[iwar] [fc:Bin.Laden.Wins.African.Cult.Status]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2001-10-13 15:23:26
Next message: Fred Cohen: "[iwar] [fc:Israeli.presence.at.OIC.meet.-.report]"
Previous message: Fred Cohen: "[iwar] [fc:Afghan.Mullahs.Announce.Jihad.at.Friday.Prayers]"
Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]
Message-Id: <200110132223.PAA07990@big.all.net>
To: iwar@onelist.com (Information Warfare Mailing List)
Organization: I'm not allowed to say
From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
Mailing-List: list iwar@yahoogroups.com; contact iwar-owner@yahoogroups.com
Precedence: bulk
Date: Sat, 13 Oct 2001 15:23:26 -0700 (PDT)
Reply-To: iwar@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [iwar] [fc:Bin.Laden.Wins.African.Cult.Status]
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Bin Laden Wins African Cult Status  
Date:   Friday, October 12, 2001    
Country:    Africa  
Source: CNN 
    
Story:  By CNN's Inside Africa's Jeff Koinange GUSAU, Nigeria (CNN) -- 
Muslims in Nigeria are flocking to a state capital -- to pick up Osama bin 
Laden memorabilia. In the state of Zamfara, Nigeria, where the Muslim 
practice of Sharia law is practiced, the curious and the fanatical are buying 
copies of the Koran and pictures of bin Laden. Buyers also travel from 
neighbouring Lagos -- a 10-hour drive to Zamfara's capital Gusau -- to get a 
glimpse of pictures of the man and his message. Bin Laden, who has also been 
accused of masterminding two bomb attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa, is 
wanted by the U.S. for plotting the suicide strikes on the World trade Center 
and The Pentagon. In Gusau, street seller Sanni Ahmed Sanni says, at first, 
he had no idea who Bin Laden was but quickly realised with the brisk sales 
this was an important person. Now he's having trouble meeting the growing 
demand. "Yes yes. Very popular," he said. "Everybody buys. Christians and 
Muslims. It's very popular." Sylvester Eheda, who was buying a poster, said: 
"I just wanted to buy it because I have been hearing a lot about bin Laden, 
so I want to know more information about him. "I love seeing his poster 
because he's wanted. I love reading about him and knowing more about him. " 
Governments are waiting to see the impact this popularity could have on their 
nations -- Muslims make up nearly half of Africa's 750 million people. 
African involvement in the war on terror has mostly been limited to offering 
air-space and intelligence support. No country on the continent has been able 
to assist militarily or logistically to the coalition forces. But many 
African countries could become unstable if Muslims and Christians clash over 
their national policies towards the war on terror. Nigeria is the most 
populous, and plans a series of demonstrations to show growing 
dissatisfaction with the U.S.-led coalition. Clerics say the interest in bin 
Laden is a repeat of the Islam hero-worship during the U.S.-led Gulf War 
against Iraq 10 years ago. Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzak, a Muslim cleric in Zaria, 
Nigeria, told CNN: "Then they put up posters of Saddam and a lot of people 
named their children born at that time Saddam. "If anything, it shows that 
America is the aggressor in every war it goes into, so who ever it has made 
aggression against turns out to be a hero." The state's governor, a staunch 
Muslim and the man credited with bringing Sharia to Nigeria, says the 
country's new democratic constitution allows for such freedoms. Alhaji Ahmad 
Sani, governor of Zamfara state, said: "You can find posters of the Pope, you 
find posters of all sorts of people. "It is an individual's right. We are in 
a democratic dispensation. We have total freedom of association, total 
freedom of belief, freedom of religion, freedom of thought. Whatever one 
wants to do." He condemns the attacks on the U.S. -- saying such violence is 
against the Koran. But, he adds, that does not justify an eye-for-an-eye 
approach. Sani added: "Six-thousand people lost their lives in America, if 
another 6,000 people lose their lives in Afghanistan, Americans will not feel 
that they have achieved something, that they have revenged what has happened 
to them because the lives of those of who have not been lost will not come 
back. "So I think it is better for the American government to think twice, 
look at these innocent people who are hungry, who are living in Afghanistan 
and find another way of dealing with whatever problems that exist instead of 
bombarding the country." He rejects the U.S. argument that it is trying to 
feed the hungry in Afghanistan with airborne food drops, by accusing it of 
beginning to behave like a schoolyard bully. Zakzak added: " What pride has 
America got to make in being the richest nation in the world today attacking 
Afghanistan which is the poorest nation in the world?What cause has it to be 
proud of even if it turns out to be victorious? " He rejects the coalition's 
argument that their target is the terrorist, and not Islamist. "People think 
that America is the aggressor in this and the word they use often, terrorism, 
is also mounting a terrorist attack on innocent people. "So even if Osama bin 
Laden was guilty of the offence, what they are doing is not justice." 

------------------
http://all.net/ 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Next message: Fred Cohen: "[iwar] [fc:Israeli.presence.at.OIC.meet.-.report]"
Previous message: Fred Cohen: "[iwar] [fc:Afghan.Mullahs.Announce.Jihad.at.Friday.Prayers]"
Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.2 : 2001-12-31 20:59:55 PST