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Friday, October 31, 2008

Newsroom watch 2008

Hello class,

Hereby the schedule for the rest of the terrorism newsroom watches this year. Please make note:

03 November
Andrew L.
Jeff
Mary
Matthew

10 November
Andrew P
Nicholas
Nora

17 November
Allison
Ashley
Samuel

24 November
Christopher
Stephanie
Stephen

01 December
Danica
Jordan
Tanner

08 December
Elliot
Jordan Narv.
Taryn

Monday, February 25, 2008

Excerpts from Osama Bin Laden's speech, October 2004

"O American people, I address these words to you regarding the best way of avoiding another Manhattan, and regarding the war, its causes and its consequences. But before this, I say to you: Security is one of the important pillars of human life, and free men do not take their security lightly, contrary to Bush's claim that we hate freedom. Let him explain why we did not attack Sweden, for example. Clearly, those who hate freedom – unlike the 19, may Allah have mercy on them – have no self-esteem. We have been fighting you because we are free men who do not remain silent in the face of injustice. We want to restore our [Islamic] nation's freedom. Just as you violate our security, we violate yours. Whoever toys with the security of others, deluding himself that he will remain secure, is nothing but a foolish thief. One of the most important things rational people do when calamities occur is to look for their causes so as to avoid them.

"But I am amazed at you. Although we have entered the fourth year after the events of 9/11, Bush is still practicing distortion and deception against you and he is still concealing the true cause from you. Consequentially, the motives for its reoccurrence still exist. I will tell you about the causes underlying these events and I will tell you the truth about the moments this decision was taken, to allow you to reflect.

[…]

"It was against the backdrop of these and similar images that 9/11 came in response to these terrible iniquities. Should a man be blamed for protecting his own? And is defending oneself and punishing the wicked an eye for an eye – is that reprehensible terrorism? Even if it is reprehensible terrorism, we have no other choice. This is the message that we have tried to convey to you, in words and in deeds, more than once in the years preceding 9/11. Observe it, if you will, in the interview with Scott in Time Magazine in 1996, and with Peter Arnett on CNN in 1997, then John Wiener [?] in 1998; observe it, if you will, in the deeds of Nairobi and Tanzania and Aden, and observe it in my interview with 'Abd Al-Bari 'Atwan and in interviews with Robert Fisk. The latter is of your own and of your religious affiliation, and I consider him to be unbiased.

[…]

"I say to you: more than 15,000 of our people were killed and tens of thousands were wounded, just as more than 1,000 of you were killed and more than 10,000 wounded, and Bush's hands are sullied with the blood of all of these casualties on both sides, for the sake of oil and to give business to his private companies. You should know that a nation that punishes a weak person if he is instrumental in killing one of that nation's sons for money, while letting go free a high-class man who was instrumental in killing more than 1,000 of its sons, also for money [sic]. Similarly your allies in Palestine intimidate women and children and murder and imprison men. [inaudible]

"Keep in mind that every action has a reaction, and finally you should consider the last wills and testaments of the thousands who left you on 9/11, waving their hands in despair. These are inspiring wills, which deserve to be published and studied thoroughly. One of the most important things I have read regarding their hand-waving signals before they fell is that they were saying 'We were wrong to let the White House carry out unchecked its aggressive foreign policy against oppressed people.' As though they were telling you, the American people, 'You should call to task those who caused our death.' Happy is he who learns a lesson from the experience of others. A verse that I have read is also relevant to their [last] signals:

"Evil kills those who perpetrate it,

"And the pastures of iniquity are harmful.

"There is a saying: a small amount spent on prevention is better than a great amount spent on treatment. You should know that it is better to return to that which is right than to persist in that which is wrong. A rational man would not neglect his security, property, or home for the sake of the liar in the White House.

"Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or Al-Qa'ida. Your security is in your own hands, and any [U.S.] state [wilaya] that does not toy with our security automatically guarantees its own security.

"Allah is our guardian but you have none. "Peace be upon whoever follows the true guidance."

Read the entire speech here

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Assignment: Political activism and violence

With Gurr we find that people's discontent needs scope and breadth and justification to turn into violence. But how does engaging in political activism (which is not violence in it self) shape your outlook on the justifications on using violence? Perhaps we could use Torsdagsdemonstrationen (in English) to reflect on that.

Assignment:
Give one reflexion on or example of how experiences with political activism does influence normative and utilitarian justifications for political violence.

Length: 1 or 2 paragraphs.

Who? The groups will be published on the DIS forum if you can't remember. Only one comment per group.

How? Comment on this post.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Welcome to the DIS Terrorism Newsroom

On these pages, you will be able to follow terror incidents and sign up for the following week's watch.