Osama bin Laden called the use of nuclear weapons a ‘religious duty’

By 1992, Al Qaeda was already dabbling in the nuclear black market…….Although Osama bin Laden had no authority to issue a fatwa, he embraced an opportunity to seek “God’s approval” for the decision to escalate the conflict to the next stage…..bin Laden made it a religious duty for his followers to pursue Weapons of Mass Destruction. ……

Al Qaeda’s Religious Justification of Nuclear Weapons”, THE HUFFINGTIN POST, Rahim Kanani:, 19 Nov 10, “….. Bin Laden would develop an idea that would breathe life back into Zawahiri’s dreams: the United States must become the target of the jihad. If the Americans could be provoked into war, they could be defeated like the Soviets, and expelled from Muslim lands for good.

The fall of the U.S. superpower would lead to the overthrow of secular Arab states. This insight led to successive Al Qaeda strikes against the U.S., including the unsuccessful bombing of the World Trade Center (1993), bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa (1998), and the bombing of the USS Cole (2000). It was not evident at the time, but the road to 9/11 began on the day Al Qaeda was formed.

It was with a grim mood of impending confrontation with the United States that the two Al Qaeda leaders shared an interest in acquiring weapons of mass destruction. By 1992, Al Qaeda was already dabbling in the nuclear black market. Undaunted by a series of scams by hustlers and con men, bin Laden and Zawahiri remained alert to opportunities to buy, steal, or build a bomb. After Al Qaeda was expelled from Sudan in 1994, Ayman Zawahiri mysteriously dropped out of sight. For two years, the Egyptian doctor and two of his top lieutenants traveled extensively to Russia, Yemen, Malaysia, Singapore, and China. The purpose of their travels has never been established, but Zawahiri’s associations during his travels, and own statements, suggest that he and his cohorts may have been hunting for weapons of mass destruction (WMD)…..

It is no coincidence that 1998 was the year that Osama bin Laden openly declared war on the U.S., publicly stated that it was his Islamic duty to acquire WMD, and secretly launched the operational plan for the 9/11 attack……..

Although Osama bin Laden had no authority to issue a fatwa, he embraced an opportunity to seek “God’s approval” for the decision to escalate the conflict to the next stage. By authoring the fatwa himself, bin Laden also assumed a role as chief cleric in charge of translating Islamist extremist theology and ideology into action.

This positioned him to anticipate and preempt interference from Sunni clerics who were opposed to Al Qaeda. By declaring it to be his “Islamic duty” to acquire WMD, the Al Qaeda leader envisioned the introduction of WMD (by either side) in the atmosphere of all out war that was sure to follow 9/11; he pre-justified their use on religious grounds. Finally, bin Laden made it a religious duty for his followers to pursue WMD. ……

Rahim Kanani: Al Qaeda’s Religious Justification of Nuclear Weapons