Al Qaeda to Iran: Stop Spreading Conspiracy Theories about 9/11

September 28, 2011 1:16 PM

The latest issue of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's Inspire magazine is finally here, with a special edition for the 10th anniversary of 9/11. This issue has gotten some traction in the media for its feature story, "Iran and the Conspiracy Theories" You can view excerpts at Public Intelligence, download the entire magazine as a PDF, or simply read the Iran article after the jump. Please note that this magazine contains images of 9/11 and other conflicts that may be triggers for some people.

Iran and the Conspiracy Theories:

There have been plenty of conspiracy theories surrounding the events of 9/11. These conspiracy theorists believe that the U.S. government manufactured the attacks while others believe that it was the Israeli Mossad who was behind them. They site claims such as the Pentagon was not hit by a plane but by a rocket, and that the World Trade center building number seven was brought down by a controlled demolition. The prescribers to these theories have been some scattered individuals here and there who do not posses the research capabilities and capacities that are only available to governments. However, there has been one exception: the government of Iran.

The Iranian government has professed on the tongue of its president Ahmadinejad that it does not believe that al Qaeda was behind 9/11 but rather, the U.S. government. So we may ask the question: why would Iran ascribe to such a ridiculous belief that stands in the face of all logic and evidence?

Since the start of the Iranian revolution, Iran wanted to project an image of antiAmericanism. This would serve as a rallying call for the millions of Muslims around the world who despise America for its aggression against them. Iran played this card very well and garnered a lot of support among the Muslims as being the country that is willing to stand up to America.

If Iran was genuine in its animosity towards the U.S., it would be pleased to see another entity striking a blow at the Great Satan but that’s not the case. For Iran, anti-Americanism is merely a game of politics. It is anti-America when it suits it and it is a collaborator with the U.S. when it suits it, as we have seen in the shameful assistance Iran gave to the U.S. in its invasion of Afghanistan and in the Shi`a of Iraq, backed by Iran, bringing the American forces into the country and welcoming them with open arms.

Therefore with 9/11, the Iranians saw a great operation that had brought damage to the U.S. like nothing they had ever dreamed of causing during their two decades in power. For them, al Qaeda was a competitor for the hearts and minds of the disenfranchised Muslims around the world. Al Qaeda, an organization under fire, with no state, succeeded in what Iran couldn’t. Therefore it was necessary for the Iranians to discredit 9/11 and what better way to do so? Conspiracy theories.

Iran and the Shi`a in general do not want to give al Qaeda credit for the greatest and biggest operation ever committed against America because this would expose their lip-service jihad against the Great Satan

Note: None of these links go to Al Qaeda or Al Qaeda affiliated groups. (previously)

posted by 2bucksplus (49 comments total)

...and yes, The Onion did this already.
posted by 2bucksplus at 1:17 PM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

Interesting, the PDF was created from Adobe InDesign CS5 7.0 (PDF properties). Not sure why, but I find that interesting. I figured the terr'ists would have used a pirated copy of MS Publisher and some open source PDF distiller. Guess they hate our country, but love our desktop publishing software.
posted by punkfloyd at 1:24 PM on September 28, 2011 [5 favorites]

I always love how news media reports on material from "Al-Qaeda websites" without ever, EVER giving you a link- because, of course, if you click on it you might turn into a terrorist. The Wikipedia article seems to be more of the same. Does anyone have an actual link for Inspire?
posted by dunkadunc at 1:24 PM on September 28, 2011

(Apart from the re-hosted PDF, that is.)
posted by dunkadunc at 1:25 PM on September 28, 2011

I always love how news media reports on material from "Al-Qaeda websites" without ever, EVER giving you a link- because, of course, if you click on it you might turn into a terrorist. The Wikipedia article seems to be more of the same. Does anyone have an actual link for Inspire?

(I posted this partially because I had a hell of a time finding the original piece, if you're truly interested I suggest you contact Public Intelligence. You could also email Al Qaeda (!) at their gmail address (!!) at the back of their magazine, but don't actually do that.)
posted by 2bucksplus at 1:27 PM on September 28, 2011

I have always assumed Inspire is some sort of CIA honeypot.
posted by punkfloyd at 1:29 PM on September 28, 2011 [4 favorites]

I have always assumed Al-Qaeda was some sort of CIA honeypot.
posted by dunkadunc at 1:36 PM on September 28, 2011 [5 favorites]

Please note that this magazine contains images of 9/11 and other conflicts that may be triggers for some people.

Is this really necessary?
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 1:39 PM on September 28, 2011 [8 favorites]

I have always assumed that the CIA is some sort of Al-Qaeda plot.
posted by shothotbot at 1:39 PM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

I have always assumed that the CIA is a cooking school.
posted by kmz at 1:41 PM on September 28, 2011 [11 favorites]

(Apart from the re-hosted PDF, that is.)

They probably don't have their own website, rather they just pass files around.
posted by delmoi at 1:42 PM on September 28, 2011

Guess they hate our country, but love our desktop publishing software.

I often hate our country, but my love for Indesign burns brightly.
posted by Frowner at 1:43 PM on September 28, 2011

Is this really necessary?

I don't think so personally but I didn't want the thread to start off with a 30 comment derail and subsequent MeTa call out.
posted by 2bucksplus at 1:44 PM on September 28, 2011

You could also email Al Qaeda (!) at their gmail address (!!)

If you're curious but can't or don't want to view the PDF, that email address is [e-mail].
posted by theodolite at 1:45 PM on September 28, 2011 [3 favorites]

I'm frankly pretty amused that an Al Qaeda publication is so sore on that topic.
posted by Sticherbeast at 1:47 PM on September 28, 2011

Does anyone have an actual link for Inspire?

From this forum (the english version of the Ansar AlJihad Network) it looks like there wasn't a single "official link." Rather, the latest issue was uploaded to a bunch of file sharing sites, presumably to provide redundancy. This post has a list of URLs and the password for the file. Other forums seem to be reposting the same links.
posted by jedicus at 1:48 PM on September 28, 2011

"I'm frankly pretty amused that an Al Qaeda publication is so sore on that topic."

Reflections of past achievements are all they've got at this point. Al Qaeda's glory days are over, so now they spend their time defending the brand against challenges.

By the bye, did this issue mention the death of that old guy... Osama something? Seems like the sort of thing they'd have an opinion on.
posted by Kevin Street at 1:58 PM on September 28, 2011

"10 Signs He's Ready To Commit (To Jihad)"
posted by Trurl at 1:59 PM on September 28, 2011 [15 favorites]

By the bye, did this issue mention the death of that old guy... Osama something? Seems like the sort of thing they'd have an opinion on.

He's mentioned in passing. "Shaykh Usama might be dead, but his deeds are not." It's puzzling that there's not even a rah-rah Osama obit.
posted by Sticherbeast at 2:12 PM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

By the bye, did this issue mention the death of that old guy... Osama something? Seems like the sort of thing they'd have an opinion on.

Yes, it mentions that. "Shaykh Usama might be dead but his deeds are not." There are some other past-tense references.
posted by jedicus at 2:12 PM on September 28, 2011

It's puzzling that there's not even a rah-rah Osama obit.

Issue 5 was the "Osama issue." The cover story is "The Martyrdom of Shaykh Usama," which is very much a "rah-rah Osama obit."
posted by jedicus at 2:16 PM on September 28, 2011 [2 favorites]

Interesting to see the opposing propaganda. It reads pretty similar to the neo-right in the US, but with all the heroes and villains and religions swapped around.
posted by cmyk at 2:17 PM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

Well, that's not what I expected.
posted by klangklangston at 2:18 PM on September 28, 2011 [3 favorites]

And man, the Al Qaeda Inspire mag is really terribly laid out and edited. We do a better job at MeFi Mag, and we're not even funded by Saudi oil money. (If any Al Qaeda members are out there and would like a flashy new magazine, lemme know. I'm sure we can work something out.)
posted by klangklangston at 2:20 PM on September 28, 2011

Note: None of these links go to Al Qaeda or Al Qaeda affiliated groups.

And yet, MetaFilter is full of links which go directly to the US Government and US Government affiliated groups.
posted by williampratt at 2:25 PM on September 28, 2011

My paranoia is such that I won't even surf to Al Jazeera. It makes me a little nervous to even read the wikipedia page on Al Jazeera or Sayyid Qutb or write this post.
posted by bukvich at 2:36 PM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

My paranoia is such that I won't even surf to Al Jazeera.

What's wrong with Al Jazeera?
posted by indubitable at 2:43 PM on September 28, 2011

> What's wrong with Al Jazeera?

Dick Cheney would like to blow them up.
posted by bukvich at 2:45 PM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

Al Jazeera is currently having its own problems. One charge just made is that a top guy there was also a Hamas operative. Also they had to get rid of an editor who, it seems, had a CIA connection.
I read that paper regularly and though interesting it is not truly a must-have publication by any means. But then how many news sources are?
posted by Postroad at 2:48 PM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

Dick Cheney actually blew them up in Kabul.

To be fair to him, most of the rest of the world would love to blow up Fox News HQ.
posted by Harry at 2:48 PM on September 28, 2011 [2 favorites]

And man, the Al Qaeda Inspire mag is really terribly laid out and edited. We do a better job at MeFi Mag, and we're not even funded by Saudi oil money. (If any Al Qaeda members are out there and would like a flashy new magazine, lemme know. I'm sure we can work something out.)

Metafilter: Better than those funded by Saudi Oil Money.
posted by Ironmouth at 2:49 PM on September 28, 2011

Man, I've been trying to freelance for these guys forever. They won't call me back.
posted by Fister Roboto at 2:54 PM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

Al Jazeera somewhat regularly shows up in my FIOS "What's Hot on TV Now!" widget here in the DC area. Once in a blue moon I've even seen it beating out whatever's on Fox News. True story.
posted by feloniousmonk at 3:02 PM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

Please note that this magazine contains images of 9/11 and other conflicts that may be triggers for some people.

Is this really necessary?
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 1:39 PM on September 28 [5 favorites +] [!]

No. But is it unnecessary? No.
Why complain about a single sentence someone decided to tack onto the end of a sentence? It's not like the inclusion of a warning means you have to, too. Poster wanted it, he posted it. If you don't like it, don't add it when [or if] you ever make an FPP that could maybe possibly use one.
posted by shesaysgo at 3:03 PM on September 28, 2011 [3 favorites]

I read that paper regularly and though interesting it is not truly a must-have publication by any means. But then how many news sources are?

Huh? I think people are talking about the Al Jazeera TV Network.
posted by delmoi at 4:30 PM on September 28, 2011

Obviously, the Truthers are going to have to set Al Qaida straight.

I've been having to listen to Truther nonsense for ten years now and it only just hit me how funny it would be to see a Truther and a Jihadist go at it. The notion of AQ dissing the Truthers tickles my funnybone.
posted by warbaby at 4:37 PM on September 28, 2011 [2 favorites]

Finally!

Took the chickenshits 10 years to fess up to it.
posted by ocschwar at 4:46 PM on September 28, 2011

Took the chickenshits 10 years to fess up to it.

What on earth are you talking about?
posted by pompomtom at 5:04 PM on September 28, 2011

If you want additional conspiracy theory stuff surrounding Inspire, apparently they've changed their public key.
posted by antonymous at 6:20 PM on September 28, 2011

So in middle school I discovered that I could tune into Radio Havana, Castro's propaganda station, with just a short wave receiver and a bit of luck. Each night, the announcer would go off on a half-hour-long screed about the imminent downfall of America, then read off the day's American baseball scores.

Does Inspire have a sports section yet?
posted by miyabo at 6:40 PM on September 28, 2011 [2 favorites]

Note: None of these links go to Al Qaeda or Al Qaeda affiliated groups.

Confused. Are you guys actually that scared of your government that you wouldn't dare do this? Or is this a political statement by you that you would never be seen to be promoting Al Qaeda even by linking to them.
posted by wilful at 7:11 PM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

It's a little-known fact that Al Qaeda is funded entirely by google adwords.
posted by pompomtom at 8:27 PM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

My paranoia is such that I won't even surf to Al Jazeera.

Really? My paranoia is such that I go to Al Jazeera to check on what's really going on in my country.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:32 PM on September 28, 2011 [6 favorites]

Personally, all of my internet habits are based upon what Dick Cheney wants to blow up.
posted by IvoShandor at 10:04 PM on September 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

wilful, a few people might be in sensitive positions or using internet access that isn't theirs, so could potentially have questions about clicking on the links.

That said, the image of Al Zawahiri sitting in a room drinking tea while a hireling informs him of the website traffic numbers has its merits.
posted by dhartung at 10:50 PM on September 28, 2011 [2 favorites]

I live in a small American town where Al Jazeera is available on HD, you can't get it on cable, but it is intermittently available. Weather does sometimes break up the signal.
AJE was available on cable in Sarajevo. I used to watch it there.
EuroNews, Al Jazeera and between long readings and discussions in Arabic of the Koran, the Islam Channel were the main sources of news in English. You can get NPR news only on FM there. So that and week old Jon Stewart re-runs kept me up on American news during my year there.
posted by Katjusa Roquette at 7:41 AM on September 29, 2011

Pompomtom> One of Al Qaida's old websites used to have Google ads for SingleMuslims.com all over it.
posted by Pseudoephedrine at 2:12 PM on September 29, 2011

Houris count as 'single', right?
posted by pompomtom at 6:40 PM on September 29, 2011

U.S. Says Iran-Tied Terror Plot in Washington, D.C. Disrupted
posted by homunculus at 11:34 AM on October 11, 2011