Laura Mansfield translates new comedy tape

New video tape of Abu Yahya al Libi released by As Sahab

Abu Yahya al Libi, an Al Qaeda commander who escaped from the Bagram prison in Afghanistan in July 2005, has emerged as a rapidly rising figure in the Al Qaeda video world, with the release of a third video in as many months by Al Qaeda’s video production arm, As Sahab.

In this seventeen minute video announced on November 1, 2006, on various jihadi message boards, al Libi eulogizes his fellow Bagram escapee Farouq al Iraqi, who was killed several weeks ago in Iraq.

He calls upon Islamic scholars to join in on the battlefield of Jihad, chastising them for their lack of participation.

He claims victory over the Americans is near, asking the following questions of the US:

Here is your number one enemy after they spread their arrogance and conceit has admitted with all humiliation that its decision to go into Iraq was wrong. We ask him, how did you discover that its decision to go into Iraq was wrong and when?

Is it after your planes got tired of flying back and forth carrying thousands coffins of the dirty bodies of the soldiers who were killed by the loyal and faithful? Is it after you wasted all your billions and then found out that the money is going nowhere?

Is it after you discovered that Islamic nation is a nation of belief and principle, sacrifice and power, it is the nation that will never give up its principles, a nation that will never be led by any outsiders.

We tell you that you will discover soon that your decision to go into Afghanistan was wrong too. Know that your support to the state of Israel is wrong as well. Also know that your decision to go to the Arab peninsula, the birthplace of the message and the land of divine inspiration was wrong as well. You still admit and acknowledge that this nation is a nation of steadfastness and sacrifice and undefeated power that will never bow to its enemies despite their tyranny and arrogance. History will give you the lesson about our events, our states and our battles.

I have a real fear that Secretary Rice and her faithful followers will not respond to this video in the way that is really needs to be. Therefore, I am taking upon myself to give an honest assessment of the tape and the translation.

First, I must narrow the translation down to the relevent questions and translate them from the usual broken language of a translated text, to something that I can understand. There will be some minor paraphrasing here because of the limits of translation.

Abu Yahya al Libi wants to know four key points as far as I can tell, these are:
1) Why the Americans have finally decided to retreat from the Arab lands?
2) Is it the thousands of bodies being sent home to America?
3) Is it the billions of dollars wasted trying to uplift the Iraqi people?
4) Or is it that the Americans have finally figured out that Muslims like to live in these conditions and do not like to have modern technology. Except for the tools of war, of course.
This is followed by a rant that might have been written for any low grade action movie about how America will have to regret its involvement in the Arab world, Afganistan, the Arab world and Israel. I think it is a paraphrase of a similar rant in "Austin Powers". Or it is just something repeated to many times in these comedy shorts.

My response is: 1) The US is not retreating. A few people have been calling for surrender since Arabs flew jets into towers a few years ago, but these are the same ones who think the French have a military. Many of these same surrender monkeys also agree with the Imam in Australia that raping women is ok.
2) Thousands of bodies have been sent home. So? We liberated Europe twice and left battle fields littered with thousands more bodies. St Louis is more dangerous than Iraq! If you want to challenge us you need to do something different than we see at home. Maybe challenge us to combat instead of hiding in crowds dressed like a woman. Do you like to dress like a woman?
3) The US has spent billions on ways to make the Iraqi country into a model country for the world. It is too bad that a few men who like to hide behind women and children have been blowing up the afore mentioned women and children in a weak attempt to harm the Americans. Why are you afraid to allow them an education? Why are you afraid to let them talk back to you? Is it that you fear that you might not be able to control them if they slipped out of slavery?
4) The world knows that many Muslims are proud that they have not changed in 500 years. They live the same simple life that their ancestors always have. Too many Muslims would love to live like we do in the West, but are kept enslaved by a lack of education and an enslaving theocracy. If that is what you want, live that way. Do not force your way of life, or death as the case may be, upon your neighbors.

As for the rant: sticks and stones may break my bones, but barbarians can only threaten me. You might be able to harm or kill some of us, but we are winning this war because you only have one trick: death. The Free World is bringing in freedom and democracy. We are allowing people to think for themselves. Mot of these people like this freedom. It is only a few more years until you are finally gone. If you should live that long.