On February 28, 2013, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released issue X of its English-language online magazine Inspire. The issue's cover story, titled "We Are All Usama" by Editor-in-chief Yahya Ibrahim, discusses the legacy of Osama bin Laden and extolls the mujahideen, and the Muslim world in general, for carrying on his tradition of Jihad. Following are excerpts from the article:
First, Ibrahim praises the protests following the release of the anti-Muhammad film Innocence of Muslims: "As I was watching the anti-Islam U.S. film protests of September 11 last year, tears of joy rolled down my cheeks. The scene was amazing. The Muslim ummah has risen from its long slumber. The protestors chanted: 'Obama! Obama! We are all Usama.' These words echoed throughout the world. I tried to imagine the face of [the] kuffar [infidels]. Then I remembered my ex-country (before hijra) and how the kuffar would tremble with fear upon hearing the name 'Usama.' And today, they are not only hearing it, but they witness millions embracing his path."
Ibrahim explains that bin Laden's mission was "to drive the enemies of Allah away from Muslim lands and re-establish Khilafah [the Caliphate]" and says that despite being in Afghanistan – "the other end of the world" – bin Laden was still able to carry out the attacks of 9/11 in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania in retaliation for American oppression of Muslims and its support of Israel.
Ibrahim goes on to say that the attacks of 9/11 forced the U.S. to carry out its "crusade" against the Muslim world in public, after having conducted it in secret for many years. However, Ibrahim says, "[The U.S.] fell into a deep dark pit. And after a decade of war Allah granted Sheikh Usama martyrdom, his lifelong wish. His killing in May 2011 by American assassins failed to turn the tide of the war in America's advantage."
However, says Ibrahim, killing bin Laden would backfire: "When the ummah of martyrdom seekers, ummah of Islam, loses its mujahideen sons in its war, their blood become[s] a call to other Muslims until the war turns into a project of the ummah, jihadu ummah [nation of jihad]. Sheikh Usama has become a legend, an icon of not only jihad, but also any deterrence of oppression.
"Muslims chant Sheikh Usama's name... to send a clear message to the enemies of Islam that although you killed him, his legacy lives on. Muslims around the world have chosen him as their hero and model. They have answered his call and they are ready to stand and confront the enemies of Allah. They toppled the enemies' puppets and they strive for the implementation of the shari'a of Allah in His land."
Ibrahim says that the U.S. failed its people by promising them peace and stability after the death of bin Laden: "...Obama arrogantly announces, 'Al-Qaeda has been weakened and Usama bin Laden is no more.' But what was the price? Killing a man in order to raise thousands like him. Is it a gain or a loss?"
Ibrahim then addresses the U.S. directly, saying that they have helped spread bin Laden's message to the world's Muslims and proven themselves enemies of Islam. He says: "Inshallah it is only a matter of time before the American empire collapses in the hands of the mujahideen in defeat and disarray, leading to the destruction of Israel and the establishment of a powerful pan-Islamic state which will implement the law of Allah..."
Finally, Ibrahim quotes AQAP Sheikh Anwar Al-Awlaki, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen on September 30, 2011: "Sheikh Anwar (may Allah accept his martyrdom) said, 'We thank Allah the Almighty, for endowing us with life in such we reached the time wherein the mujahideen have spread and are victorious. This is a great blessing. We thank Allah for being in an era wherein the mujahideen have spread and are victorious. This is a great blessing. We thank Allah for being in an era wherein we could have god omens[s], [that] the mujahideen are spreading daily and the enemy, America and its allies, are in subsidence. And the evil omen of America on itself and its allies is that it doesn't want to subside alone, instead it wants to drag its allies along."
