| Rich Kid |
17 February 2003
|
Usama Asks Poor to Die in His Cause
Usama bin Laden's latest tape has taken America by storm, the way a zillion garage bands could never hope to do. The talking heads were all putting it in context for us on every channel, but they seemed to miss the vital point. Usama is a rich kid whose idea of amusement is to get poor people to die for him and his new recording proves what a self-absorbed toff he is.
That bin Laden is worth a few rials is beyond dispute. His father milked the construction industry of Saudi Arabia for billions and that left little Usama with the problem every rich kid has -- how to fill the time before death with some kind of meaning.
For poor people, that's an easy thing to do. Making ends meet is a struggle for most of the human race. Whether it is the kid from Mississippi who saw the Marine Corps as the only job around or the kid in Iraq who will never be able to afford the Haj to Mecca, Usama will play with their lives because he hasn't got anything better to do with his. The poor will kill each other to amuse rich Usama.
That bin Laden defiles Islam by claiming to follow it only makes his narcissism worse. In his mind, he is the instrument of Allah's will using his wealth to defend the faith. The egocentrism is astounding, and the willingness of the poor to become suicide bombers in his cause is degrading. Notice bin Laden is not leading any attacks. He merely funds and trains the terrorists, and then as they die, he praises them. Of the hundreds who died in Afghanistan, notice he survived.
Is this class war? Yes. When the poor in the Muslim world finally figure who is on their side, though, it might be too late for them.