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Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama bin Laden
by: Osama bin Laden, Osama bin Laden, Bruce Lawrence, James Howarth

List Price: $16.95

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Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 958.1046092
EAN: 9781844670451
ISBN: 1844670457
Label: Verso
Manufacturer: Verso
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 225
Publication Date: November 28, 2005
Publisher: Verso
Studio: Verso
Sales Rank: 158044

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:
Despite the saturation of global media coverage, Osama bin Laden's own writings have been curiously absent from analysis of the "war on terror." Over the last ten years, bin Laden has issued a series of carefully tailored public statements, from interviews with Western and Arabic journalists to faxes and video recordings. These texts supply evidence crucial to an understanding of the bizarre mix of Quranic scholarship, CIA training, punctual interventions in Gulf politics and messianic anti-imperialism that has formed the programmatic core of Al Qaeda.

In bringing together the various statements issued under bin Laden's name since 1994, this volume forms part of a growing discourse that seeks to demythologize the terrorist network. Newly translated from the Arabic, annotated with a critical introduction by Islamic scholar Bruce Lawrence, this collection places the statements in their religious, historical and political context. It shows how bin Laden's views draw on and differ from other strands of radical Islamic thought; it also demonstrates how his arguments vary in degrees of consistency, and how his evasions concerning the true nature and extent of his own group, and over his own role in terrorist attacks, have contributed to the perpetuation of his personal mythology.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Four Star Source for One Star Thought
Many of these messages have been printed in whole or in part in other sources, however this book is unique and valuable in offering a very comprehensive collection of his statements and rationale. Osama bin Laden wages jihad against the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, and those wishing to comprehend Bin Laden's actions should read this book. It is accompanied by excellent explanatory footnotes, offering concise factual context for Bin Laden's statements. While Bin Laden's thought rates only "one star" - he operates on the primitive logic of tit-for-tat violent retaliation - the book as a source for understanding his thought rates at least four stars. It is a good read for those wishing to understand his motivation for violent jihad.

Rating:

- Any who want insights on Bin Laden's thoughts and viewpoint must have MESSAGES TO THE WORLD.
Osama Bin Laden's statements have been widely covered in TV and radio in bits and pieces; but they haven't been gathered together under one cover before; so to receive a unified presentation of all his admonitions, turn to MESSAGES TO THE WORLD: THE STATEMENTS OF OSAMA BIN LADEN. Statements issued in his name over the last ten years are here newly translated from the Arabic and annotated with a critical introduction by editor Lawrence, an Islamic scholar, which adds historical, political and religious context to the statements. Any who want insights on Bin Laden's thoughts and viewpoint must have MESSAGES TO THE WORLD.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Rating:

- Hardly a Manifesto But Interesting
As someone who has been critical of US foreign policy through a variety of administrations, it may seem inevitable that I would be drawn to someone like bin Laden. Having read my share of writings by sociopaths such as Hitler, Mao, and even Kaczynski, my only compliment for bin Laden would be that his thoughts aren't nearly as fractured and self-contradictory as others I've read. In a sense, I agree with the commentary provided in the foreword -- whatever his faults, he is very likely a true believer and not merely a charlatan.

On to the book. It enlightens on several fronts. It provides small glimpses into the world of Islamic expression -- I was never aware of the existence of Arabic literary forms such as the juridicial decree. It made me wonder how an American analog to bin ... Read More

Rating:

- Timely in the Extreme
This collection of translated and annotated statements by Osama bin Laden is the sort of primary source collection I had begun to fear would never be published.

In order to understand the "War on Terror" environment in which we currently live, it is imperative to understand the rhetoric of both sides. Regardless of which viewpoint one supports, it is important to know exactly what the other side is fighting for. This knowledge is abundant on the non-terrorist side, but has so far been available on the terrorist side purely through analyses by expert commentators. Thus, being able to read the actual words of the major ideologue of world terrorism at the moment is a considerable boon.

I say "ideologue" for very good reason. As these statements and their accompanying (and ... Read More

Rating:

- Know Your Enemy!
Bruce Lawrence (the compiler) points out that while occasional fragments of bin Laden's words are cited, official pressures have ensured that, for the most part, his voice has been tacitly censured - as though too dangerous to hear. This collection of 24 items include interviews with Arab and Western journalists, handwritten letters, and video recordings.

Lawrence also helps one to understand why bin Laden is a heroic figure for millions of Muslims, including many with no sympathy for terrorism. This is based not just on his success in eluding Americans and their allies, but because his personal reputation for probity, austerity, dignity, and courage - contrasting starkly with the mismanagement, lavishness, and arrogance of most Arab regimes.

Bin Laden points out that ... Read More

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