Cartoon war

Osama bin Laden has released a new audio tape on the 5th anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq. And even though it was released on this landmark occasion, he made no mention of Iraq. Of course, he may have made this tape to "celebrate" the Prophet's birthday.

But I am not convinced the Prophet is appreciative of the mass-murderers sentiment.

Bin Laden did mention the Danish cartoons

This talk of mine is to you and concerns the insulting drawings and your negligence in spite of the opportunity presented to take the necessary measures to prevent their being repeated.

Of course he's talking about those Danish cartoons of which this is one

Now to me, this is not a statement about Muhammed, it is a statement about the debasement of the Prophet propagated by al Qaida an it's ilk. But bin Laden says that to make such a point is immoral. What's more, he states that the printing of these cartoons are worse than the "war crimes" he believes we have propagated while freeing people of the Taliban and Saddam

Although our tragedy in your killing of our women and children is a very great one, it paled when you went overboard in your unbelief and freed yourselves of the etiquettes of dispute and fighting and went to the extent of publishing these insulting drawings. This is the greater and more serious tragedy, and reckoning for it will be more severe.

Right. And so what does the Supreme Contemplator of Mass Murder and Perpetrator of Misogyny have planned for al Qaida blasphemers? It's hard to say, but he warns us to knock off making fun of Islamists

In closing, I tell you: if there is no check on the freedom of your words, then let your hearts be open to the freedom of our actions. And it is amazing and to make light of others that you talk about tolerance and peace at a time when your soldiers perpetrate murder even against the weak and oppressed in our countries.

Right. Weak and oppressed. Well the weak and oppressed rose up against bin Landen and his minions from hell and, as Bush put it yesterday

In Iraq, we are witnessing the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden, his grim ideology, and his murderous network.  And the significance of this development cannot be overstated.

Perhaps this is why bin Laden is so upset. And perhaps it is pertinent that the two events; the invasion of Iraq and Mohammed's birthday, are congruent just now.

I know that Arabic contains the concept of irony, but I am not sure that the scaled-down version used by Islamists does. Because if it did, it would probably be horrified.

To bin Laden, making fun him as a debaser of his religion is an act of war

Then came your publishing of these drawings, which came in the framework of a new Crusade in which the Pope of the Vatican has played a large, lengthy role. And all of that is confirmation on your part of the continuation of the war

But there were no such cartoons in existence when he declared war on the United States back in 1996.

If bin Laden wants to fight a war over cartoons, well, fine. But we are going to do our best to fight on our terms but on his soil.

may our mothers be bereaved of us if we fail to help the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

I second that emotion, because you will fail.