A collection of three letters written by senior al-Qa`ida leaders.
Letter 1:
Bin Laden’s letter to Sheik `Abd al-Rahim al-Tahane addresses the recipient’s comments from a previous letter
regarding the legitimacy of the ruling regime in Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden acknowledges the Saudi Arabia government’s
appearance of legitimacy. However, he states that the regime has been generally successful in deceiving and
misleading the nation with this false image. Bin Laden then describes efforts made by al-Qa`ida to contact influential religious figures within Saudi Arabia in order to determine what should be done about what he calls the ruling“secular” regime. He also notes that contrary to popular opinion, which holds that al-Qa`ida and bin Landen are seeking revenge for oppression, the aggressive Saudi Arabia reaction to al-Qa`ida is retaliation to attempts first made by al-Qa`ida’s to legally expose the regime and bring about its downfall.
Letter 2:
`Abd al-Rra’uf al-Tunisi’s first letter is a personal testimony intended to illustrate the evil nature and injustice of non-Islamic international political and economic systems as well as to inspire his audience with his personal
experience and conviction. After briefly describing his unsuccessful attempts to gain employment and successful educational endeavors while living in Canada he describes the political situation in his native Tunisia.
Letter 3:
`Abd al-Rra’uf al-Tunisi’s second letter, written on December 8, 1999, attempts to inspire the audience to maintain theirfaith and continue the jihad. The letter devotes considerable space blaming a pantheon of scapegoats including American, the United Nations, Jews, Crusaders and secular Arab leaders for the ills of Muslim society.
He concludes his letter with a call to jihad claiming victory is assured if the mujahidin persist in their struggle.
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