Skip to main content /WORLD
CNN.com /WORLD
SERVICES
CNN TV
EDITIONS


COMPLETE COVERAGE | FRONT LINES | AMERICA AT HOME | INTERACTIVES »

On The Scene

Amanpour: Muslim reaction to bin Laden tape

Christiane Amanpour
Christiane Amanpour  


KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A videotape released Thursday shows Osama bin Laden boasting of his involvement in the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

Now, reaction is being measured around the world.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour is based in Kandahar, Afghanistan. She filed this report on reaction from the Islamic community.

AMANPOUR: These kinds of words (used by bin Laden on the tape) are going to sit very hard with the people of the Islamic world because the majority of them, they have been telling us this is something that no Islamic person, no Muslim could have done because it is against Islam. And they have all along said that if there is evidence of Osama bin Laden's guilt, then he should be punished, but they weren't sure he was guilty.

It will be very interesting to see how far people in that part of the world and in that faith are willing to put themselves on the line now and say, "This is the truth that we have unfortunately been waiting for," and to see whether they really come forward and say that bin Laden has to be punished and that they agree with what the allies have done in Afghanistan.

CNN: At one point, bin Laden said this event made people think about true Islam, which benefited it greatly. One would assume that this statement will reverberate with negative implications.

AMANPOUR: Most definitely. This act of September 11, from what we have found from talking and being around people in the Muslim world, has reverberated very negatively in the Islamic world and on the Islamic faith. That's why so many people have stood up and said, "This is against the principles of Islam," and I think this has been a turning point and a watershed moment for people of the Islamic faith. Many of them have stood up and said, "We do not accept this."

Now, it's going to be interesting to see how many leaders, clerics, scholars will stand up and say that this is now the proof they were looking for.



 
 
 
 


RELATED STORY:
RELATED SITES:
See related sites about World
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

WORLD TOP STORIES:

 Search   

Back to the top