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.

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

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

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

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 Laden might communicate with the masses -- the newsletter, the Shakespearean sonnet, the folk song in 4/4 time, iambic pentameter, maybe even a film documentary. Could one man besides Bob Dylan be able to flow between media and literary forms with the ease of bin Laden?

Also interesting were some of the Arabic social trivia such as the uses of bin/ibn and Abu in Arabic names.

The sign of a good book (as with good research) is that it generates more questions than answers. For instance, why did bin Laden wait until 10/2004 to fully (or at least convincingly) accept responsibility for 9/11? Obfuscation? Maybe. The book itself does not hazard any speculation. My take is that he's reluctant to accept credit for something in which he did not personally participate. Once it was obvious he was going to get the rap anyway, he probably decided it was best politically to accept the credit. After all, he has to compete for resources with other jihadis, and "Mastermind of 9/11" is the jahidi equivalent to membership in the CFR or Trilateral Commission. We've seen recent (if less credible) examples of self-incrimination in the Moussaoui case.

That being said, I wish bin Laden much ill. If anything, he has given America an excuse to shed any vestige of self-reflection about its' past. What we've done to the Muslim world is a drop in the bucket of blood compared to what the Cherokee nation or African-Americans have suffered. If he has come to collect damages, the line forms in the WAY BACK.

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 copious) notes and introductions demonstrate, there is a distinct ideology involved in this movement. It may be an ideology directed against everything the West holds dear, but it is an ideology nonetheless. Osama bin Laden has clearly thought about a great many issues prior to initiating the campaigns of violence he has.
As case in point, the significance of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often debated by academics and policymakers: Is it central to the globalisation of terrorism, or is it merely a convenient justification to use when asked? As even the earliest statements here demonstrate, this is a key plank in al-Qa'ida's ideology - perhaps even more so than many writers have realised.

While one particular statement (the "Declaration of Jihad against the Jews and Crusaders") will be familiar to any reader interested in this conflict as it has been included in a great many works (Gunaratna's "Inside Al-Qaeda" being the most well-known), many of these statements appear never to have been translated fully into English before. In this case, the team involved in this collection deserve even more praise for enabling those with an interest in understanding these issues to do so - particularly when, as they frequently note, the websites originally hosting these messages have been shut down.

The scope of these statements will probably be debated for many years to come. One review here makes the dogmatic assertion that these are not all of the statements made by bin Laden, for example. While this may be true - and bear in mind that many of these statements have been excerpted by various news outlets at various times, which may create the impression of there being more than there are - it seems rather immaterial. Far from only presenting a reasoned side of the man, these statements present his ideas in a clear form. Those translated from audio and video tapes, for example, never make mention of any gestures or tones of voice, since to do so would be rather pointless in my opinion.

Taken as a whole, these statements tend to appear rather repetitive - the only notable change from one to the next being a slightly different emphasis on particular events as they've changed. That said, reading the book cover to cover is probably not the best way to go about it anyway.

The copious amounts of footnotes and introductory matter are also a great strength of this collection. While it is possible to criticise the scholars involved (and it's almost a hobby for some of the reviewers here already), they have at least attempted the difficult task of placing Osama bin Laden in context. He's not a representative of all Muslims, but neither is he the "monster under the bed" for the new millennium.
The footnotes, too, provide a wealth of Qur'anic and Hadith references - including remarks on when the verse or tradition has been taken out of context or deprived of a section of text. Similarly, key figures and events (both past and present) referenced in the text are explained concisely in the notes.
Unfortunately, the sheer volume of these notes has presumably caused the poor proofreading which some statements suffer from. There are a number of words and phrases footnoted which do not have an accompanying note below, and some of these are germane to the text.
Further, one of the introductory notes makes the comment that Yemen is a "military dictatorship" (along with Pakistan and Nigeria). In reality, Yemen is a multi-party democracy (the only such in the Arabian Peninsula) and was so both at the time the book was written and at the time the statement was made. Admittedly, the country may not have a stable and entrenched tradition of democracy, but it is far from the military dictatorship described in this note.

In conclusion, "Messages to the World" is an invaluable aid to those who want to understand the current conflicts "from the source" as it were. It is somewhat heavy reading in places and will remain a controversial book for much of the foreseeable future. Its publication, however, represents a great step forward for much of the world.

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 Laden might communicate with the masses -- the newsletter, the Shakespearean sonnet, the folk song in 4/4 time, iambic pentameter, maybe even a film documentary. Could one man besides Bob Dylan be able to flow between media and literary forms with the ease of bin Laden?

Also interesting were some of the Arabic social trivia such as the uses of bin/ibn and Abu in Arabic names.

The sign of a good book (as with good research) is that it generates more questions than answers. For instance, why did bin Laden wait until 10/2004 to fully (or at least convincingly) accept responsibility for 9/11? Obfuscation? Maybe. The book itself does not hazard any speculation. My take is that he's reluctant to accept credit for something in which he did not personally participate. Once it was obvious he was going to get the rap anyway, he probably decided it was best politically to accept the credit. After all, he has to compete for resources with other jihadis, and "Mastermind of 9/11" is the jahidi equivalent to membership in the CFR or Trilateral Commission. We've seen recent (if less credible) examples of self-incrimination in the Moussaoui case.

That being said, I wish bin Laden much ill. If anything, he has given America an excuse to shed any vestige of self-reflection about its' past. What we've done to the Muslim world is a drop in the bucket of blood compared to what the Cherokee nation or African-Americans have suffered. If he has come to collect damages, the line forms in the WAY BACK.

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 his terrorism acts are only retaliation, and that the West has killed far larger numbers in the region within living memory - poison gas and strafing of Iraqi villages by Britain in the 1920s, crushing the Palestinian uprising of the 1930s, France's colonial war in algeria in the 1950s-60s, and deaths through malnutrition and disease of Iraqi children in the 1990s due to the U.N. sanctions. Bin Laden estimates 1.5 million were killed in the preceding - Lawrence estimates it as 300,000.

Bin Laden began his massive undertaking against the U.S. after seeing the mujahidin victory over the Red Army in Afghanistan, and the withdrawal of American forces from Somalia in '93. Unfortunately, bin Laden greatly underestimated the special circumstances associated with both - the U.S. and Pakistani support in Afghanistan, and the inconsequentialness of the U.S. landings in Somalia.

Bin Laden on 9/11 (10/21 interview): ". . . they have done this . . . in self-defense, defense of our brothers and sons in Palestine, and in order to free our holy sanctuaries." "the defeat of America . . . is easier for us . . . than the defeat of the Soviet Empire previously. We have already fought them . . . as in Somalia. We have not yet found a significant force of note." ". . . America, has lost its values and appeal . . . Freedom, Human Rights, and Equality . . . were revealed as a total mockery."

On Surviving Tora Bora: Bin Laden reports that bombing was around the clock, every second. There were about 300 mujahidin dug into 100 trenches, spread over one square mile in ten degree below zero temperatures - only about 18 were killed by the combination of ground and air attacks. Certainly this had to have been an easy opportunity for American ground forces if they had been deployed at that time, instead of outsourcing the job to Afghans!

Bin Laden also speaks of how Iraqis should resist the U.S., describing a guerilla campaign like that actually waged.

"Messages to the World" is essential to understanding bin Laden, America's "Public Enemy #1" - especially for counteracting the incomplete and misleading statements provided by our own government.

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 his terrorism acts are only retaliation, and that the West has killed far larger numbers in the region within living memory - poison gas and strafing of Iraqi villages by Britain in the 1920s, crushing the Palestinian uprising of the 1930s, France's colonial war in algeria in the 1950s-60s, and deaths through malnutrition and disease of Iraqi children in the 1990s due to the U.N. sanctions. Bin Laden estimates 1.5 million were killed in the preceding - Lawrence estimates it as 300,000.

Bin Laden began his massive undertaking against the U.S. after seeing the mujahidin victory over the Red Army in Afghanistan, and the withdrawal of American forces from Somalia in '93. Unfortunately, bin Laden greatly underestimated the special circumstances associated with both - the U.S. and Pakistani support in Afghanistan, and the inconsequentialness of the U.S. landings in Somalia.

Bin Laden on 9/11 (10/21 interview): ". . . they have done this . . . in self-defense, defense of our brothers and sons in Palestine, and in order to free our holy sanctuaries." "the defeat of America . . . is easier for us . . . than the defeat of the Soviet Empire previously. We have already fought them . . . as in Somalia. We have not yet found a significant force of note." ". . . America, has lost its values and appeal . . . Freedom, Human Rights, and Equality . . . were revealed as a total mockery."

On Surviving Tora Bora: Bin Laden reports that bombing was around the clock, every second. There were about 300 mujahidin dug into 100 trenches, spread over one square mile in ten degree below zero temperatures - only about 18 were killed by the combination of ground and air attacks. Certainly this had to have been an easy opportunity for American ground forces if they had been deployed at that time, instead of outsourcing the job to Afghans!

Bin Laden also speaks of how Iraqis should resist the U.S., describing a guerilla campaign like that actually waged.

"Messages to the World" is essential to understanding bin Laden, America's "Public Enemy #1" - especially for counteracting the incomplete and misleading statements provided by our own government.

This is the only book I've seen which contains Osama bin Laden's public statements translated to English. They are highly revealing.

Thus, Bin Laden very explicitly, almost brazenly, calls for the indiscriminate killing of Western civilians, including children, with the argument that the West is killing Muslim civilians (and children). Some "freedom fighter"! That is the logic of a hypocritical genocidal butcher. How far removed from a medieval Muslim leader like Saladin, who didn't massacre Christian civilians after capturing Jerusalem from the crusaders! Imagine what a man like Bin Laden could do, if he got hold of a nuke!!

Unfortunately but typically, this book is prefaced by a near-apologetic text by Bruce Lawrence. He constantly attempts to place Bin Laden in as positive a context as possible. Thus, Lawrence points out that US secretary of state Madeleine Albright viewed the sanctions against Iraq as "worth it", although they killed tens of thousands, perhaps more, Iraqis. But how does that justify killing 3000 American civilians?

Further, Lawrence condemns the "US" attack on "Afghanistan". Indeed, he implicitly supports the Taliban by calling the Northern Alliance stooges and collaborators. But the "US" didn't attack "Afghanistan". The attack was approved by the UN, including Russia and China, and at least Russian troops intervened as well. Also, the attack was supported by the rather large Afghan opposition. It was an attack on the Taliban and al-Qaeda, supported by virtually every nation on the globe!

Then, Lawrence talks about the "Muslim" and "national" resistance in Iraq. But, once again, there is no such thing. Sunni groups are indeed resisting the US troops, but they are also attacking the Shia and the Kurds. As for the Shia, they are biding their time. As soon as they feel strong enough to dispense with the US, they will - and then attack the Sunnis. The unilateral US war on Iraq unleashed latent communal conflicts ý la India or Ireland. There is no united "Muslim" or "national" resistance in Iraq.

It's unfortunate that an important book like this, which actually exposes Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, is published by people who somehow seem to sympathize with his agenda.

This book pretends to open our eyes to the logic of Bin Laden's message by showing us his writings and speeches in their entirety rather than the 'sound bites' we hear in the western media. Supposedly the sound bites give us only a negative stereotype of Bin Laden who is actually a quite intelligent, just, freedom loving, women's rights crusader only 'opposing American policies'. Thus the killing of 3,500 American civilians, the destruction of the Bamiyan Biddha statues in Afghanistan, the slaughter of Shiites in Iraq, all of it is merely about 'opposing' the totalitarian imperialism of America.

Despite the leftists encouragement that Bin Laden is a liberal and that he is merely Chomsky in a long robe and beard with an AK-47 the writings in fact prove the opposite and is perhaps the very reason to read this book. The editors of this book tried to show us the 'good' Bin Laden, not the raving hateful lunatic fundamentalist. However some snippets of the true Bin Laden seep through. In one of his letters he explains why he hates the west. Among the reasons is that the west is 'controlled by the Jews and the Zionists". Yes, this is part of merely 'opposing U.S policies'. By this logic the American Nazi party, Hitler and Mussolini were also merely 'opposing U.S policies'. Stalin also merely 'opposed' U.S policies, in order to kill 20 million of his own people and take over half of Europe and Asia. Perhaps these writings are a wonderful insight into the true righteousness of the cause of America in fighting terror, the tapes show the true hatred, intolerance, and neo-Nazism that informs Bin Laden's thoughts. Everyone should read this, this is what the war on terror is all about and these are the ideas of the planner of the murder of 3,500 American civilians. Just remmember that this book isnt a compilation of ALL of Bin Ladens thoughts it is in fact completely edited to show his most calm and controlled outburts, rather than the speeches where he speakes glowingly of murdering civilians and slaugther "Jews and Crusaders". This book is also useful evidence of the continuing alliance of western leftists and Islamic terrorists.

Seth J. Frantzman

How can any of us put the "war on terror" into context if we don't know what the leader of the other side is saying? Bin Laden knows why he has organized his threat against the USA and he tells us. But our media, and our administration drown him out. The war could come to an end if we could hear what he is saying, if we could understand what he is saying, if we adjudicated what he is saying, and then do something about our acquired thinking. That process begins with the reading of this essential book, which is, actually, a step towards peace.

Is it morally right and tactically wise to publish such a book? It is possible to say that bin Laden does not need a forum, and that his messages are eagerly transmitted by his followers to one another through all modern technical means, including the 'Internet'. And that therefore the presentation of his speeches in chronological order will not give much of a lift or incentive to already committed terrorists. It is possible to argue that those who will read such a book are by and large precisely those who deplore bin Laden, and who simply wish to better understand how this particular evildoer has deepened in his hatred of the West, and determination to kill innocents, through time. Thus it might be argued that the texts provided simply do a public service in informing us all of the exact nature of one mass- murdererer.
He is to himself the defender of Islam, which he sees attacked by the West, and he has come to the conclusion gradually that the murder of as many Jews and Christians as it takes is justified if this will lead to the Islamic domination of Mankind.
But then again Mr. Bin Laden is not simply a theorist. He is the man responsible for the murder of thousands of people, including those on 9/11. Giving him another kind of forum somehow does not seem morally wise or right. And this especially as there are hundreds of thousands, no millions of young Muslims , ( and non- Muslims) walking around out there, who might take this book as 'marching orders'.
It seems to me the most important point of all is missed by the Editor of this work. Bin Laden may be the name that evokes the most horror. But in fact there are more important leaders in the War Against the West, and the War of Terror to topple Human Civilization than Bin - Laden.He is symbolically the major leader of Global Islamic Strategy but its most important one now is the President of Iran. The President of Iran is calling for the destruction of the United States, and the Islamic Rule of the world in terms Bin Laden certainly agrees with. Bin Laden is not as Noah Feldman presents him in his otherwise excellent NY Times review of this book , a 'deviation' from the main stream of Islam today. As we see with the growing power of fundamentalist Islam throughout the world , Bin Laden speaks to the heart of a good share, perhaps a majority of the leaders and people of the Islamic world.
As I understand it the Western world, the free world, the world led by the United States is now in a struggle for its life against a kind of totalitarian force whose aim is to destroy it. Bin Laden will not be the one to lead the legions in doing this. But his written works, his speeches, his communications, his network of Terror, his inspiration to widening circles within the Islamic world , are an important element in this war.
Again I am not so sure it was wise to give him this additional forum.

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.

This book was interesting, but a lot of it went over my head. Technical stuff.

I'm looking forward to the book by Osama Bin Laden's mistress--Kola Boof. I hear that "Diary of a Lost Girl" uncovers a side of Osama that we've never before seen. I can't wait to read that.

From the very first speech in this collection, I began to realize how little I knew about bin Laden's ideas--and yes, he has ideas--and how most of what I thought I knew was wrong. I had heard, repeatedly, that he was a relative latecomer to the Palestinian cause, that he had essentially declared solidarity with them merely to gain popularity in the larger Islamic world. That is not borne out by this book. In his very first speech, dated to 1994, bin Laden is already sounding the notes that reverberate throughout this collection: the entire Muslim world is under seige, from Afghanistan, to Palestine, to Iraq, to Chechnya and Bosnia; the humiliation (and emasculation) of Islam by the western world is the implicit goal. Now, clearly, one can quarrel with his analysis, but such a message has broad appeal. The editor and translator are to be commended for striking just the right balance here; they provide imformation, really crucial information, without taking immediate sides and without claiming a false neutrality either. As the editor has emphasized in his interviews about this book, to defeat bin Laden's ideas, "one must decode them, first." This book is an essential part of that decoding process. Perhaps the most salient interview is one granted by bin Laden to a Spanish Muslim. That man, who gives what is by far the most confrontational interview, questioning bin Laden's orthodoxy, among other things, was subsequently jailed for his trouble. That is perhaps the most fitting parable for this book: the very attempt to engage in a dialogue with this man and his ideas will be suspect to some. But it is the critical task before us, and the editor and translator are to be commended for enabling this dialogue, and for having done so with the moral seriousness it demands.

Media coverage of the war on terror has shied away from broadcasting Osama Bin Ladin's speeches and statements in complete and unedited form. Messages to the World is a collection of those speeches, selected by a professor from Duke. The themes are mostly global politics and religion, and the tone is simultanously detached and hectoring. If you are an American, it's a bit odd to read, but it never fails to be enlightening. As I was reading Messages, I realized how little I actually know about Bin Ladin's goals, motivation, and political views. Reading this book is a basic, important way to position yourself in the world, to see where you stand in relation to Bin Ladin's ideas. It's necessary reading.

Rather along the lines of "only Nixon could go to China", it takes as unimpeachable an authority as Lawrence, Professor of Religion at Duke University and author of several acclaimed works on Islam, to collect, edit, and comment on the published statements of Bin Laden, translated from the Arabic by James Howarth. "Know thine enemy" is the adequate justification for an inevitably controversial publication- it has already attracted more media attention than other books in the counter-terrorism franchise. But Lawrence has written a scholarly, thoughtful work, devoid of sensationalism or simplistic generalizations, and fully accessible. He attempts to decipher the appeal of the mastermind's polemics and style to susceptible disciples, and to place it in historical context. Not everyone agrees with Lawrence's findings- a recent critique by French authors of the collected oeuvre of Bin Laden et cie, finds it devoid of literary or intellectual merit. And the controversy continues...