Muslims Urged To Attack The West

Al Qaeda's Zawahri urges Muslims to attack the West:

"(Muslims have to) inflict losses on the crusader West, especially to its economic infrastructure with strikes that would make it bleed for years," said Zawahri, an Egyptian.

"The strikes on New York, Washington, Madrid and London are the best examples," he said.

"We have to prevent the crusader West from stealing the Muslims' oil which is being drained in the biggest robbery in history," he added. It was not clear if the tape was made before the failed al Qaeda attack last month on a major Saudi oil facility.

According to Reuters, Zawahri, who is Osama bin Laden's deputy, also called for an economic boycott against certain European countries:

"It is our duty to take part in a mass economic boycott of Denmark, Norway, France, Germany, and all countries that take part in this crusader attack against Islam," he said, referring to the cartoons first published in a Danish newspaper last year.

He described the cartoons as part of a U.S.-led "crusader" campaign. "An example of the hatred of the crusaders led by America ... are the repeated offences against the personality of the Prophet Mohammad, may peace be upon him," Zawahri said.

Even though Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, are on the run and many al-Qaeda leaders are dead or incarcerated, their audio and videotapes keep them in the news. The mere fact that they survive provides them and their al-Qaeda terrorists hope and a great propaganda victory.

More thoughts at The Counterterrorism Blog.