Newly Revealed Bin Laden Documents Reveal Extent of Antisemitism as Motivating Factor for Attacks
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by Algemeiner Staff
Osama Bin Laden.
Newly declassified documents and correspondences found in Osama bin Laden’s Pakistani compound have underlined the extent to which Al Qaeda used antisemitism “as a valuable motivating factor for terrorism,” the Anti-Defamation League blog reported on Tuesday.
“References to Jews were far more frequent in propaganda pieces and in items discussing plans for propaganda than in strategic memos or other letters,” said the ADL.
According to the report, the word “Jew” appears 36 times among 103 documents, Israel 16 and Zionist 6, but this does not include Al Qaeda portmanteaus such as “Ziocrusade” or Qur’anic quotes on other topics, according to ADL.
The group commonly adopted antisemitic ideology that singles Jews out for controlling finances and enslaving the Western world for its devices.
One article lambastes the “filth of [the Americans and Europeans] Zionist capitalist masters producing the money and manpower which their masters utilize to seek to destroy Israel’s enemies and to rob the people of the globe of their minds, honor, land, resources, chastity, minerals, oil and lives.”
Often, the group used violence against Jews as a litmus test for the commitment of potential affiliates to jihadi causes.
“If you want to resist, as you claim, we challenge you and your party to shoot one bullet against the Jews! So show us the Jews as your targets!” one article reads.
Many references to Jews highlight the former Al Qaeda leader’s use of antisemitism to frame antagonism towards other Muslims. For example, one letter suggests that Lebanese Hezbollah is controlled by Jews seeking to slaughter Sunni Muslims. Another ridicules Saudi Arabia’s royal family for “blind obedience to the [Saudi king], who supports Jews and Christians.”
Other documents use support for Jews as a rationale for attacking or attempting to depose Arab governments, according to ADL.
The U.S. declassified the documents last week, about four years after special forces raided the arch terrorist’s Pakistani compound and killed the Al Qaeda leader who was behind the 9/11 terror attacks.
