Here is bin Laden himself explaining the "true" nature of the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims, such as Americans, AKA, "infidels":
Note that, contrary to Scheuer's assurances, at no time does bin Laden indicate that US foreign policy is behind such animus; it is entirely a theological argument-transcending time, space, and circumstance. In his attack against "moderate" Muslims, bin Laden rhetorically asks and answers the pivotal question:
How do these quotes accord with Scheuer's statement that "None of the reasons [for al-Qaeda's antipathy] have anything to do with our freedom, liberty, and democracy"? Nor is this worldview "peculiar" to bin Laden. Here's his Second, Ayman Zawahiri:
That al-Qaeda's messages to the West are being understood uncritically and taken at face value by the public is one thing; that a former CIA veteran whose expertise revolves around Islam buys into this calculated sophistry is quite another. Since, as Muhammad said, "war is deceit," Sheuer and other analysts of like mind would do well to counterbalance the world-view al-Qaeda presents to fellow Muslims with that which they have tailor-made to accord with the West's preconceived notions of "justice," "equality," and "guilt." They should consider that perhaps-just perhaps, now-when al-Qaeda sends a communiqué to the West, it is not necessarily sincere but meant solely to elicit a particular response; such as, that al-Qaeda's war is predicated on a "few, specific, US policies and actions," thereby demoralizing Americans from, for instance, supporting "the war on terror" which directly affects al-Qaeda. Yet Scheuer's one-dimensional analysis is ultimately representative of the pervasiveness of al-Qaeda's propaganda among Western analysts -- such as in the recent, and comical, "words matter" debate. And if such analyses are prevalent in the CIA and other agencies, one will inevitably look in vain for anything more substantive from academia, where both intellectual restraints in the form of political correctness and an entrenched leftist, materialistic-"poverty causes violence"-worldview dominate. Here's Osama, one more time, relying on an anecdote from Muslim history indicating what all non-Muslims can expect-even after they make concessions to Islam:
The answer is no. As both Islamic theology commands and history attests, "concessions" or "niceties" are never enough: submission to Islam is the price for peace. Mr. Sheuer can be certain, then, that no matter how many political concessions the U.S. makes to the Islamic world, so-called "Salafists" like bin Laden -- that is, Muslims who follow the letter of the law (sharia)-will continue the jihad "till all chaos ceases and religion is all for Allah" (Koran 8:38). Instead of thinking of them as Robin Hoods, Francis of Assisis, or Thomas Jeffersons, or simply idealistic, wayward children, it's best to start seeing them as they see themselves: mujahidin -- warriors of Allah out to make Islam supreme, as they have been for some 1400 years.
Raymond Ibrahim is the translator and editor of The Al Qaeda Reader. on "Osama Bin Laden as Robin Hood?"
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