Download the Animation Liberation Magazine - Winter '07 edition

has to do is prove that a non-Muslim government is attacking Muslim lands. If Osama bin
Laden can show how a non-Muslim government is attacking Muslim lands it is the
a u t o m atic d u t y o f e v e r y M u s l i m t o co m e t o t h e d e f en s e o f Is l a m .
That is why the war in Iraq has been called a "Christmas present for bin Laden." It
shows without a doubt that the West will invade and occupy Muslim lands. That coupled
with the United States absolute military support for Israel, the establishment of
permanent US bases on Muslim soil, the funding and arming of apostate governments in
the Muslim world, and has even tried to block and control one of the five pillars of Islam
(Zakah), that of charity/tithing by demanding that "Muslim regimes limit, track and
control donations made by Muslims to charity organizations." This, along with countless
other intrusions into the Muslim world (see end of this article for details) serves to
legitimize defensive jihad for the 1.2 billion members of the Muslim world. As Osama
bin Laden puts it: "Why are we waging Jihad against you? The answer to that question is
very simple. Because you attack us and continue to attack us."
That is not to say Osama bin Laden is a good man. His views are both colored and
biased by his religious beliefs, and his actions, while perhaps legitimate with respect to
Shari’a law, can be considered mass murder by more secular standards.
Likewise, while his criticisms may at times be legitimate, they may not, according
to some scholars, be real. Osama bin Laden criticizes the US on a number of issues,
ranging from complaints about how our carbon emissions contribute to Global Warming,
to accusations that Bush stole the 2000 elections.
While many of these criticisms may be true, and hence legitimate, it would be
difficult to argue that Osama is really concerned with these issues. Indeed Osama does
not even believe in environmentalism or democracy, so one could say that many of his
expressed criticisms are used for the purposes of political gain.
Thus Osama bin Laden represents a very grey, powerful, and world changing
figure from a religious, desert based society who's name is famous and infamous
throughout the entire world.
The character Scar, in the anime series Full Metal Alchemist likewise represents a
morally ambiguous, tragic, religious figure from a desert-tribal culture. One who's
country has likewise been assaulted by a Western nation, which is more powerful
economically, scientifically, and militarily, and does so well, in the face of nearly
insurmountable odds.
Japan, as one would expect, has thus expressed concern on the issue of the
Afghanistan and Iraq War, and the War on Terror in general. Indeed Japan's former prime
minister, the infamous "Ailing Abe" used the success of the Japanese SDF forces as a key
point in his argument to dismantle the United States imposed "pacifist constitution". Thus
while the general public in the United States may not realize it, the more political
segment of Japan has indeed taken an interest in recent Jihad vs. McWorld events.
And as can be expected from a culture relatively outside the conflict, their point
of view is more objective. While initially Scar is portrayed as a monster, for anyone
willing to use Alchemy or what he considers heretical science by killing State Alchemists
and their creations. As Scar puts it "So that I could find the Alchemists who have fallen
from your path and with their own demon arts, destroy them".
At first glance Scar may come off as a murderous religious fanatic who is killing
people out of a misguided, fundamentalist following of his religious beliefs.
Animation Liberation Magazine 16