04 November 2001
Text: Facts Contradict Claims of Osama bin Laden
(Fact sheet released by U.S. Department of State) (740)
The U.S. Department of State released the following fact sheet on
November 3:
(begin text)
U.S. Department of State
Fact Sheet
November 3, 2001
Osama bin Laden has made many claims and charges. His most recent
statement asserts that the Coalition is waging a campaign against
Muslims, Afghans and Islam. You can draw your own conclusions: the
facts contradict bin Laden's claim.
Terrorist Attacks: The Muslim Toll
The United States lost thousands of innocent citizens, including women
and children, in attacks in Kenya, Tanzania, Yemen, and the United
States. Hundreds of Muslims died in those attacks, including citizens
from Islamic nations of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Turkey.
Ask yourselves this question: What did bin Laden do to defend the
Muslims who died in those attacks? Nothing. He murdered them.
Afghan People
The United States leads the international community in providing
relief aid to the Afghan people. More than 80 percent of food
shipments through the UN's food program originate in the United
States, and President Bush has announced $320 million in aid for the
Afghan people.
-- The United States also has dropped more than a million ration
packages to the Afghan people.
-- This is not new: the United States spent hundreds of millions of
dollars to aid Afghanistan before this campaign, and we are resolved
to remain Afghanistan's largest aid donor.
Ask yourselves: What has bin Laden done for the Afghan people? How
much food, medicine, and other assistance has he delivered?
Afghanistan
The United States supports UN efforts to find a broad-based political
settlement in Afghanistan that is led by Afghans and respects the
rights of Afghan people. These leaders represent all major Afghan
groups.
Ask yourselves: What efforts at peace has bin Laden made? None. How
many Afghan leaders has he killed? He has condemned the UN and brought
in thousands of foreigners to Afghanistan who have done nothing but
bring fighting, destruction, and suffering to the country.
Fight for Muslim Peoples Worldwide
The United States has defended Muslims around the world. We fought for
and beside Muslims in Kuwait, Bosnia, Kosovo and helped the Afghans in
their war against the Soviet occupation. We have supported the
independence of Muslim countries from colonialism. America also spent
thousands of millions of dollars to help Afghans liberate their
country from the Soviet occupation.
Ask yourselves: What did bin Laden do for those oppressed Muslims?
Nothing.
The United States and Islam
Bin Laden charges that our campaign against terror is a war against
Islam and Muslims. The United States is a multi-religious country with
several million Muslim citizens. Countries around the world support
U.S. efforts, including the largest Islamic political group in the
world, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
-- The OIC issued a statement condemning the murders carried about by
bin Laden.
-- In addition to this statement by Islamic nations, the entire world
condemned these attacks in a unanimous UN resolution (Resolution 1368)
and called on all countries to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Ask yourselves: How many of these same countries support what bin
Laden has done? None.
Conclusion
You will see propaganda from bin Laden many times, claming that he
defends Muslims and represents the Islamic world. In the face of empty
propaganda, the facts should never be forgotten:
-- The United States has defended Muslims. Bin Laden has murdered
them.
-- The United States feeds Afghans. Bin Laden wages war that starves
them.
-- The United States supports plans to help Afghans lead a peaceful
Afghanistan. Bin Laden supports plans to help foreigners inside
Afghanistan destroy the country.
-- The United States has won support for this campaign from Islamic
nations around the world, representing many millions of Muslims. These
same countries condemn bin Laden.
Islam is a religion of peace and charity. Bin Laden has distorted this
tradition by murdering innocents in the name of religion. He has
designed these acts to raise his profile from a marginal terrorist to
a defender of Muslims. His failure is inevitable, not only because of
the evil he had perpetrated.
-- He also will fail because we will bring him to justice.
-- If he is not brought to justice, we will bring justice to him.
(end text)
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