Everyone on the internet (except TikTok) is confused when Osama bin Laden’s 2002 “Letter to America” goes viral.
WASHINGTON, DC: A wave of furious outrage erupted after Osama bin Laden’s twenty-year-old “Letter to America” resurfaced on the internet, with several TikTok users sympathizing with the leader. Al-Qaeda and questioning American foreign policy.
The lengthy two-page letter was first published by the Guardian newspaper in 2002, a year after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which killed nearly 3,000 people and seriously injured many others.
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In this letter, bin Laden attempted to justify the targeting and killing of American civilians while criticizing American military bases in the Middle East and the government’s support for Israel.
Osama Bin Laden’s Twenty-Year-Old ‘Letter to America’ Resurfaces on the Internet (Getty Images)
The al-Qaeda leader, killed during a US special operation in Pakistan in 2011, also used anti-Semitic language and homophobic rhetoric in his letter.
Nearly 21 years later, the letter’s virality has reignited criticism after it began circulating this week on the social media platform, and videos on the subject garnered at least 14 million views as of Thursday the 16th. november.
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Videos encouraging other users to read the letter and supporting some of bin Laden’s claims have been widely shared in opposition to U.S. aid to Israel in its ongoing conflict with Hamas.
Generation Z TikTokers sympathize with Bin Laden’s letter
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The hashtag #lettertoamerica on TikTok has already garnered 13.7 million views as of Thursday afternoon while X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has also seen more than 82,000 posts related to the documents.
In a now-deleted video that received more than 1.6 million views, a New York-based lifestyle influencer encouraged others to read the letter, saying, “If you’ve read it, let me know if you are also going through an existential crisis in this area. at this very moment, because in the last 20 minutes my entire perspective on the entire life I have believed in and lived has changed.
A third video, which garnered nearly 100,000 likes, showed a TikTok user at her kitchen sink with the caption: “Trying to get back to normal life after reading Osama bin’s ‘Letter to America’ Laden and realized everything we have learned about the Middle East. , 9/11 and “terrorism” was a lie.”
In a video viewed more than 60,000 times, another user said the letter showed her that America was a “scourge on the whole world,” according to the New York Times.
The young TikToker says she cried after reading Osama Bin Laden’s Letter to America.
She then goes on to read anti-Semitic passages from the letter claiming that Jews are criminals and that Israel must be “erased.” pic.twitter.com/JutwZNlFZ5
— Iyan Velji (@IyanVelji) November 16, 2023
TikTok has now blocked “Letter to America” from its search function, with a spokesperson saying videos featuring the letter violated the platform’s community guidelines.
“We are proactively and aggressively removing this content and investigating how it got to our platform. The number of videos on TikTok is low and reports of trends on our platform are inaccurate. “is not unique to TikTok and has appeared across multiple platforms and media outlets,” the platform said in a statement.
Tiktokers are now justifying the September 11 attacks and praising Osama Bin Laden because it was just “resistance” pic.twitter.com/5tqtFMWY5t
– Libs de TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 16, 2023
Internet outraged by reappearance of Osama bin Laden letter
After bin Laden’s letter resurfaced on the internet, several users denounced the apparent online trend while lambasting Tiktokers who encourage others to read it.
“TikTok is the weaponization of information. America just doesn’t realize it yet,” one user said. “It’s so wild. Can anyone tell me where we went wrong in sympathizing with Bin Laden in 2023? What’s going on?!?!’” said a second user.
“Wow! People quickly went from praising Hitler to praising Bin Laden! This is the next level cooked! The end of humanity is near! a third user declared, while a fourth wrote: “TikTok should be banned in the US. It would suck if I used the app, but lately it has become exponentially toxic.”
“The United States certainly has problems, but it is also the best country in the world in terms of individual freedoms. Nowhere else in the world do citizens have the same constitutional protections that we have here,” another user said.
“I think they’re doing pretty well considering we’re like 4 generations in the federal government controlling ‘education,’” another said.
“Most of these people on Tic Toc were born after the attacks. This entire generation is completely lost,” wrote another.
TikTok is the weaponization of information. America just doesn’t realize it yet.
— Craig Chamberlin (@CraigChamberlin) November 16, 2023
It’s so wild.
Can anyone tell me where we went wrong in sympathizing with Bin Laden in 2023?
What is going on?!?!
– CASH (@CASH_SEK) November 16, 2023
Wow ! People quickly moved from praising Hitler to praising Bin Laden! This is next level cooking! The end of humanity is near!
– Rad 😘 (@Just_Rad) November 16, 2023
Tik Tok should be banned in the United States. It would suck if I used the app, but lately it’s become exponentially toxic.
— SungChul (@theSons123017) November 16, 2023
The United States has problems, that’s for sure, but it’s also the best country in the world when it comes to individual freedoms.
Nowhere else in the world do citizens enjoy the same constitutional protections as we have here.
— FifthGear.cro | VVS Ambassador (@AntiStatism83) November 16, 2023
I think they’re doing pretty well considering we’re like 4 generations under federal control of “education”
— Barry Joe (@barryjeaux) November 16, 2023
Most of these people on Tic Toc were born after the attacks.
This entire generation is completely lost.
– SEMI-(REDACTED)🇺🇸 (@SemiRedacted) November 16, 2023
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individuals and organizations. cannot independently confirm them and does not support the claims or opinions expressed online.
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