Bin Laden's Fear-Mongering

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            Osama Bin Laden’s Messages to the Worldcomes at a time of strife for many. Before, he addressed Muslims in the Middle East, but in this piece, he is spreading his message to Muslims across the world.[1]Bin Laden plays on Muslim’s fears of struggle and “the blatant imperial arrogance of the United States.”[2]This type of fear-mongering, was a tool used by him to recruit members and to gain sympathizers. Bin Laden was able to play into people’s fears at a specific time in Saudi Arabia’s history. There was a significant amount of corruption, mass unemployment, inflation, and poverty.[3]This, for Bin Laden, became the perfect storm of recruiting members and spreading his message. He was able to create an “us vs. them” sentiment that many fell into and tensions both in Saudi Arabia and across the globe were very high. 
            In the beginning of his work, Bin Laden recalls on the oppression that the Muslim people have faced. He states, “the people of Islam have been afflicted with oppression, hostility, and injustice by the Judeo-Christian alliance and its supporters.”[4]While this is true, he emphasizes the “us vs. them” narrative and incites hatred towards the “them.” Bin Laden then goes on to cite instances of oppression like the fighting in Palestine and Iraq, as well as the massacre in Qana, Lebanon.[5]These acts go on some more, while he reminds the readers of who is enemy is: Judeo-Christians. Bin Laden then calls out the United States and United Nations for their complicity in oppression and not helping those facing it.[6]Just in this paragraph, he has utilized an effective tool that divides everyone into a binary and pits them against one another. One can either be the oppressed Muslim or the Judeo-Christian oppressor. Based on his rhetoric, there is no in between this binary, only two distinct groups.  
            Bin Laden also uses religion to portray his message. He is a devout Muslim and is speaking to others of the same identity. He calls on God to “bless” them “with victory” and refers to him as their “protector.”[7]To connect his followers and those reading this piece, he uses religion to say that they are together and with God will win this fight. Using religion also reiterates the “us vs. them” narrative. This unites the Muslim community and leads them to blame the Jewish and Christian for all of their frustrations. While they are the oppressors, Bin Laden’s language is divisive and further divides the groups, so reconciliation is impossible. 
            Osama Bin Laden’s Messages to the World, called upon those in the Muslim community to unite. With many atrocities occurring and frustrations throughout the community, he uses this to divide Muslims from Judeo-Christians. He creates the strict binary so that everyone who does not identify as Muslim is at fault and the oppressor. Bin Laden plays into the fears of others and this is how he is successful at recruiting and gaining sympathizers. 

[1]Osama Bin Laden, Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama Bin Laden, ed. Bruce Lawrence, trans. James Howarth, Verso, (2005: London), 1. 
[2]Bin Laden, Messages, 1. 
[3]Bin Laden, Messages, 2. 
[4]Bin Laden, Messages, 3. 
[5]Bin Laden, Messages, 3. 
[6]Bin Laden, Messages, 3. 
[7]Bin Laden, Messages, 3. 

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