This is a good one. Ekhlaas member Taqi al-Din posts a still from a Zawahiri video. He notices (correctly) that one of the books on Zawahiri’s shelf is Kenyon Gibson’s Awkar al-sharr (Nest of Evil), which is an Arabic translation of his book Common Sense: A Study of the Bushes, the CIA, and the Suspicions Regarding 9/11. Gibson is also the coauthor of Hemp for Victory, a noted 9/11 conspiracy buff, and a former naval intel officer. Well, at least the first two are certainly true.
It is not uncommon in the Arab world for this type of literature to be carried in mainstream bookstores, along with translations of works by better-known members of the left in the U.S. like Noam Chomsky and Michael Moore. There also seems to be a stream of similar literature coming from Europe. Books like these profoundly shape Arab understanding of U.S. intentions in the region.
I suspect Zawahiri is more interested in Gibson’s book for the allegations of wrongdoing by Bush and the CIA than he is in its conspiracy theories. Zawahiri has already taken credit for 9/11 several times and he accused the Iranians of putting around the lie that the U.S. and Israel carried it out.
Document (Arabic): 5-16-08-ekhlaas-kenyon-gibsons-nest-of-evil
3 Responses
His eyes are much better than mine.
Away from the topic
How long did it take you to learn Arabic?
Where did you study Arabic?
Perhaps you could tell us what mainstream bookstores in Casablanca, Morocco, carry the book that you mentioned.
The above statement in this blog can not be substantiated in any form for the simple reason that there is no survey or study on what types of books bookstores carry in major Arab capitals. This, like Iraq’s WMDs, is all based on exaggerations, hype and prejudice (you know, the Arab people are pre-disposed to believe in conspiracy theories).
What shapes Arab understanding of US intentions is its violent, reckless and misguided policies towards our region. Perhaps, the Iranians could have welcomed the CIA-led coup against their elected PM and Arabs could have welcomed Albright’s statement about the half a million dead Iraqi babies.
We do not need to read conspiracy theories or Noam Chomsky’s books in Arabic to see for ourselves the amount of wanton destruction, suffering, killing, torture the US government has inflicted on the people of Iraq in the last 5 years alone. It has been broadcast on our TV screens live, and the entire world has watched, not just us.
What you watched in the US is propaganda; Anyone who is cultured and educated enough to wonder beyond war cheerleading mainstream US news and beyond the reports from embedded journalists know this, and is disgusted by it.
History is recording and this time it will not written by the winners alone.
I am the author of the book in question (published by Arab Scientific Publishers of Beirut, if you cannot buy the book in your town, you might try contacting them directly), and thought I’d weigh in. The blog is basically correct, and I have to have some respect for a blogger who would spot such a detail. Well done mate!
Mr Zawahiri is not mentioned in the book, and, if as a previous comment asserts, he takes credit for 9/11, he is either a government stooge or a liar. I am sure the likes of him would like to do such acts, there are plenty of fools who do try their hand at terrorism, but most of them inflict few casualties, or, like the mad doctor in Glasgow, burn themselves. Richard Reid and the 21/7 crew are examples of that.
I will not try to put myself forward as some kind of authority on Mr. Z, I tend to recall that Guardian journalist Nick Davies tore apart many of the news stories about him; they were stupid hoaxes planted conveniently by Western intel forces. Mr. Z may just be one of many nuts out there who are dangerous, but not as bad as the CIA would like to tell us as they ask for more money on his account. One wonders sceptically if he gets a cut.
So if he read my book, he would be a bit disappointed. I do not pretend to know every detail, but I do present a large and indesputable body of evidence which shows that it was an inside job. And since the publication of the book, more evidence has come to light, such as the well corraborated testimony of White House decorated hero William Rodriguez. It has been ignored by the press, the likes of Johann Hari sent me a nasty email telling me I was deranged when I invited him to meet Rodriguez here in London – and others seemed especially scared to come and hear him.
One small point I might like to correct is that I was never an officer, just a lowly enlisted boy in Uncle Sam’s Yacht Club who got kicked up to the signal and communications bridge when they found I could speak/read Russian and some other languages. I am still not fluent po russki, I just read some basic things like the names of ships near Guantanamo Bay. There seems to be some mention of me going around cyberspace that I was an officer or CIA or a Navy seal. No, just an enlisted kid with an attitude. I did work against drug rings in NYC and investigated the Kenmore Hotel, which was raided by a number of agencies in 1994, and investigated some of those very agencies at the same time. Local cops (13th precinct) were great, but fed level agencies and some working with Guiliani were complete scum.
But getting back to the presence of my book on Mr. Z’s shelf, this is a dubious honour. Not having met him I reserve judgment, but I do not believe he is doing good for his own side. Most Moslems I know really do not want hotheads with a penchant for violence, they want to go about their lives and, Inshallah, have peace and prosperity. I wish this for all Moslems, Jews, Christians, everybody and it is why I wrote this book. It looks at 9/11 and other inside jobs, beginning with the Biblical episode of Joseph falsely accusing his brothers of being spies (planted evidence). The next historical example I know of is the burning of Rome, blamed on Christians by Nero. And then there is the 1898 USS Maine incident, blamed on Latin terrorists in Cuba, now known to be a hoax designed by the US press. The list goes on and on, but it is time to stop.
Peace to all and may we work to bring the real enemies of America, those who planned Operation Northwoods and took part in 9/11 to justice.
Kenyon Gibson,
Belsize Park, UK