BBC: The second-in-command of Islamic militant network al-Qaeda has called on Muslims to harm "criminal" America.
In a message purportedly from Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al-Qaeda deputy accused US President-elect Barack Obama of betraying his Muslim roots.
He likened him to a "house slave" - who had chosen to align himself with the "enemies" of Islam.
Mr Obama has said stamping out al-Qaeda "once and for all" will be a top priority during his administration.
On Sunday, he said capturing or killing Osama Bin Laden was "critical" to US security.
He has also promised to bolster the US presence in Afghanistan - a policy that would fail, said the al-Qaeda deputy.
The US said the message did not signal any increased threat against America.
This is undoubtedly a message aimed at sustaining anti-American sentiment among Muslims in the face of Barack Obama's election, says the BBC's defence correspondent Rob Watson.
But it is a risky approach, our correspondent says.
Barack Obama is hugely popular world-wide and his colour and background make him a much tougher target to attack than President George W Bush in the eyes of a global audience, he says.
'Trespassing crusader'
Zawahiri, an Egyptian by birth, is often referred to as Osama Bin Laden's right-hand man and the chief ideologue of al-Qaeda.
The audio message, which ran with photographic stills and some video footage, appeared on militant websites.
Mr Obama's election did not mean that US policy towards the Muslim world had changed, Ayman al-Zawahiri said, according to the 11-minute message.
He warned Mr Obama of failure if he followed the policies of the Bush administration.
The change of leadership in the US did not mean that America should be perceived differently, he added.
"America, the criminal, trespassing crusader, continues to be the same as ever, so we must continue to harm it in order for it to come to its senses," he said.
Zawahiri also criticised Mr Obama - whose father is Muslim - for betraying the Islamic world.
"You were born to a Muslim father, but you chose to stand in the ranks of the enemies of the Muslims, and pray the prayer of the Jews, although you claim to be Christian, in order to climb the rungs of leadership in America," he said.
Mr Obama was not an "honourable black American" like Malcolm X, he said, but an "abeed al-beit" - a word that translates as house slave but was rendered "house negro" in the message's English subtitles. >>> | November 19, 2008
CNN: Al Qaeda Leader Mocks Obama in Web Posting
Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader is heard in a Web posting Wednesday warning President-elect Barack Obama that "a heavy legacy of failure and crimes awaits" him.
In the message, purportedly from Ayman al-Zawahiri, the speaker criticized Obama's foreign policy positions on Afghanistan and Israel and ridiculed the president-elect's worldview, comparing him unfavorably to Malcolm X, the fiery African-American Muslim activist from the 1950s and 1960s.
The posting, an 11 minute and 23 second audio message in Arabic with subtitles in English, appeared on the Web on Wednesday. Its authenticity cannot yet be confirmed.
It shows a graphic with the words "The departure of Bush and the arrival of Obama." That graphic also contains a still image of Malcolm X on a Muslim prayer rug in a mosque; images of Obama, wearing a Jewish skullcap, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, and a picture of al-Zawahiri.
There are also archival videos in the message, including clips of speeches from Malcolm X.
"You have reached the position of president, and a heavy legacy of failure and crimes awaits you. A failure in Iraq to which you have admitted, and a failure in Afghanistan to which the commanders of your army have admitted," the message said.
The speaker also said Obama's plan to pull troops from Iraq and send them to Afghanistan "is a policy which was destined for failure before it was born."
"If you still want to be stubborn about America's failure in Afghanistan, then remember the fate of Bush and Pervez Musharraf, and the fate of the Soviets and British before them," the message said. "And be aware that the dogs of Afghanistan have found the flesh of your soldiers to be delicious, so send thousands after thousands to them."
The message said Obama appears "to be captive to the same criminal American mentality towards the world and towards the Muslims." The speaker cited Muslims' ire toward Obama's support of Israel.
The message said Obama represents the "direct opposite of honorable black Americans" like Malcolm X.
The speaker also said Obama, former and current secretaries of state Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, and "your likes" fit Malcolm X's description of "house slaves."
The English translation of the message used the term "House Negroes," Malcolm X's term for blacks who were subservient to whites.
Laura Mansfield, a terrorism analyst, said this wouldn't be the first time al-Zawahiri used the Arabic term "abayd al bayt," which literally translates as slaves or servants of the house. >>> | November 19, 2008
NZZ Online: Kaida droht Barack Obama: Geplante Truppenaufstockung in Afghanistan «zum Scheitern verurteilt»
Die Nummer zwei des Terrornetzwerkes Kaida, Aiman as-Sawahiri, hat den künftigen amerikanischen Präsidenten Barack Obama davor gewarnt, weitere Truppen nach Afghanistan zu entsenden. Ein solches Vorhaben sei «zum Scheitern verurteilt», sagte Sawahiri in einer Mitteilung.
(sda/afp) Obamas Vorhaben, amerikanische Soldaten aus dem Irak nach Afghanistan zu verlegen, sei «zum Scheitern verurteilt», sagte Sawahiri in einer im Internet veröffentlichten Audiobotschaft, die am Mittwoch von der auf die Beobachtung islamistischer Websites spezialisierte SITE Intelligence Group veröffentlicht wurde.
Wenn Obama sich weiterhin weigere, das «Versagen der USA» in Afghanistan anzuerkennen, solle er sich an das Schicksal des scheidenden Präsidenten Bush, Pakistans zurückgetretenen Staatschef Pervez Musharraf sowie die Niederlagen Grossbritanniens und der Sowjetunion in Afghanistan erinnern. >>> | 19. Novemebr 2008
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le numéro 2 d'Al-Qaida traite Obama d'"esclave noir" au service des Blancs
DUBAI | Le numéro 2 d'Al-Qaida, Ayman Zawahiri, a traité le président élu des Etats-Unis, Barack Obama, d'"esclave noir" au service des Blancs, dans un message diffusé mercredi sur l'internet.
Dans sa première intervention depuis la victoire de Barack Obama le mois dernier, l'adjoint égyptien d'Oussama Ben Laden traite le premier Noir élu président et d'autres Noirs occupant ou ayant occupé d'importantes fonctions aux Etats-Unis, "d'esclaves noirs domestiques" qui vivaient dans la maison de leurs maîtres blancs.
"Ce que Malcom X disait au sujet des esclaves employés de maison s'applique à vous et à des gens comme vous", a dit Zawahiri mentionnant l'ancien secrétaire d'Etat Colin Powell et son successeur Condoleezza Rice.
Le message présente une photo de Malcolm X, un militant musulman noir américain qui fut assassiné en 1965.
"Vous représentez l'opposé de Noirs américains honorables comme Malcom X", ajoute Zawahiri, alors que l'on entend en fond sonore des discours du militant américain sur les droits de l'homme et l'égalité. >>> AFP | 19.11.2008
REUTERS: Qaeda Scorns Obama with Racial Slur
WASHINGTON - Al Qaeda's deputy leader accused Barack Obama of betraying his race and his father's Muslim heritage on Wednesday and urged more attacks, as the group tried to counter the incoming U.S. president's global popularity.
Osama bin Laden's second-in-command Ayman al Zawahri attacked Obama as a "house Negro," a racially-charged term used by 1960s black American Muslim leader Malcolm X to describe black slaves loyal to white masters.
"You represent the direct opposite of honorable black Americans like ... Malcolm X," Zawahri said in an 11-minute recording publicized on the Internet on Wednesday. It was al Qaeda's first high-level commentary on Obama's election on November 4. Bin Laden could also release a message on Obama within the next two weeks or so, one analyst said.
Zawahri criticized Obama's support for Israel and plans to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan, where he said they were destined to fail. He urged Islamist fighters to keep striking a "criminal" United States until it withdraws from Muslim lands.
The recording was distributed on a videotape that carried pictures of Obama at the Western Wall in Jerusalem and Malcom X, flanking Zawahri in the center. >>> By Randall Mikkelsen | November 20, 2008
FOX NEWS:
TRANSCRIPT: English Translation of Zawahiri Message >>> | Wednesday, November 19, 2008
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