CAIRO: In a recent audio recording allegedly of Al-Qaeda figurehead Osama bin Laden, which was aired by Al Jazeera news network last Friday, the Islamic terror leader turned his attention to environmental issues in his latest diatribe against the United States and other Western nations. It is unclear whether the message is of bin Laden or someone claiming to be the Al-Qaeda head.

Bin Laden argued that the West is not the only entity able to speack about global warming, saying it is not an “intellectual luxury” to speak about climate change.

“This is a message to the whole world about those responsible for climate change and its repercussions – whether intentionally or unintentionally – and about the action we must take,” bin Laden said.

He called on his followers to end using the American dollar in what he said would “free humankind from slavery to America.” In support of American intellectual and writer Noam Chomsky, bin Laden said “Noam Chomsky was correct when he compared the US policies to those of the mafia.

“They are the true terrorists and therefore we should refrain from dealing in the US dollar,” he continued.

It is the first time a message from Al-Qaeda has centered on environment issues, but Steven Jones, an American security analyst said that while the environment is a key issue today, “bin Laden was quick to move on and continue his rhetoric that is not winning new followers.”

It is the second alleged message from bin Laden in less than a week. In the last tape, dubbed “Osama to Obama,” only days earlier, bin Laden warned US President Barack Obama that the US would face further attacks if it did not stop its support for Israel. He also praised a Nigerian man’s failed attempt to blow up an airplane over Detroit on December 25.

BM

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