Bin Laden Warns EU Over Prophet Cartoons

Voice Believed To Be Al Qaeda Chief Slams Europe For Muhammad Drawings, Vows Response

(AP)  Osama bin Laden, in a new audio message posted Wednesday, condemned the publication of drawings that he said insulted the Prophet Muhammad and warned Europeans of a "severe" reaction to come.

The message, which appeared on a militant Web site that has carried al Qaeda statements in the past and bore the logo of the extremist group's media wing al-Sahab, showed a still image of bin Laden aiming with an assault rifle.

"The response will be what you see and not what you hear and let our mothers bereave us if we do not make victorious our messenger of God," said a voice believed to be bin Laden's, without specifying what action would be taken.

The five-minute message, bin Laden's first this year, made no mention of the fifth anniversary Wednesday of the U.S.-led invasion in Iraq.

It came as the Muslim world marks the Prophet Muhammad's birthday Thursday and amid the reigniting of a two-year-old controversy over some Danish cartoons deemed by Muslims to be insulting. Islamic law generally opposes any depiction of the prophet, even favorable, for fear it could lead to idolatry.

On Feb. 13, Danish newspapers republished a cartoon showing Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban to show their commitment to freedom of speech after police said they had uncovered a plot to kill the artist.

Danish intelligence service said the reprinting of the cartoon had brought "negative attention" to Denmark and may have increased the risk to Danes at home and abroad.

The original 12 cartoons first published in a Danish newspaper triggered major protests in Muslim countries in 2006. There have been renewed protests in the last month.

Ben Venzke, the head of IntelCenter, a U.S. group that monitors militant messages, called Wednesday's message a "clear threat against EU member countries and an indicator of a possible upcoming significant attack."

In the message, Bin Laden described the cartoons as taking place in the framework of a "new Crusade" against Islam, in which he said the Pope has played a "large and lengthy role."

"You went overboard in your unbelief and freed yourselves of the etiquettes of dispute and fighting and went to the extent of publishing these insulting drawings," he said, according to a transcript released by the SITE Institute, another U.S. group that monitors terror messages. "This is the greater and more serious tragedy, and reckoning for it will be more severe."

Adam Raisman, senior analyst at the SITE Institute, said that the message's release coincides with an increased buzz in online jihadi forums calling for revenge against Europe over the cartoons.

But Raisman noted that bin Laden's message did not specifically mention the republishing of the cartoons, only the publishing, and it did not give any other time landmarks to prove it had been recorded since then.

Raisman also noted bin Laden's silence on Wednesday's fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

"The tape doesn't give any specific evidence that would allow us to determine when it was recorded," Raisman said.

In the message addressed to "the intelligent ones in the European Union," bin Laden also criticized the "aggressive policies" of President Bush.

"How it saddens us that you target our villages with your bombing: those modest mud villages which have collapsed onto our women and children. You do that intentionally, and I am witness to that," he said, according to SITE. "All of this (you do) without right and in conformity with your oppressive ally who — along with his aggressive policies — is about to depart the White House."

On Wednesday, Bush praised Sunni tribal leaders for rising up against al Qaeda in Iraq and said that has led to similar uprising across the country. All that, combined with a strategic influx of U.S. troops last year, has "opened the door to a major victory in the broader war on terror," Bush said.

"Iraq was supposed to be the place where al Qaeda rallied Arab masses to drive America out," Bush said. "Instead, Iraq has become the place where Arabs joined with Americans to drive al Qaeda out. In Iraq, we are witnessing the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden, his grim ideology."

In Wednesday's message, bin Laden also attacked his long-time nemesis, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, whom he described as the "crownless king in Riyadh" and said he could have ended the entire dispute over the cartoons if he had wanted because of his influence with European governments.

Bin Laden, who hails from a powerful Saudi family, was stripped of his citizenship in 1994 after criticizing Saudi Arabia for allowing U.S. troops on its soil.

Wednesday's message, which featured English subtitles, follows up an hour-long, audio missive from Dec. 29 in which he warned Iraq's Sunni Arabs against fighting Al Qaeda in Iraq and vowed new attacks on Israel.

[candide777]

Again, don''''t blame others for your lack of beliefs.

Posted by TruthWord08 at 01:10 PM : Mar 20, 2008

Rick, you need to stop blaming others for your irrational beliefs. It''s not our fault that the emperor (religion) has no clothes, nor is it our fault that even a child can see that the emperor (religion) is totally naked. Wise up.

[truthwart08]

hey, stop making fun of singinrick/TruthWord08

You guys are really mean!

[candide777]

Again, don''t blame others for your lack of beliefs.

Posted by TruthWord08 at 01:10 PM : Mar 20, 2008

hmmm, where have I heard that before? I''m singin'' in the rain! Just singinrick in the rain! LOL!

[singindick]

Golly, *** it, no more singinrick, singinprick, singindick, singingrick! Well, it was a good run! LOL

TruthWord08 -- report this!

[candide777]

Imagine there''s no Heaven
It''s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there''s no countries
It isn''t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I''m a dreamer
But I''m not the only one
I hope someday you''''ll join us
And the world will be as one

-- John Lennon

[fibonacci_]

Is TruthWord08, singinrick?

Posted by Prinzowhales

- I would say without a doubt.

[honestabe8]

juwboy: gee, pretty strong words about your cousins...

[juwboy]

Ishmael, the first Arab, was the illegitimate son of Abraham and Hagar and Arabs are still b@st@rds, every last one of them.

[truthword08]

...and so for all you liberals who want to appease AL Queda - who blame America for 9/11 - who think radical Islam can be reasoned with...

Don''''t take MY word for it.. listen to Bin Laden himself - a few cartoon pics & they''''ll vow to indiscriminately kill innocent random citizens in response...

So it really doesn''''t take a whole lot to set off Al Queda into a murderous religious frenzy - and let''''s face it... they''''ll FIND a reason if they''''re ever running short. Nothing short of the entire world converting to Islam with governments who operate according to strict harsh radical Islamic rule will ever be enough for the likes of Bin Laden...

So if you liberals think taking it TO them will, gulp, REALLY make em mad - or as the theory turned instant liberal ''''fact'''' goes... create MORE terrorists with even MORE capabilities than BEFORE 9/11... think again.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by dogsoul


-BUMP. You said it sir.

[krotec54]

Please publish some more of these insulting drawings.
Don%u2019t let this rag headed fool try to intimidate the world or us over such foolishness.

[snowball77]

liu_justice9-- I have no idea what this is but they have a good web site design, sign me up. No really, I watch everything for social engineering these days or some mischief on the Internet, and then this. Seems too good to be true.

[snowball77]

gunownerdan -- Another discussion suggested that the next president might have to dig up (literally) Bin Laden- to quell the bogeyman.

I was thinking about religion after posting my support for the artists. I speak in terms of the message of jesus not so much the trappings of jesus. I make a broad statement that there is more of jesus'' message in the election now that the right wingnut is out of the campaign. Note: that changed today so... so much for jesus in this campaign. Does that describe my religious thoughts. Not really Christian. Not with a popular religion or one that gets involved in politics. Parsing out what others have called a mystical experience. Happy to be accepted by the community, a community with diversity. Happy to be with people I respect. Love the freedom of religion in this country. I expect a fight to keep those rights. I think America is flawed but she/he/it can fix itself by creating new laws, adapting to new situations.

[gunownerdan]

"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him."
-- George W. Bush, Sept. 13, 2001

"I don''t know where (Bin Laden) is. You know, I just don''t spend that much time on him....I -- I''ll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him."
-- George W. Bush, March 13, 2002
6 MONTHS AFTER 9/11/01

Bush needs his "Bogeyman" Bin Laden.
Osama can keep us all good and scared so we will be more willing to give up our liberty in exchange for a false sense of government-provided security.

[snowball77]

FYI, he''''s dead. --I figured that but his media still circulates. So I suppose all the anti-americans think Bin Laden is blessed with Virgins in death and not the gallow pole or sharing a Ferrari Cake with Satan.

[snowball77]

Spectrum108--maybe you are better off without TV. I envey you alittle. It comes naturally to me as I am trained in the Fine Arts. Artists in this situation are sticking their necks out in Holland. I know it is a frightful time for the artist behind this beautiful parody. With the stock market tanking I have other worries. But really are we afraid of Bin Laden?

[snowball77]

rushman71--that''s the spirit, I can be much more spiteful, Hey, Osama "I **** on the heads of the virgins you think you will inherit when you die."

[snowball77]

damnedrelign --sometimes i think people give Osama too much credit. He is a crackpot.
He is probably hallucinating cartoons in his cave. I''ll stick to SouthPark for my religious indoctrination if any. In the last episode Satan wanted a Ferrari Cake for his birthday. Seems to parody explicit wealth in this country? I am sure they parody the church or it''s a matter of time.
Southpark rocks, it''s cartoons Osama, get a life.

[rushman71]

Hey bin Laden, I **** on Muhammad''s grave each time I pass by it!!! What are you going to do about it, binnie boy!!!

[snowball77]

Prinzowhales--seeing Canada as overlord. Seems foolish. I find the people I meet in Mexico to be genuine and hard working (they tend to do earth moving with hand and shovel vs. a machine). Is the Mexican gov''t corrupt. No doubt. Is the USA complicit? You make that argument. I haven''t had to grease any palms to get what I wanted in Mexico. I am certainly more aware that tips are their subsistence and are important. I''ve actually been saved by native Mexicans from the ills of condo transactions with American overseers working the tourist crowds in Mexico. Making Mexico a state would end the labor and environmental concerns at the border. Think how many delegates would come from Mexico. It would be our largest state. I could go to Mexico and get health care. I could trust the police? I think.

[quetzal0666]

Prinzowhales ..

ever hear of Carlos Slim???

Talk about a Monopoly!!!