I still do not believe that the US deserved to have over 3000 people killed and should just lie back and take it, nor do I think we should just allow ourselves to be killed to satisfy bin laden's version of the history of events, I did find the orginal Fatwa with the stated reasons for the attack. (if the translation is correct) This was in the Fatwa of 1998.
Quote:So here they come to annihilate what is left of this people and to humiliate their Muslim neighbors.
Third, if the Americans' aims behind these wars are religious and economic, the aim is also to serve the Jews' petty state and divert attention from its occupation of Jerusalem and murder of Muslims there.
All these crimes and sins committed by the Americans are a clear declaration of war on God, his messenger, and Muslims. And ulema have throughout Islamic history unanimously agreed that the jihad is an individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries. This was revealed by Imam Bin-Qadamah in "Al- Mughni," Imam al-Kisa'i in "Al- Bada'i," al-Qurtubi in his interpretation, and the shaykh of al-Islam [not further identified] in his books, where he said "As for the fighting to repulse [an enemy], it is aimed at defending sanctity and religion, and it is a duty as agreed [by the ulema]. Nothing is more sacred than belief except repulsing an enemy who is attacking religion and life."
On that basis, and in compliance with God's order, we issue the following fatwa to all Muslims
The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies -- civilians and military -- is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it, in order to liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy mosque [Mecca] from their grip, and in order for their armies to move out of all the lands of Islam, defeated and unable to threaten any Muslim. This is in accordance with the words of Almighty God, "and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together," and "fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in God."
The best proof of this is their eagerness to destroy Iraq, the strongest neighboring Arab state, and their endeavor to fragment all the states of the region such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Sudan into paper statelets and through their disunion and weakness to guarantee Israel's survival and the continuation of the brutal crusade occupation of the Peninsula.
source
First of all, Saddam invaded Kuwait and did other atrocities which had to be addressed; he posed a real threat which had to be monitored. I don't know anything about Saudi Arabia and those other matters and he hardly mentions the main issue of Israel and Palestine.
In any event, we can hardly let ourselves be "annihilated" in return to satisfy bin laden version of events. Also, for whatever reason, most of our military did leave Saudi Arabia; we are leaving Iraq in large part and have plans to leave Afghanistan at some point. I am hopeful at some point; the US will more even handed with aid and support to Israel and Palestine. Some may look at these events as appeasement, some may think it is too little too late, but perhaps they are just the right things to do in the right measure or maybe I don't know what in the world I am talking about.
