Adam Gadahn, an American Al Qaeda member, has appealed to Arabs to welcome President George W Bush with bombs, when he starts his first-ever visit to the troubled lands of Israel and Palestine in the middle of this week. In the first Al Qaeda televised message of 2008, Gadahn, a California-born Islamic convert charged with treason in the US, has warned Middle Eastern states of dire consequences for welcoming President Bush.
As always, this is a perfect propaganda message from the radical terror outfit to make the West aware of its presence. This is a way to rally support for the organization on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. It is crystal clear that President Bush is disliked across the Middle East and Al Qaeda wants to cash in on the outgoing President’s increasing unpopularity.
Furthermore, Adam Gadahn’s appearance in the televised message has a symbolic significance and the Osama Bin Laden-led organization has scored a political point over Washington by providing the threat through the mouth of an American. The upcoming Middle East visit of President Bush is very important as it could kick-start the Israeli-Palestinian peace process although many Arabs feel the other way.
Al Qaeda wants to exploit the Arab anger over Israel’s continued occupation of the Palestinian territories. But, one must not forget the fact that some of Washington’s senseless Middle Eastern policies have increased Al Qaeda’s operational infrastructure in the region and the US has to live with the reality of terror threats. The Iraq war has provided Al Qaeda the excuse to launch anti-western attacks and there is no constructive policy on the part of the US regime to address the situation.
The instability in the Middle East has made ordinary people suffer from violence and poverty and as a result, there is a genuine anger against the Americans. The United States always boast of the fact that the Al Qaeda’s influence is deteriorating, yet the continued bold appearance in front of T.V screens by the organization’s top leaders makes a mockery of such a belief.
Adam Gadahn’s warning should be taken seriously, not just for the safety of the American President, but for the safety of the country as a whole. His war call includes the American Muslims too and the authorities should see to it that the ordinary people do not get radicalized.
Image: Visitingdc
Source: Nytimes
