London - A statement supposedly written by Osama bin Laden has urged Muslims to stop fighting each other and unite against the "crusader coalition" that is attacking the Islamic world.
On Monday the London-based Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat published excerpts of a 26-page statement it claims was written and signed by bin Laden, leader of the al-Qaeda network.
The journalist who wrote the article, Mohamed el-Shaf'aie, said that the statement had been posted to the newspaper from an Islamic source in London with close links to a Pakistan-based Islamic research centre with ties to al-Qaeda.
The letter says that "the current situation Muslims are living in requires a deployment of all efforts to fight the Islamic battle against the crusader coalition, which has revealed its real, evil intentions".
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| 'The honour of righteous men should be protected despite whatever faults they may commit' |
"Their target now is Islam and Muslims and not only the Middle East region," the letter added.
It did not mention any country, but earlier statements attributed to Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders have accused the United States and Israel of launching a religious crusade against the Muslim world.
Despite numerous written, audio and videotaped statements attributed to Bin Laden since the start of the Afghanistan war, it is unclear where the Saudi-born Islamic extremist is or if he is still alive.
The published letter urges Muslims to "wake from their deep sleep... and stop acting as rivals and fire their arrows toward their enemies instead of themselves."
The letter defends al-Qaeda leaders over unspecified mistakes. "The honour of righteous men should be protected despite whatever faults they may commit," it said without elaboration. - Sapa-AP
- This article was originally published on page 4 of Cape Argus on January 20, 2003
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