Osama bin Laden’s 9/11 Justification Letter Goes Viral on TikTok, Sparks Debate Over Middle East Conflict

Two decades ago, Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 terror attack, outlined his reasoning for the heinous act that claimed nearly 3,000 lives. This week, his letter resurfaced on TikTok and ignited a new wave of discussions among the younger generation, highlighting the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and prompting renewed calls for peace.

On TikTok, a video claiming that “everything we learned about the Middle East, 9/11, and ‘terrorism’ was a lie” garnered over 900,000 views, spurring conversations about the roots of terrorism and the role of American support for Israel‘s occupation of the Palestinian territories. While some resonate with bin Laden’s justifications, others strongly criticize sympathizing with terrorists and promoting violence.

TikTok responded to the controversy by stating that content endorsing terrorism violates their rules and pledged to proactively remove such content while investigating its origins. The company emphasized that the number of videos related to bin Laden’s letter was small and not indicative of a widespread trend, contrary to reports.

Nevertheless, videos utilizing the hashtag #lettertoamerica received over 14 million views on Thursday, according to CNN. However, due to guideline violations, the phrase could no longer be searched on the app.

TikTok has faced previous controversies for its shared content, including accusations of bias towards the Palestinian cause. The platform highlighted younger people’s increased sympathy towards Palestinians and the ongoing advocacy for a ceasefire amidst the recent conflict in Gaza.

The viral nature of bin Laden’s letter can be attributed to TikTokers discovering an article published by The Guardian in 2002, although the news outlet removed the transcript on November 15 following its widespread social media sharing without full context.

In his letter, bin Laden attempts to justify the killing of civilians by citing American and government-sponsored violence against Muslims in the Palestinian territories, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He accuses the U.S. of hypocrisy for disregarding United Nations‘ law by allowing Israel’s prolonged occupation of Palestinian territories and violating its own laws through indefinite imprisonment at Guantanamo Bay.

The resurgence of bin Laden’s letter on TikTok has reignited debates about the Middle East conflict and terrorism, prompting deeper discussions about the complexities of these issues on a global scale.