Osama bin Laden praises Arab spring in posthumously released tape

A tape recorded by Osama bin Laden before his death in an American special forces raid earlier this month has been posthumously released onto Islamic militant websites.

The message, recorded some time in the ten weeks before the 54-year-old al-Qaida leader was killed in Pakistan on May 2, praises the "Arab Spring" protest movements across the Middle East and predicts that revolutions will spread.

"I think that the winds of change will blow over the entire Muslim world, God willing," bin Laden said in the 12-minute message.

The message, though a video clip, contains only an audio track and an old photo of the terrorist leader, probably indicating that it was designed to be edited with images but that al-Qaida media technicians were either unable to do so or that a decision was taken to upload the tape quickly.

The senior al-Qaida leadership were caught out by the unrest in the Arab World this spring and had difficulty framing an effective response to an outpouring of enthusiasm for democracy and pluralism.

In deposing President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and Zine el Abedine ben Ali in Tunisia, protestors achieved fundamental aims of al-Qaida itself without violence.

In the recording, Bin Laden accused rulers in the Middle East of building themselves into idols and manipulating the media to stay in power.

Al-Qaida figures have frequently blamed the media for the failure of the majority of Muslims to heed its call to arms.

"So, what are you waiting for?" Bin Laden asked in the most recent tape. "Save yourselves and your children, because the opportunity is here."

Bin Laden, who is thought to have been living in a three-storey house in the northern Pakistani town of Abbottabad for up to five years, spoke in high rhetorical language and avoided the more violent or apocalyptic language of many previous statements.

A full transcript of the tape is yet to be made available but bin Laden appears not to have threatened the West directly as has previously often been the case.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/19/osama-bin-laden-tape-posthumous-arab-spring

‘Day of Rage shakes Yemen

Anti-government protestors shout slogans during a demonstration demanding the resignation of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday,

SANAA—Tens of thousands of protesters flooded Yemen’s streets on Tuesday in a “Day of Rage,” demanding an end to the president’s three-decade rule.

In the capital Sanaa, demonstrators chanted “With blood and soul we support you, Aden,” referring to the southern port city where most of the 24 people killed in the past two weeks of protests have died.

Some demonstrators flashed “V” for victory signs while others wore white headbands with “Leave” written in red — a message addressed to President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Tens of thousands more marched through the streets of Ibb and Taiz, south of Sanaa.

On Monday Saleh offered to form a unity government but the opposition rejected it. On Tuesday, he replaced the governors of five mostly southern provinces at the centre of the protests.

Tunisia

Three Tunisian ministers resigned Tuesday, leaving the caretaker government which took over power after the president was overthrown teetering on the brink of collapse.

The new resignations meant that in the space of 72 hours the prime minister and five ministers have now quit, the worst political crisis in Tunisia since veteran leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was ousted a month and a half ago.

Iran

Police used tear gas and batons Tuesday to disperse resurgent anti-government protesters demanding the release of opposition leaders in the biggest clashes in Iran’s capital since demonstrators stormed back to the streets two weeks ago, witnesses and opposition websites said.

The recent return of skirmishes in the heart of Tehran — absent for more than a year after relentless crackdowns — borrow some raw inspiration from uprisings in the neighbouring Arab world. But it also reflects a possible miscalculation by authorities who sought to silence opposition leaders but instead gave their supporters a new rallying point.

Reports by family members and opposition websites claim the two most prominent anti-government figures, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mahdi Karroubi, have been moved from house arrest to full-time detention along with their wives. Iranian authorities deny the reports, but the two opposition leaders have not been seen in public or posted statements on their websites in more than a week.

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http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/947072--day-of-rage-shakes-yemen

Hamas concerned upheaval in Arab world will spill into Gaza

Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip are concerned about the effects of the upheaval in the Arab world, as Facebook messages call on Gaza residents to demonstrate against Hamas rule on Friday.

Several thousand people have joined the Facebook group calling for a protest against Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip. Another Facebook group is calling for protests against the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. Far fewer people have expressed interest in that page, but Palestinian leaders in the West Bank also recognize that the protests in Tunisia and Egypt could spill over into Palestinian territory.

In what seems to be an effort to hold off possible demonstrations, PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said the Palestinian Authority will hold municipal elections in the near future, and senior Fatah officials said they are considering general elections as well.

In Gaza City, Hamas police used force earlier this week to disperse a small rally showing solidarity with Egyptian protesters. Police officers dressed in civilian clothing arrested six women and detained some 20 others, according to Human Rights Watch.

The women were taken to a police station, where policewomen insulted them and slapped one of them during an interrogation, according to the report. The protesters were told not to demonstrate again without Hamas police authorization.

The Egyptian protests have also had other effects on the Palestinians.

A delegation of senior Hamas figures who had been scheduled to leave Gaza on Sunday to travel through Egypt and hold talks with the exiled Hamas leadership in Damascus were unable to leave the Strip because Egyptian authorities shut down the Rafah crossing. The Hamas officials were supposed to discuss a possible deal for the release of captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit.

Also as a result of the upheaval in Egypt, several Palestinians held in Egyptian jails have escaped to the Gaza Strip, or are making their way there. Unconfirmed reports state that Ayman Nofal, a senior figure in the military wing of Hamas, is one of the escaped prisoners.

The events in Egypt are also expected to affect the standing of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who is considered to be a friend of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak. If Mubarak steps down as president, it will be a political blow for Abbas.

Mubarak is considered the informal patron of the PA, while Syrian President Bashar Assad is the patron of Hamas.


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http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/hamas-concerned-upheaval-in-arab-world-will-spill-into-gaza-1.340690