Dangerous Tiktok hype surrounding Osama bin Laden “Letter to America”

Dangerous Tiktok hype surrounding Osama bin Laden “Letter to America”

Another dangerous trend on Tiktok: Numerous users are celebrating the anti-Semitic agitation of Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of September 11th.

An anti-Semitic, anti-American and Islamist propaganda pamphlet by Osama bin Laden from 2002 has become a dangerous trending topic on the Chinese social media platform Tiktok. A number of users, currently mainly from the United States, praise it in their videos “Letter to America” the former head of the terrorist organization al Qaeda.

According to media reports, the top terrorist who was killed by US soldiers in May 2011 spread numerous anti-Semitic stereotypes such as that of a world controlled by Jews and called for the extinction of the Israeli state. The latter aspect in particular elicits approval from many on Tiktok in connection with the current Middle East conflict – bin Laden is referred to in comments as “one of the good ones” transfigured, the terrorist is reinterpreted as a freedom fighter. In addition to insults against the United States, the pamphlet also contains threats against Americans. Bin Laden is considered, among other things, to be the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2011, in which almost 3,000 people were killed.

“Letter to America” goes viral on Tiktok

The letter is going viral on Tiktok more than 20 years after it was written. “It opened my eyes”a young user praises the terrorist’s words in a video that has been viewed millions of times. “I will never look at the world and the country differently again.” Her life has changed completely, she admits, without going into detail, and calls on others: “Please read the entire letter!”

And this was done by countless people who also reported on Tiktok about their thoughts after reading the manifesto – mostly positive, but sometimes the readers seemed almost overwhelmed by the content of the manifesto “Letters to America”. The result is more and more recommendations for writing.

The letter was translated into English and published in 2002 by, among others, the British newspaper “The Guardian”. After the propaganda publication was spread more and more widely without any further context in the wake of the Tiktok hype, the editorial team removed the text from the website on Wednesday – which in turn feeds the conspiracy myth among many users that a supposed truth should be hidden. The result: The “Letter to America” continues to spread unabated on Tiktok.

The Chinese platform is regularly criticized because those who spread false reports, terrorist propaganda, conspiracy myths, but also content that endangers mental or physical health usually do nothing. Tiktok is particularly popular among younger people.

Cool. Generation Z discovered in the USA Osama Bin Laden. Wasn’t on my bullshit bingo card”, German military and security policy expert Carlo Masala smugly comments on the Tiktok trend. Journalist Konstantin Nowotny says: “Tiktok is rapidly developing into a conspiracy slingshot of epic proportions. Dark, dark times.”

Sources: Tiktok, ,,

Source: Stern

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