Osama bin Laden might be coming to a bookstore near you. At least his beliefs might.
That's because "The Al Qaeda Reader," a book that contains translated interviews with bin Laden and some of his al-Qaida counterparts, is scheduled to be made available in English next year.
Understandably, the announcement that the book will be hitting American shelves has inspired outrage among some family members of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks victims. They maintain that the book, which also provides a history of al-Qaida, might serve to further the group's agenda. They also argue that it might inspire some Americans to sympathize with the terrorist organization.
While these assertions might be plausible in some extreme cases, we feel that "The Al Qaeda Reader" has the potential to be a valuable and informative read. Too many Americans write al-Qaida off as an evil, violent terrorist group - which it undoubtedly is - without delving deeper into the motives behind the most violent attack on the United States in recent history.
Understanding the philosophies and history of one's enemy seems much more sensible than making simple generalizations. It is our hope that this book will create a more informed American public.
One particularly telling fact about the value this book might have is that some families - the people who lost the most during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks - support the book's release as a means of possibly preventing another terrorist attack. If someone who lost a husband or daughter on Sept. 11, 2001 is willing to read about the philosophies of bin Laden, it certainly says something about a need for this type of information.
And get this: Being a more informed citizen isn't the only reason you should check out "The Al Qaeda Reader." Doubleday, the book's publisher, has pledged to donate any profits to a charity that will be named before the book is released. The company also has said it will not provide any royalties to bin Laden or anyone else quoted in the book, even though the al-Qaida members could technically sue.
Learning valuable information, helping a charity and screwing bin Laden out of some cash? You can't afford not to pick this book up.
