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Bin Laden Challenges West's Muslim Allies
Osama bin Laden has launched his strongest appeal to fellow Muslims to join his holy war against the West since the US strikes on Afghanistan, denouncing those who support Washington as traitors to Islam.
"Rise in support of your religion. Islam is calling you," said bin Laden, the United States' prime suspect for the September 11 hijack attacks on New York and Washington.
Appearing in a new videotaped statement, the Saudi-born militant sought to convince Muslims that it was their duty to side with him against what he called a Christian "crusade" led by US President George W. Bush against Islam.
"This war is primarily a religious war," he said.
Clad in a traditional head-dress and a military camouflage jacket with an AK-47 assault rifle propped at his side, America's most wanted man made several references to the Koran as he appealed to the world's 1.2 billion Muslims.
He appeared in footage broadcast by the Arabic satellite channel al-Jazeera on Saturday. It was his second televised statement since September 11.
Bin Laden appeared pale and became emotional near the end of his statement. It was not clear when it was recorded.
Aside from seeking to tap the emotions of Muslims already angry Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, bin Laden also appeared to time his appeals to the onset in mid-November of the fasting month of Ramada, Islam's holiest season.
His comments were laced with Koranic verses and the sayings of Mohammed, his clearest effort since the September attacks to strictly define the Afghanistan conflict in religious terms.
He warned Muslims that backing the "infidel" Christians and Jews amounted to apostacy, the betrayal of the faith, which is punishable by death in Islam.
CONDEMNS UN Bin Laden described Bush as a "crusader" out to annihilate Muslims.
He also denounced United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan as a criminal, an apparent attempt to persuade Muslims they could trust only their faith, not a global organisation he blamed for the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.
"It is a certain fact that Bush carried the cross high," bin Laden said, referring to the Christian symbol carried by mediaeval European crusaders in religious wars against Muslims.
"These vibrant masses from the far east to the far west are not moving for Osama, they are moving for their religion because they know they are right and resisting the strongest, most vicious and most dangerous crusade against Islam."
US officials are on guard against such talk as Bush tries to convince moderate Muslims that the US-led military campaign is not aimed at their religion but at terrorism.
Pro-Western Arab leaders are also anxious to counter such talk of religious war against the West. They are trying to keep close ties to Washington while containing Muslim militants among their populations who sympathise with bin Laden's message.
Bin Laden widened his criticism of Arab governments to those who cooperate even with the United Nations, not just Washington.
"Those who claim to be Arab leaders and are still with the United Nations are infidels in the eyes of the message of Mohammad -- God's blessings and peace be upon him," he said.
White House Spokeswoman Anne Womack dismissed bin Laden's remarks as an act of desperation.
"This is more propaganda that shows how isolated bin Laden is from the rest of the world," she said.
Arab television stations immediately featured reaction to bin Laden's comments from Islamists and analysts.
"The United States has the right to seek the perpetrators of the attacks against New York and Washington," said Mohammad Salim al-Awa, a Cairo-based Islamist interviewed on al-Jazeera.
"But it has no right to fight the whole world as it wishes and to attack Afghanistan with aircraft and bombs and to kill innocent civilians."
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