Controversy stirs as young Americans express sympathy for Osama bin Laden on TikTok
Controversial TikTok trend emerges as some young Americans express empathy for Osama bin Laden's two-decade-old critique of the US government and its support of Israel, sparking intense debate and raising concerns about the influence of social media on public opinion
Numerous young Americans took to TikTok this week to express their sympathy for Osama bin Laden, the infamous terrorist responsible for the September 11 attacks. They were referring to a letter he wrote two decades ago, which criticized the United States, its government, and its support for Israel. Originally published in 2002, the letter resurfaced on social media and generated at least 14 million views by Thursday. Many of these videos echoed Bin Laden's claims and encouraged others to read the letter, often within the broader context of criticizing America's support for Israel in its ongoing conflict with Hamas.
TikTok stated on Thursday that videos endorsing the letter violate its guidelines regarding "supporting terrorism in any form." The company also clarified that the number of such videos is relatively low and dismissed the notion that it is trending on their platform as inaccurate. However, TikTok did not disclose any specific data to substantiate their claim.
According to a KFF survey, TikTok is extremely popular among young Americans, with a majority of those under 30 using the app at least once a week. A significant number of TikTok users were born after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, which were carried out by 19 men who hijacked commercial airliners and intentionally crashed them, resulting in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people in New York City, Washington, DC, and rural Pennsylvania. The mastermind behind these attacks was Bin Laden, the former leader of the al Qaeda terrorist group, who was killed in a 2011 US special forces raid. TikTok's design makes it challenging to accurately gauge the popularity or prevalence of certain sentiments on the platform. However, an initial review by CNN revealed several videos openly praising or expressing sympathy for the sentiments conveyed in the letter titled "Letter to America."
Numerous videos had the hashtag #lettertoamerica. By Thursday, the combined views for these videos exceeded 14 million, although some expressed frustration and disgust towards the letter and how it was being praised by others on the platform.
In a highly popular video that is no longer available on the platform, a lifestyle influencer based in New York urged viewers to read the letter. She asked her audience to inform her if they were also facing an existential crisis at that very moment. She stated that her entire perspective on life, which she had believed in and lived for, had changed in the last 20 minutes.
The video was subsequently taken down. CNN contacted the user for their comment.
In a different video that has garnered over 100,000 views, a TikTok user who frequently shares critiques of the American government remarked about the letter, stating, "If we label Osama bin Laden as a terrorist, then the American government should be too."
Utterly ruthless
A White House spokesman slammed the apparent online trend in a statement, calling it an insult to the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks.
Deputy press secretary Andrew Bates stated to CNN that there is no justification for the dissemination of the despicable, wicked, and anti-Semitic falsehoods proclaimed by the leader of al Qaeda immediately following the most devastating terrorist attack in American history. Bates emphasized these lies as the direct motive behind the murder of 2,977 innocent Americans. He further asserted that it is unacceptable for anyone to associate themselves with the abhorrent words of Osama bin Laden, as it would be an insult to the 2,977 American families who are still grieving the loss of their loved ones. Bates particularly highlighted the inappropriateness of such association at a time of escalating anti-Semitic violence worldwide, and immediately following the Hamas terrorist attack that inflicted the gravest atrocities upon the Jewish community since the Holocaust, all in the name of the same conspiracy theories.
Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, revealed that TikTok prioritizes high user engagement at any cost. The platform relentlessly utilizes hate, disinformation, or even positive content to keep users hooked. This means that it is not the thoughtful ideas that gain popularity, but rather the foolish ones, on a platform like TikTok.
Ahmed, who has extensively researched the proliferation of conspiracy theories among young individuals, expressed to CNN that TikTok presents itself as an entertainment outlet, but in reality, it functions as an indoctrination tool. At present, we possess no visibility or control over the algorithms that are molding the minds of America's youth today, he added.
The content fragment needs to be rewritten in a better way. Here is the revised version:
The letter presents a sweeping critique of American foreign policy and includes the unfortunate presence of antisemitic elements. Additionally, it perpetuates the unfounded conspiracy theory that AIDS was a "Satanic American Invention."
Moreover, the letter specifically singles out the US's backing of Israel. "We can't help but find it both amusing and disheartening that you persist in propagating baseless falsehoods, claiming that the Jews have an ancestral entitlement to Palestine," the letter states.
Peter Bergen, a CNN National Security Analyst who conducted the initial televised interview with Osama bin Laden in 1997, finds the widespread dissemination of the letter "perplexing." He believes this is because a majority of the population either had not been born or were very young children during the time of Bin Laden and the 9/11 attacks, resulting in a lack of extensive historical perspective.
Bergen, an author of several books on the deceased terrorist, remains doubtful about the source of the letters. "There is no evidence that bin Laden wrote it, and some of the issues he discusses are inconsistent with his other writings," he informed CNN.
On Wednesday, The Guardian newspaper, the initial publisher of a translated version of the letter in 2002, removed it from their website after TikTok users directly linked to the document. The newspaper explained in a statement that the letter "was published on our website 20 years ago and has been widely shared on social media without proper context. Hence, we have decided to take it down and refer readers to the original news article that provided the proper context."
The letter, however, can still be found on other online platforms.
A recent report by the Pew Research Center reveals that TikTok is increasingly becoming a popular source of news for young Americans.
Approximately 30% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 frequently obtain news from TikTok, as stated by Pew Research Center. Moreover, the percentage of adults in the United States who claim to regularly receive news from TikTok has increased fourfold from 3% in 2020 to 14% in 2023. CNN reporters Kevin Liptak and Jenn Agiesta provided additional input for this report.
