BIN LADEN: On The Second Anniversary of 911

Sep 13, 2003 

Here is the complete text, uncut and uncensored, of remarks made by Sheikh Osama 
bin Laden via video tape sent to Arab television channel Al Jazeera and aired in 
part Wednesday September 10th, 2003. One item to note - it appears this tape may 
have been clipped. Bin laden generally starts his addresses with a preamble 
which is omitted from the audio. Further the footage appears similar to the last 
tape released by Al Jazeera and there is no specific reference to current 
events, indicating it may have in fact been recorded some time earlier. 

We remind our viewers that the statements, opinions and points of view expressed 
in this article are those of the author and shall not be deemed to mean that 
they are necessarily those of Jihad Unspun, the publisher, editor, writers, 
contributors or staff.

In The Name Of God, The Merciful, The Mercy-Giving 

On The Occasion Of The Second Anniversary Of The Attacks On New York And 
Washington

Those young men inflicted enormous losses on the enemy, both materially and in 
terms of morale. They also foiled their aggressive plans. For it has been 
documented that this plan of aggression involving the occupation and partition 
of the region was hatched more than six months before the two attacks. The enemy 
was thrown into confusion and this was enough to alert the people and rouse them 
from their slumber for jihad in the path of God.

I had the honor of coming to know those men, for indeed people are honored by 
such individuals. How can it be otherwise, when God has honored them and enabled 
them to be of support to Islam? I see them as being like a seedling planted by 
God in His religion that He used in a pious deed for Him. Their achievements 
belong to God.

"These are my forefathers; bring me men like them if we are to meet again, O 
Jarir" 

He who wants to learn truthfulness, faithfulness, generosity, and courage to 
support religion from contemporary examples, then he must draw lessons from 
(Saeed) al-Ghamidi, Muhammad Atta, Khalid al-Mihdar, Ziad al-Jarrahi, Marwan al-
Shehhi, and their brothers, may God have mercy on them. 

These people learned from the traditions of our prophet Muhammad, may God's 
peace and blessings be upon him, who is the most honest of all people, the most 
courageous, and most generous. He, may God's peace and blessings be upon him, 
said "You will never find me to be stingy, a coward, or a liar." These traits 
are necessary for upholding the faith. Whoever is denied these traits cannot 
champion or uphold the religion of God. 

And here, I say to those who do not enjoy some of these characteristics and who 
have hung back and mixed things up about the jihad: He who is not convinced of 
killing should get out of the way and not mislead those who are convinced. I say 
to them: He who fears climbing mountains will always live in holes.

This faithful youth and his brothers were young. Man is judged by the tiniest 
parts of his body; that is his heart and tongue (saying of the Prophet Muhammad 
PBUH). However, they were men with great minds and great resolve. They 
repeatedly protected their sanity and minds from being trampled underfoot or 
exposed to danger by the deception of the lackey governments and their 
institutions, which paint vice as virtue and virtue as a vice, falsehood as 
truth, and enemies as friends, time after time. 

This is because these young men were true believers, and believers are not 
bitten twice from the same hole, as our prophet, may God's peace and blessings 
be upon him, said. Those youths knew that the road to eternal damnation is the 
obstruction of the Shari'a [Islamic law], even of some of its rulings. They 
refused to be subservient in this, even to princes and Ulema. They believe that 
the integrity of the Shari'a takes precedence over the safety of men regardless 
of how great they are, and that in God's religion people are equals. They are 
guided by the saying of the prophet, may God's peace and blessings be upon him, 
that says: "By God, if Fatimah the daughter of Muhammad were to steal, I would 
cut her hand off." 

These young men have understood the meaning of the phrase "There is no god but 
God", which is the core of Islam. It must prevail over our actions, and guide us 
in all aspects of our life. But since the facts on the ground are otherwise; in 
fact, it is the rulers' whims and their legislation that prevail over people's 
actions, even though they allow people to perform some rituals - these young men 
knew that the rulers had nothing to stand on. As a matter of fact, they [those 
leaders] are apostates, even if they pray, fast, and claim to be Muslims. 

These young men refused to sit back with others and safely engage in hellish 
things. Instead, they set out and hastened to uphold the cause of God and the 
call of monotheism: There is no God but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of 
God. They waged jihad against the infidels. 

They were like Mu'adh ibn al-Jamuh when he asked Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf, may God 
be pleased with both of them, the following question: "Do you know Abu Jahl, 
uncle?" Ibn 'Awf said: "Yes. But what do you want with him, nephew?" Ibn al-
Jamuh said: "I have been told that he reviles God's messenger. By Him in whose 
hand my soul is, if I see him, I shall not leave him until the one of us who is 
to die first dies." [Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim, see Mishkat al-Masabih, 
pp. 856-857]

This is honesty, and this is faith. Each and every matter has its own reality. 
The reality of this hero, Saeed al-Ghamidi and his brothers is that they showed 
the truthfulness of their faith by offering themselves and their heads for the 
sake of God. Thus, they trod a path that tremendously enraged the infidels, and 
that will continue to enrage them for a long time, God willing. 

This happened when they opted for practical applications and fundamental 
solutions to champion the cause of the faith and tossed aside the unjust infidel 
solutions, the solutions offered by the United Nations, and by the atheistic 
parliaments, the solutions offered by tyrannical rulers, who have made 
themselves into gods who legislate in place of God. Moreover, they paid no 
attention to the futile solutions, the solutions of the prevaricators, the Arabs 
of the desert who sit down and hang back, who have been preoccupied with their 
money and kindred and who have deceived themselves to the effect that they have 
been busy [preparing for jihad] for dozens of years. 

There is a vast difference between him who views the fields of preparation and 
the arenas of jihad as a hardship, separation of fathers and sons, and risking 
one's life and money (for Satan will prevent him from continuing on the road to 
jihad getting him to sit back with the other slackers) and he who views the 
arenas of jihad as being the market of paradise, whose doors are open, causing 
him to fear to tarry even for an hour, lest the doors might close before him, or 
he fears that he might become one of those whose resurrection God is not pleased 
with, and so, He will make him lag behind, as God the Exalted said: 

"And if they had intended to go forth, they would assuredly have made some 
preparation for it; but God was averse to their being sent forth, so he held 
them back, and it was said to them: 'Sit back among those who sit (at home).” 
Qur'an 9:46

He fears that if he does not respond to God's order and disobeys Him by sitting 
back, away from the jihad in obedience to the Arabs of the desert who failed to 
join the Mujahideen, God will come in between him and his heart, and thus he 
will stray from the right path and be of the sinful ones.

God the Exalted says: 

"O you who believe! Answer God (by obeying him) and his Messenger when he calls 
you to that which will give you life, and know that God comes in between a 
person and his heart, and verily, to him you shall all be gathered." Qur'an 8:24

God also says: 

"Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the 
wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the 
dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than God and his Messenger, and 
jihad in His cause, then wait until God brings about his decision. And God 
guides not the wrong doers." Qur'an 9:24,

Osama bin Laden
14 Rajab 1424 (September 10, 2003)