Osama Bin Laden: Terrorist and...Wedding Poet?

The pending publication of Osama Bin Laden's poetry in the academic journal Language and Communication next month is sparking some debate. While the poems could provide insight into Bin Laden's psyche, many people wonder why the heck you would give the guy another forum.

The poetry is being translated by Professor Flagg Miller who teaches Arabic poetry at the University of California at Davis. Miller is working from recordings discovered at an Al Qaeda compound in Kandahar in 2001 which include Bin Laden reciting his poetry at weddings, ceremonies, and various Al Qaeda recruiting events. The FBI spent years translating and screening the poems for hidden messages to Bin Laden's followers. Now that the poems are apparently clear, Miller aims to publish a book about them.

Judging by Miller's descriptions, Bin Laden's poetry is what you'd expect it to be. He paints himself as a sort of warrior poet and aims to incite violent religious fundamentalism by blending religious imagery--much of it taken directly from the Quran--with imagery of war and heroism. Miller calls Bin Laden an "entertainer with an agenda" and describes a typical tactic:

"He told gory tales of dead mujaheddin from the villages where he was speaking, which was often the first time their families had learned of their fates. He mixed this news up with radical theology and his own verse based on the traditions of hamasa - a warlike poetic tradition from Oman calculated to capture the interest of young men."

Elsewhere, he gets to the heart of it:

"The violence and barbarism of war can sicken anybody and poetry is a way to frame that violence in higher ethics."

It's a strong argument, I think, for not publishing the poetry.

According to Miller, Bin Laden actually has some poetical talent. In a recent interview with The Times of London, Miller said: "Bin Laden is a skilled poet with clever rhymes and meters, which was one reason why many people taped him and passed recordings around, like pop songs." Bin Laden may, in fact, have "clever rhymes and meters"--I really don't know--but I'm guessing his poetry's popularity has more to do with his legions of fanatical radical Islamic followers. I doubt listeners were charmed by what Miller calls Bin Laden's "distinctive monotone."

Another Arabic scholar interviewed by The Times, who has read the poems and wished to remain anonymous, disagreed with Bin Laden's ability, saying of the poems:

"They seem adolescent and brutal, like a video--nasty, composed with minimal skill to win over the susceptible mind of the young and bloodthirsty male...Whatever else Bin Laden is, he is now exposed as a disgrace to two millennia of Arabic culture."

Miller's playing up Bin Laden's skill might have something to do with his being in the process of writing--and thus to some degree pitching--a book on the subject. Even if the Bin Laden poems were radical Islam's answer to Walt Whitman, I'd prefer it if his work ended up lost in a government warehouse somewhere. It's currently headed to Yale University to be digitized.

Comments

[Gary47]

Bush's war on terror going "strong" for five years now is so totally unsuccessful that the head bad guy is not only still at large, he's so at ease he's writing poetry! Good work George. Worst President Ever.

[kevinbracken]

I'm with fisharefreinds, although these were written in 2001 and earlier.

But seriously, do we have any evidence that he's alive? Last video was released in 2004 and that French newspaper reported on a leak about him dying.

There must be people in Washington who know the answer.

[grata2ude]

McCain is a poet too

Bomb Bomb Bomb
Bomb Bomb Iran.


His feel are Longfellows.

[SadButWiser]

This is no poetry, this is pop music. :)

[JiminNC]

And he stole the melody

[fisharefreinds]

Isn't he, and hasn't he been, DEAD for many years? A ghost wrote this.

[Karisma]

Yeah, I've got some poetry for Osama Bin Laden...Li­ve by the Sword, die by the Sword!

[Swerinjer]

the pen is mightier than the sword.

[Infokronea]

Creativity is what tells us that we're dealing with a neurotic, not a psychopath. Hitler, the failed artist, for example, was a neurotic, not a psychopath. A psychopath is the shark of the human species. His main line of attack is his ability to mimic and mirror his intended victim...a chameleon as it were. Furthermore, he tends to exhibit a pronounced lack of creativity. Dangerous, yes. But he is nothing compared to a neurotic gone the way of Hannibal Lector. A neurotic of this sort, especially someone as intelligent as bin Laden, is a predator that can reason, plan, rationalize, and is willing to die for a cause. So yes, by all means, publish and read Mr. bin Laden's poetry and respect the mind behind it. Learn from it. And never, ever underestimate the man and his followers. Or to put it in Vietnam era terms: We are fighting "Mr. Charles" folks, not "Charlie".

[Swerinjer]

is he in charge?

[Norge]

Perhaps Osama has studied Virgil's The Aeneid and sees himself as Aeneas in the 21st century.

Aeneas's trials and adventures on the way to winning his kingdom.
The horrific slaughters of those long gone days have only changed by way of the tools used to inflict
the carnage.
As Aeneas slipped from the burning city of Troy to continue his battles, so has Osama slipped through
all of the modern high tec. to persue his goals and fullfill his own divine destiny though unlike Aeneas,
Osama has not turn to the west but against the west which once helped him and armed him and gave him millions in arms to persue his goals. To Osama, he had been betrayed by the infidels.

Virgil wrote of battles. Perhaps in his day he was also scorned as Osama is today.
Dante even left him in pergatory. How is that for an insult to one of histories great poets.

[ElBruce]

I utterly disagree with this. Information is never harmful, and even the most vile people can provide interesting insights into their motivations. I challenge you to read Ted Kaczynski's essay sometime. Or Mein Kampf. They both do an excellent job of describing their authors' unique relationships with the world around them.

[marymansour]

I met Bin Laden many years ago in Jeddah when he was still a very young man. He was soft spoken and very poetic. A true flower child at that time in the early 70's. I am not suprised that he writes poetry. It's a tragedy that he turned to terrorism.

[MagisterLudi]

Anagrams for Osama Bin Laden

21. Sane Oilman Bad
20. I bona leadsman
19. Nasal Nomad Be I
18. Be a Slain Nomad
17. A bend lama son
16. Albania's Demon
15. A lesbian nomad
14. Alias "Boned Man"
13. So I anal bad men
12. And I blame a son
11. No Asian bedlam
10. I.D.: Mean Anal S.O.B.
9. I, a sad nobleman
8. A slain abdomen
7. I'm so banal, Edna
6. I model bananas
5. A mob, insane lad
4. Is a lone, bad man
3. Do a samba, Lenin
2. I'm Dole bananas
1. Abandon E-mails

[rbloom]

So does Adam Sandler play him in the movie?