(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A wave of controversy has surged across social media as a handful of TikTok users shared excerpts from a letter penned by Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader who led the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.
The letter, which was released as a failed attempt to justify Al-Qaeda’s heinous attacks on American soil, has resurfaced with leftist users on TikTok claiming they sympathize with the terrorist leader.
Many are concerned 9/11 is becoming a distant memory.
Today, Osama Bin Laden’s letter justifying the attack is going viral on TikTok.
WE WILL NEVER FORGET the innocent victims, heroic first responders & everyday Americans who stepped-up for their fellow man on that fateful day. https://t.co/a9ap1ltNtn pic.twitter.com/K29bPQRADA
— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) November 16, 2023
Garnering a staggering 14 million views, these posts quickly caught the attention of critics and even the White House.
TikTok swiftly responded, stating that the posts violated the platform’s policy against promoting terrorism, as reported by CNN on Thursday. A spokesperson for the company acknowledged the violation while underscoring the limited number of videos involved.
The resurgence of bin Laden’s letter coincided with ongoing protests and unrest stemming from the U.S.’s stance on the recent conflict in the Middle East involving Israel and Hamas
Videos shared on various platforms showed individuals referencing bin Laden’s claims linking the 9/11 attacks to U.S. actions in “Palestine.”
NEW: The latest trend on TikTok is liberal creators promoting and encouraging people to read terrorist Osama bin Laden’s “Letter to America.”
Many users appear to sympathize with bin Laden who was responsible for 9/11.
In his letter bin Laden outlines al-Qaeda’s motives behind… pic.twitter.com/TjqNkhBZOl
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 16, 2023
In one instance, a New York-based influencer encouraged their followers to read the letter, claiming that it changed her view on the U.S.
“If you have read it, let me know if you are also going through an existential crisis in this very moment, because in the last 20 minutes, my entire viewpoint on the entire life I have believed, and I have lived, has changed,” the individual said.
Another user equated the U.S. government to the terrorist leader. “If we’re going to call Osama bin Laden a terrorist, so is the American government,” the person said.
Trump in 2020: We need to ban TikTok – we can’t let Communist China destroy the minds of our children
Media in 2020: That’s just a crazy conspiracy theory
Teens today: Osama bin Laden was right. Also, I’m trans.
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) November 16, 2023
In response the viral videos, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., condemned the young Americans’ ignorance over Sept. 11.
“Many are concerned 9/11 is becoming a distant memory. Today, Osama Bin Laden’s letter justifying the attack is going viral on TikTok. WE WILL NEVER FORGET the innocent victims, heroic first responders & everyday Americans who stepped-up for their fellow man on that fateful day,” he said on Twitter.
Even the White House weighed in on the matter, condemning the videos and the justification of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.
“There is never a justification for spreading the repugnant, evil, and antisemitic lies that the leader of al Qaeda issued just after committing the worst terrorist attack in American history – highlighting them as his direct motivation for murdering 2,977 innocent Americans,” a spokesperson said.
The Guardian, which reportedly published the letter, opted to take it down in response to the viral videos, users on Twitter said.
❗️❗️Ever since Oct. 7, we’ve been urging people to recall the lessons of 9/11: not just US’s huge “errors” responding but why it happened.
Bin Laden’s letter blaming US violence in their region – including US support for Israel – went viral on TikTok, so @guardian deleted it. https://t.co/iB95mW09y8
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 16, 2023
