Bin Laden’s Letter Trends on TikTok, Sparking Controversy

A letter penned by al-Qaida founder Osama bin Laden 21 years ago has gone viral on TikTok, causing controversy due to its antisemitic content and views on Palestinian statehood. Written a year after the September 11 attacks, which resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths, the letter was initially published by The Guardian in 2002 but was removed in November 2023 following the social media uproar. The hashtag #lettertoamerica has amassed over 4.5 million views on TikTok. Despite the letter’s antisemitic language, some users have expressed agreement with its stance on the US military’s role in the Middle East and Palestinian statehood, without addressing its bigotry. The trend’s emergence coincides with a poll revealing that only half of Americans aged 18-29 recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization.