Hamza bin Laden lionizes his father and incites ‘rebellion’ in new audio message

Al Qaeda has released a new audio message from Hamza bin Laden entitled, “Osama…The Fighter Against Invaders And the Inciter of Rebellion Against Tyrants.” The junior bin Laden lionizes his father as a hero of the Ummah, or worldwide community of Muslims, throughout the talk. The recording was released earlier today, just days after the CIA released thousands of documents and files recovered in Osama bin Laden’s compound, including Hamza’s wedding video.*

Al Qaeda often describes its founder as the “reviving sheikh” because of his role in spreading jihadism and Hamza’s laudatory description is in this vein.

Hamza argues that Osama “was able to revive the spirit of Jihad in the way of Allah” decades after the fall of the Islamic caliphate in the early 20th Century. “Thus, he [Osama] was able to bring about the shift from the Jihad of the elite to the Jihad of the Ummah,” Hamza says, as the “sweet springs of Jihad gush forth from beneath the surface, one after another, in different parts of the Islamic World, and the good work continues.”

Hamza claims that “a large portion of the Ummah” had “succumbed to foreign occupation” and resigned itself to being “governed by man-made laws” until “the best of its sons rose up in rebellion against the status quo.” The situation changed because leading jihadi figures illuminated a different path, Hamza argues. The “general political objective” of the Ummah today is focused on “liberating the Muslim lands, freedom from Crusader hegemony, establishing the Islamic Shariah, living freely under its merciful shade, and inviting people to it.”

“Among the eminent personalities who possessed exceptional vision and foresight, and who were able to hold the hand of their Ummah and lift it from the base of the mountain to a high ground and yet still to higher hills, so that it might once again see the light of its illuminating torch on the horizon and set its eyes on its clear goal, was Sheikh Osama bin Laden (may Allah have mercy on him),” Hamza says.

As in the past, As Sahab (al Qaeda’s propaganda arm) doesn’t show a current image of Hamza. Instead, the production includes only an audio recording of the bin Laden heir’s voice.

FDD’s Long War Journal first reported earlier this month that Hamza can be seen as a young adult in his wedding video, which was seized during the raid on his father’s safe house in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Although the video was recorded approximately a decade ago, it contains images of Hamza that are more recent than the ones al Qaeda uses. An image of Hamza from the wedding video can be seen on the right.

Hamza is eager to credit his father for the dissolution of the Soviet Union and predicts that America will suffer the same fate.

“After the fall of the Soviet Union, it was America’s turn to cross the limits in its arrogance,” Hamza says. “It was deceived by its power, the masses spellbound by its apparent prowess. Yet America was oblivious to the fact that Allah had made it succeed Russia (a fallen superpower).”

“The Imam, Sheikh Osama…returned to the fortress of Islam, Afghanistan, for the second time with just six of the best of his brothers,” Hamza says of his father’s relocation from the Sudan to Afghanistan in the mid-1990s. He then praises the Taliban’s founder, Mullah Omar, for welcoming Osama to Afghanistan. “Allah guided the loyal Emir, the Emir of the Believers, Mullah Muhammad Omar Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) to safeguard and help this young fledgling call.”

Mullah Omar “set an example of generosity and loyalty which cannot be penned in words,” Hamza continues. “And thus the numbers started to increase gradually, and preparations began to confront the second Pharaoh,” meaning America.

This eventually led to the 9/11 hijackings. “Once again, with limited means – this time civilian aircrafts – the Imam, Osama, was able to rub America’s nose in dust and strike at its very heart, dragging it into a confrontation with the Ummah instead of a confrontation with just a few individuals,” Hamza claims. “And so America’s armies were forcefully dragged into the swamps of Iraq and Afghanistan.”

“America was forced to flee Iraq defeated and humiliated, while it is still stuck in the quagmire that is Afghanistan, in spite of the admission of its former President, Obama, of the defeat of his country at the hands of the forces of the Islamic Emirate [the Taliban],” Hamza argues.

As one would expect, Hamza’s remembrances of his infamous father are more of a hagiography than a straight retelling. “I remember seeing him at times with his lunch or dinner being mere oil, salt, and a piece of bread,” Hamza says, emphasizing his father’s supposed humility. He calls on other Muslims to follow in his father’s footsteps after he “sacrificed his soul” and spent “his life and his wealth…helping the Muslim Ummah” to liberate itself and “sparking a revival in its ranks.”

In his personal journal and other writings, Osama bin Laden reflected on the Arab uprisings in early 2011. The al Qaeda founder saw a great opportunity for his men and wanted them to take advantage of the revolutions, which they did not start.

Hamza passes along his father’s warning concerning these same uprisings, arguing that they will not succeed unless the Muslims masses take up arms. “The Arab Spring revolutions bore the message of freedom and honor, but they did not possess a protective force or a sharp sword for their defense, and thus the enemies assailed it and derailed it from its path,” Hamza says.

He continues: “The Imam, Osama…departed this world encouraging and inciting you to continue the journey of the revolutions, warning you against pre-mature termination or diversion of these revolutions; and that no matter how logically convincing and eloquently presented a call may be, it shall never attain complete success unless it has a force to protect it, and the force that can protect the journey of our Ummah towards its destined lofty goal is none other than Jihad in the Way of Allah.”

Hamza calls on the “truthful scholars” to incite the youth to jihad and implores the “oppressed Muslims masses” to “[r]ise in rebellion against oppression and tyranny” and “revolt against the agents of the Americans.”

In the past, Osama’s son has called on jihadists to exact revenge for his father’s death. He repeats this call once again. “To conclude, I invite Muslims generally to take revenge from the Americans, the murderers of the Sheikh (may Allah have mercy on him), specifically from those who participated in this heinous crime,” he says.

*The CIA’s web page for these files has been down for days.

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for FDD's Long War Journal.

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9 Comments

  • Martin says:

    The Soviet’s own general staff study at the outset of the conflict surmised they would need somewhere in the region of 300,000 troops to properly maintain security in Afghanistan and simultaneously completely seal the Afghan-Pakistan border. Their troop strength never topped about 120,000. While a contemporary staff study may include revised figures; it’s clear that spending decades in under-resourced campaigns does in fact bankrupt nations and gift Jihadis strategic gains. Nothing less than full-fledged commitment will win there. While the Afghans have formidable powers of resistance, they have been conquered before by both the Macedonians and Mongols. It is not impossible, just difficult.

  • Kathleen D Smith says:

    Is the US Gov’t utilizing Hamza bin Laden video for Media attention.

  • Dick Scott says:

    The only way to “win” would be to follow the policy of Tamerlane in the Nimroz region where he turned a thriving agriculture region back into desert and killed all the people he could catch. This being after he had already “conquered” the area twice followed by local uprisings when his army had left administrators to rule. And it is not clear what the purpose of “winning” is at the present time. Have we not already spent too much there already. Most of the Afghans apparently would prefer the Taliban government back in any case.

  • Martin says:

    Of course they are. But that shouldn’t get in the way of the nuts and bolts of the current Afghan campaign, which is what Osama Jnr heavily relies on for emphasis. After digging on the net I found the Afghans rely on their ‘commando battalions’ to take the fight to the Jihadi scumbags. While not fully commando in the western sense of the word, (more like combat effective rapid reaction forces) the expansion of these formations (which the Afghans desperately want) is the only way to gain victory using native human resources. The Afghan government needs these battalions to win the war.

  • irebukeu says:

    I agree with your comments and would vote thumbs down on its expansion or even continuance.
    Let us take a partial look at what the word ‘difficult’ will entail in Afghanistan. Tens of thousands of dead Americans and trillions in spending to bury them. How much money will Russia and others earn off transporting supplies to An American field army some 300,000 strong?
    How much gasoline will need to be brought in and brought from where and how to do it? With the fully burdened cost of fuel (FBCF) being between 350 and 750 dollars for every gallon delivered to the troops, how many gallons will supply a 300,000 strong field army built around vehicles that suck a gallon every 6 miles? How many convoys through the mountains are needed just for the fuel. How many Americans never make it out of the passes just for the fuel?
    Do 300,000 Americans take orders from Afghans while we win over their hearts and minds, or are we just grinding the faces of Afghans, changing the ROE every 10 minutes while seeking something we call a victory regardless of Afghan concerns (I’d be more for victory than Afghan concerns if I was for this war)?
    I don’t think Afghanistan is a war that scales well.
    What ROE do we use? Do we send teams of infantry into mountain villages to root out Taliban snipers saving the homes of mountain villagers and lives of innocent children and civilians, or do we use air power and artillery to flatten and level anything that resists our power and fury? Lets look at the ROE of an empire that did conquer them. The mongols plundered and would slaughter everyone that resisted them, rape the women and children Anything that created fear was fair game.
    Should we emulate the mongols? Our humanity forbids it.
    I’m reminded of the writings of a Roman, who gave or recorded words of the Caledonian leader Galgacus who said when speaking of the Romans “To larceny, slaughter, plunder, they give the lying name of empire; they create a wasteland and call it peace,” (Tacitus, Agricola).
    Every move Rome ever made across one of its frontiers was in defense of its frontier. They constantly saw themselves as on the defensive.
    Now we find ourselves at the mouth of the Kyber in order to, defend Kentucky?
    There is so much talk of looting Afghanistan of its minerals, copper, or of turning it into a ‘glass parking lot’, ‘bombing it back into the stone age’ or even taking over the profitable opium business for ourselves (none of these were your comments Martin), how can any other words from history come to my mind?
    Another quote of Galgacus from the very same speech actually might cause us consideration in that in the need for the locals to resist a crushing outside force, a broader coalition and union unforeseen, can form. “Whenever I [Galgacus] consider the origin of this war and the necessities of our position, I have a sure confidence that this day, and this union of yours, will be the beginning of freedom to the whole of Britain”.
    I think bin Laden saw himself as a Galgacus so to speak and was trying to create just that kind of coalition. There is no unity in Afghanistan-never has been, so lets not be the ones to bring it.
    I think its time to let Iran and Russia worry about the extremism on their eastern flanks instead of profiteering off it. Let all the burnt Korans be found in the garbage dumps outside of their bases and not ours.
    Once again, I agree with your comment. My questions are rhetorical

  • Doug says:

    But Martin, doesn’t the goal of “conquering” Afghanistan play directly into the Jihadi narrative that we “Crusaders” desire to possess Muslim lands and that it’s the duty of all Muslims to repel us? I posit that such thinking is the sure fire recipe for a truly endless war.

  • Cindy says:

    It would be interesting to see an age-progression image(s) of Hamza bin Laden by an artist and/or a scientist to give the public a clearer idea of what bin Laden might look like at the present time.

  • pre-Boomer Marine brat says:

    Al Qaida is Wahhabist, and Wahhabis believe that even simple grave markers constitute idolatry. But it appears that doesn’t apply to those whose egos touch the Godhead. Way to go, Hamza.

  • Arjuna says:

    Well said. We never were in Afghanistan to win that fight. Too few personnel to accomplish the mission.
    Ditto for Iraq. Shinsecki said 400-500k (same # as in 1991) and Bush blew him off.
    PS Hamza needs a bullet.

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