Letter to the American People

"Letter to America" redirects here. For the 2001 Bulgarian film, see Letter to America (film).

Letter to the American People
Osama bin Laden, 1st General Emir of al-Qaeda
CreatedNovember 2002
Commissioned byAl-Qaeda
Author(s)Osama bin Laden[1][2]
Purpose
  • Justifying al-Qaeda's war against United States as defensive Jihad against U.S. aggression[3][1][4]
  • Promising the escalation of war until the withdrawal of American forces from Muslim lands[1][3]
  • Criticism of American cultural values, support for Israel and for their government[1][5]
This article is part of
a series about
Osama bin Laden
Personal
1st General Emir of al-Qaeda
Works
Killing and legacy

Letter to the American People (Arabic: رسالة إلى الشعب الأمريكي, romanized: Risāla ʾIlā al-Shʿab al-ʾAmrīkī; also known as Letter to America) is a manifesto of Osama bin Laden, published by al-Qaeda in November 2002. Initially appearing on a Saudi website linked to al-Qaeda, its English translation was widely shared online and was published[2] by The Observer, a British Sunday newspaper affiliated with The Guardian. The letter criticizes American foreign policy in the Middle East—particularly as it applies to its support of Israel—to justify attacks on American targets; it also employs antisemitic tropes.[6][7][1][8]

The content blends religious, moral, and political critiques against the United States, portraying it as an imperial power hostile to the Muslim world and justifies war against the U.S. The letter criticizes the U.S. for not adopting sharia (Islamic law), condemns its economic practices like usury, and accuses it of moral decay due to the social acceptance of practices contrary to purported Islamic values. It also accuses the U.S. of supporting oppressive regimes in Muslim countries and exploiting their resources. The letter justifies targeting American civilians in retaliation against the indiscriminate attacks of U.S. military forces, arguing that U.S. nationals indirectly support U.S. policies through democracy and taxes. It urges Americans to embrace Islam and demands the U.S. to withdraw its military from Muslim lands and end support for corrupt leaders. It also propagates conspiracy theories, including the claim that AIDS was a "Satanic American Invention".[6][7]

The letter gained renewed attention in 2023 amid the Israel–Hamas war, after a compilation of TikTok videos referencing the letter went viral on Twitter.[9] The Guardian removed the letter from its website, citing context issues. TikTok, responding to the videos' virality, removed hashtags and videos related to or featuring the letter's contents. This resurgence sparked discussions on online radicalization, state-sponsored Internet propaganda, and Internet censorship, and the implications of suppressing or allowing access to such content.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b c d e C. Tucker, Spencer, ed. (2010). "15: Osama bin Laden, "Letter to the American People", November 2002 [Excerpts]". The Encyclopedia of Middle East Wars: The United States in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Conflicts. Vol. V: Documents. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 1769–1774. ISBN 978-1-85109-947-4.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference observer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Marlin, Robert O. (2004). "Document 11: Bin Laden's "Letter to America", November 24, 2002". What Does Al Qaeda Want?: Unedited Communiques. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books. pp. 56–57. ISBN 1-55643-548-7.
  4. ^ Devji, Faisal (2005). Landscapes of the Jihad. London, UK: Hurst & Company. pp. 128–130. ISBN 1-85065-775-0.
  5. ^ A. Aghajan, Shawn (2022). Imperial Pilgrims. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock. pp. 175, 176. ISBN 978-1-6667-0-394-8.
  6. ^ a b c O'Sullivan, Donie; Thorbecke, Catherine; Gordon, Allison (2023-11-16). "Some young Americans on TikTok say they sympathize with Osama bin Laden". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  7. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Reporter-2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Perrin, Benjamin, ed. (2012). Modern Warfare. Vancouver, Canada: UBC Press. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-7748-2234-3.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Harwell-2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).