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Mistranslated Osama bin Laden Video - the German Press Investigates

Current rating: 0

by Craig Morris
Email: cmorris (at) t-online.de (unverified!)

23 Dec 2001
Modified: 10 Aug 2003

A German TV show found that the White House's translation of the "confession" video was not only inaccurate, but even "manipulative".

Mistranslated OBL video - Germany�s Channel One investigates

On 20 December 2001, German TV channel �Das Erste� broadcast its analysis of the White House�s translation of the OBL video that George Bush has called a �confession of guilt�. On the show �Monitor�, two independent translators and an expert on oriental studies found the White House�s translation not only to be inaccurate, but �manipulative�.

Arabist Dr. Abdel El M. Husseini, one of the translators, states, �I have carefully examined the Pentagon�s translation. This translation is very problematic. At the most important places where it is held to prove the guilt of Bin Laden, it is not identical with the Arabic.�

Whereas the White House would have us believe that OBL admits that �We calculated in advance the number of casualties from the enemy��, translator Dr. Murad Alami finds that: ��In advance� is not said. The translation is wrong. At least when we look at the original Arabic, and there are no misunderstandings to allow us to read it into the original.�

At another point, the White House translation reads: �We had notification since the previous Thursday that the event would take place that day.� Dr. Murad Alami: ��Previous� is never said. The subsequent statement that this event would take place on that day cannot be heard in the original Arabic version.�

The White House�s version also included the sentence �we asked each of them to go to America�, but Alami says the original formulation is in the passive along the lines of �they were required to go�. He also say that the sentence afterwards - �they didn�t know anything about the operation� - cannot be understood.

Prof. Gernot Rotter, professor of Islamic and Arabic Studies at the Asia-Africa Institute at the University of Hamburg sums it up: �The American translators who listened to the tapes and transcribed them apparently wrote a lot of things in that they wanted to hear but that cannot be heard on the tape no matter how many times you listen to it.�

Meanwhile the US press has not picked up on this story at all, reporting instead that a new translation has revealed that OBL even mentions the names of some of those involved. But the item is all over the German press, from Germany�s Channel One (�Das Erste� - the ones who broke the story, equivalent to NBC or the BBC) to ZDF (Channel Two) to Der Spiegel (the equivalent of TIME or the Economist - visit http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,174025,00.html
if you can read German). More surprisingly, as I write the following site appears on Lycos in German: http://www.netzeitung.de/servlets/page?section=1109&item=172422 - but nothing under lycos.com in English.

Instead, we read in the Washington Post of Friday, December 21, 2001 (the day after the German TV show was broadcast) that a new translation done in the US �also indicates bin Laden had even more knowledge of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon than was apparent in the original Defense Department translation.... Although the expanded version does not change the substance of what was released, it provides added details and color to what has been disclosed.�

I�ll say. Aren�t there any reporters in the US who speak German (or Arabic, for that matter)? An article in USA Today of 20 December 2001 sheds some light on why the original translation might not be accurate: �the first translation was rushed in 12 hours, in a room in the Pentagon�. So why didn�t the new US translation find the same discrepancies as the German translators did? Read the article in USA Today against the grain: �Michael, who is originally Lebanese, translated the tape with Kassem Wahba, an Egyptian. Both men had difficulties with the Saudi dialect bin Laden and his guest use in the tape, Michael said.� Why can a Saudi translator not be found in a multicultural country like the US, especially with the close business relations between the US and Saudi Arabia? Bush Sr. probably knows any number of them himself.

Of course, if we ever hear about the German analysis in the US press, the reactions will be that some will never believe that OBL is behind the attacks no matter what you tell them. But actually, Americans are just as stubborn in refusing to face facts. One moderator on Fox News complained to his interviewee that the European media were focusing too much on civilian casualties in Afghanistan. (I wondered which European languages this moderator could speak; a few weeks later, he happened to say on his show that he had had �three years of German�. This, he claimed, would allow him to �do the show in German.�) His interviewee responded that, yes, the Taliban were very savvy manipulators of the media. So there we have it: Europeans get their information straight from the Taliban Ministry of Propaganda.

Craig Morris is a translator living in Europe. He can be reached at cmorris (at) t-online.de. The original broadcast of the German show can be viewed in German at http://www.wdr.de/tv/monitor/real.phtml?id=379.

American Nazis
by Johnny Wizard (No verified email address)	Current rating: 0 30 Dec 2001 Modified: 11 Aug 2003
Look, get real. There was no evidence presented to the Taliban standing justly by requesting so. Now the new government will be practicing Sharia law still, but with drug pushers and murderering nazi savages in government as bush's friends. The northern alliance never, nor has any interest in the people of Afghanistan, but to steal from. The bushmob has committed treason against America, against us all as Mankind, and everything Americans are brought up to believe in truly, Freedom and Justice for all. Google Groups is a fine place to see the world speaking against bush and rumsfeld's sadistic atrocities against mankind. Even with CNN stating 80 percent of Americans agree to murderering innocent people is popular, the people are speaking at God speed, bush and rumsefeld must be arrested, or executed without delay. Johnny Wizard http://www.johnnywizard.hotvomit.com So what are you saying that you didn't? You believe that the American soldiers are committing evil by murdering good as innocent people, but it's okay because, bush doesn't respect any life as your own? A complete unknown? Because bush doesn't believe in Justice for humanity, so too, should you not for yourself, and silently give up democracy for all people as Americans? Being scared of someone like yourself being honest, true, brave and strong? Whatever. As to reports on American death counts, it's the Petagon that feels it's important for American soldiers to not know how many have died fighting for the heroin trade, and a puppet government of savage crininals to serve bush jr.. You suggest though, as long as the innocent people who are murdered, don't live directly in your community, you would support robbing, murdering, and stealing from all of us as them to give to the bushmob as your religious idol? Do you like knowing that because of that attitude as a corporated fascist sell out to yourself as a human living, bush the dictator will countinue, as he has, with your rights to freedom as well, because, who would be here to speak for you? You wouldn't as bush hasn't right? When bush takes your equal rights as an American, and tells you he's not accountable to the American public through government, nor law, do you enjoy knowing you slave whorishly for bush, one so evil as a treasonist against everything the nation has struggled for since it's beginnings? How do you feel about being so anti-American my friend?? Stephen Harding <harding (at) hobart.cs.umass.edu> wrote in message news:<3C2CC421.EC743D80 (at) hobart.cs.umass.edu>... > Johnny Wizard wrote: > > > Tell us all what I'm wrong on Jerry? > > > [...] > > > Example, the too late Bin tape is hokey from the get go. It's reaks > > > ubsurdity. I mean if Americans like Jerry could actually use their > In what way? Are you an imaging expert that can tell us the video was > manufactured in some way? A video photoshop job? Well, for starters, he wasn't left handed, he wasn't wearing his wedding ring, and didn't seem too familiar with construction, even having his degree and everything, his weight, his beard, his nose, and well.. it's typical of what a secretly hiding from our intelligence community would create stupidly. > If so, why would the US government wait until the Taliban are nearly > extinct from power before manufacturing the tape? Because, as it was so shown, so too, did CNN state repeatedly, it was then proof, for the war crimes against us committted. But, as you should know, it was too much, too late. Although, the self labeled ring fanatics to themselves degenerating (getting more preposterous as we go, checkout 'guitarman'), will attempt perverting our Justice as this Universe exists, by suggesting, therefor, attacking a nation without evidence, but finding it later, somehow justifies the murders of innocent people standing against an injustice, by protecting an innocent person until proven otherwise. > Why not manufacture the tape first, to justify military action in > Afghanistan? Because as bush shows, he doesn't understand what freedom means in the context of Justice for all, equal as a democracy demands. He felt he should be able to blame quickly, someone on the WTC disaster without our evidence, when what evidence was available pointed in other directions. Like to himself as the Anti-Christ. Why should the Taliban, on behalf of Bin, a wealthy individual who came to Afghanistan and helped defeat the commies by fighting in the trenches, be handed over without evidence to a kangaroo court, that dismisses relevant information? That would be against God, an injustice to all, as too, bush so is, in almost every other respect. His conduct in government has always been against the general public, because till now, we've been the easiest target, with corporate news refusing to represent ourselves, and without a pretend King to hear the angels sing. > > minds to think, what a wonderful world this could be. Bin's position > > with Afghanistan, was that he wasn't involved in the WTC, so even if > > he was secretly Jerry, he certainly wouldn't confess to it publicly to > > those giving their lives for such cause, while thousands dropped dead > He didn't confess it publicly. It was a private tape, unintended for > public display. You almost have it there. It wouldn't be a proud moment before God, to confess the sacrifices of life lost was done against God's will. Jihad, and all that. > Furthermore, he hardly "confesses" to planning the WTC attack. He simply > betrays some prior knowledge of it occurring. A slip of the tongue so > to speak. Almost. Some of the tape was removed according to the translator. The parts that were, have the character clearly, somehow, naming all nine people the bushmob says did it without evidence. Going against the FBI, and the paper trail of bush's friend, General Ahmad from the dictatorship Pakistan, who was found to have sent by wire to Mohamed Atta, $100,000, weeks prior to 9/11. General Ahmad had a person meeting with bush as so it was uncovered by the FBI, just weeks prior to 9/11!!!!! > > by murder. He was willing, as too was the Taliban, to surrender to > > American athorities by offering any evidence. Then names the nine > > highjackers in celebration? Ya, he's gonna name all that bush in his > > evilness of deception requires. Never mind that Jerry, even if it was > > true, bush and rumfeld would still be guilty for mass murder, for they > > offered no evidence, > Sure they did. Most of the governments it was provided to said they were > largely satisfied that the evidence indicated Bin Laden was involved. Nobody said that but bush and CNN. Tony didn't in his interview, nor has anyone else, but maybe rumsfeld. It still doesn't matter though. A foreign supposedly democratic Law abiding country can't make demands against another but for to steal from them by murdering the only government, for that would be criminal, and as it was, a crime against humanity. Now, if the bushmob had concerns for the people of Afghanistan, of which every human being should and does, why couldn't he communicate that? What is the bush administraton's position on poor people around the world? Well, to steal and murder from them by supporting terrorist activities. Like sharon, and his plans for the destitute of Iraq. He didn't care about the people in Texas when governor. What about cheney's raping and pillaging in Sudan? What about Americans in relationship to aspertame? Or MMT? No care for us people being poisoned there. The hypocrisy in painful. > You say Bush and Rumsfield are guilty of mass murder. Evidence? Or is > it secret, for your eyes only? The Taliban was the best the nation had to offer after 21 years of war. You can't bomb a population into education or civility. The new more repressed government will still apply sharia law, but with also drug runners and rapists in government illegitimately. > If "mass murder" is the act of unleashing military forces against another, > then please also throw in Abraham Lincoln and FDR as mass murderers of > far bloodier capabilities. There was no cause for war, but to steal and murder. Bin, as too, the Taliban offered his arrest, upon the showing of evidence. But we now know, bush and rumsfeld wanted to kill us innocent people as nazis they are, for they were lobbied to do just that. http://www.whatreallyhappened.com Kinda like when the Pentagon private contractors lobbied to not be arrested for treason, by removing the 'False Claims Act' from the American law books by paying bribes to cowardly republicans. > > > to a nation standing on Justice infinite. (Funny eh?) The > > > very principles of the American flag, on all of which it once flew > > > proud. Over 20.000 people, conservatively, have been murdered for no > > > crime, but struggling to survive. The Taliban > Twenty thousand accroding to whom? I don't think even the Taliban > themselves have claimed that many Afghan civilians killed! As in the original paper thread, if you were a man in Afghanistan, and wanted to protect your community from thieves, murderers, and rapists, you would join the student revolution named, the Taliban. The total is over 23,000, 23,000 are only the confirmed so far, police forces as citizens combined. > > were the government of Afghanistan. Are you a man Jerry, for if you > > were in > > Afghanistan you would be a member of the Taliban, in support of > > protecting the community. Before the Taliban there was no law, women > > were bought and sold, and you coudn't travel anywhere safely. Again > Yes and women were run out of any sort of public life, confined to their > homes, and robbed of education; men were beaten because their beards > weren't the correct length; cultural sites of priceless value defaced > or destroyed; the economy more thoroughly wrecked; and providing safe > refuge for persons who so serverely twisted and mangled one of the great > religions of the world into a simple tool to justify murder. Again, they're not the most advanced, nor as good and kind with wisdom does so bring, but they were trying. The statues were destroyed because of the Taliban's understandable anger over foreign countries interested in cleaning them with millions, while ignoring the starving. Women were confined only for a short period of time during the transition into fashioning a government, for the slave owners were upset they would no longer be allowed to own women. The Taliban's concern was for their mothers and daughters safety. See? That is how CNN defaces our humanity, for they'll repeat their lies without ever offering apology. Who did they murder? Tell us? You must be referring now to bush's nothern aliance drug runners right? > It's interesting that the only people who seem to think the Taliban were > OK are people who live somewhere other than where the Taliban rule! > One Afghan woman stated she wished the foreign supporters of the Taliban > could just live under them for 5 days, never mind the 5 years she had to > endure! Again, the Taliban were Afghanistan, and if you truly have a concern for the innocent lives in Afghanistan, you would of the men who believed in making something better for their nation. > > Jerry, no evidence was offered. Echem, rumsfeld is a mass murdering > > sadist, worst than hitler in his demeaner, who wants to execute people > > who he knows are innocent, which is why he won't allow public > > discussions through our corporate control, nor judicial > Here we come with the required Hitler comparison. If you have any real > knowledge of what Hitler did, you belittle his efforts by associating him > with Bush. If Bush is indeed a mass murderer, he's small time compared > with Hitler. Echem, rumsfeld and bush want to kill everyone without a rule of law, to steal from ourselves. > Ah the corporations are in this too! I suppose that is a requirement of > far leftist dogma. By definition corporations are evil since they > live for profit. Capitalism promotes a corporate environment, and since > the US is a capitalist country, it too is evil. The human physiological dimension is not an easy subject, but I have adressed it theoretically with reason in "Johnny's Last Stand". But an example: why do you think CNN refuses to report on Greenspan's trillion dollar margin call, taking from every American, as the loss from your pocket, into his own and three private bankers? Or aspertame? Or MMT? Or much anything political when it has to concern with the nation entirely? Monsanto? Mossad? CIA dealing cocaine? > > > criminal trials, because he and bush are guilty for treason against > > > every American soldier, duped or otherwise. He'd kill any unnkown for > Facts from where? Cite? The military tribunals are the introduction of a military dictatorship. Without the public element to protect Justice, so too, do we all lose to fear of being murdered silently, to we as our weaker are turned fascist, and as a consequence all suffer. Especially artists. > > cash as a terrorist. Not my opinion, fact! Hundreds of American > > soldiers have died!! Go ahead, were waiting, and waiting for > In Afghanistan? Maybe so. Bush did say that much of this war against > terrorism could never be told. I doubt a casualty list so high will > remain hushed for very long though. Bush said right up front, that > casualties are to be expected. So far, publicly, they appear to have > been very light. Perhaps they are heavier than publicly stated. I > don't see any political gain from hiding real casualty numbers at this > point of the effort though, and lots of political risk associated to > misrepresenting the effort from the American people. Can't be told? He is the nazi terrorist. He supports terrorist activities willingly, and needs to be tried and convicted for treason, or the NRA will get to him we'll order it. Or, all of humanity gets destroyed by the bushmob from men too afraid to stand proud as men to protect ourselves. > I brief, I don't have any reason to believe your claims. What are they > based on? You have your own network of agents in country? I do try to praise the FBI as a private citizen, as too, I think everyone else should as well. They have problems as any collective group of individuals do, but, they have uncovered the biggest spy ring in America recently,(http:www.whatreallyhappened.com)) work excellently to protect our police services in many areas, and do seem as an entity, having a genuine concern to bring the perpetrators of the WTC to justice. But, again, see friends? CNN ignores the concerns of American soldiers and citizens alike. > > you to wake up. Why not just murder more people in New York instead? > > Echem, bush is the coward, nazi murderer, mute savage rat from > > hell's sewer pit. He's the guy who ran quickly blaming > What's with the "Echem" stuff? Well, I've explained this before, but okay one more time. Echemus was as is myth. Echem'us' is of a winner to a just cause. And, I also don't want to bring any honor to the Anti-Christ bush jr, nor rumsfeld, the sadistic monster from way beyond normal. Some people might go, oh, so cool, bush is the Anti-Christ, not understanding his true nature symbolically as extremely evil. Gregory VII, hitler, stalin, and Innocent III. Today's Pope of course, is super cool. Echem, bush, he is dumb, which is what he has going for himself, if he ever decided to change for the good of God as US truly. > You already told us your opinion of Bush. Bush bad; Taliban good. > OK already! People are good. > > the good guys in a third world country without evidence, bombed > The "good guys" meaning the Taliban? You'll have a tough row to hoe > with that line of thinking! > > thousands of innocent people with no reason but to kill them, and > > where CNN said, "Sure, Americans are proud to have good reason for > > murdering innocent people, don't know it, but proud! Where's my flag?" > CNN said that? As news or as an editorial? I don't believe you. It's a thought of reason to be terrified with. So, I guess that's why few understand. God loves you. > > Why? Because bush had no evidence, nor was interested in finding the > > true culprits of the WTC disaster, or too, arresting Bin, because he > Pray tell how OBL could be arrested? You mean Ashcroft could have > simply sent him a summons to appear at a US Federal court by some date > instead of all this??!!!! You're right, Bush is a pig! Hey.... We agree! Although, I like pigs. Let's just go with fascist nazi mass murdering savage, okay? > > couldn't as nazi fascist traitor. Also, if I knew that the > > pictures on my site, particularly page four at the bottom, could be > > used to feed the people of the world, don't ya think I would try? > Well, pictures aren't particularly nourishing. I suppose you could > print them out on a Graham cracker base, then ship them to some embassy > in Afghanistan you trust, for distribution to the hungry. > I don't think they've figured out how to run graham crackers through a > printer without breaking them up, so that option is out I suppose. Still > your thoughts are well enough intentioned. > > >http:www.johnnywizard.hotvomit.com > You're wearing me down Johnny! I can't play no mo'. Awe.... Thanks though for helping us out. > I'll part with a recommendation that you change the name of the URL above. > Such a name subtracts from your credibility. A better name will encourage > persons to read at least some of the content, before dismissing you. > SMH I think http:www.johnnywizard.hotvomit.com is fantastic!! Like shitdisturber! Take care.. Johnny Wizard Ya right you nazi coward. You know it's because in an actual court of law, bush would be convicted for war crimes against God, US, as he would have at Nuremburg. Nuremburg you were allowed to defend yourself, Anti-Christ bush can't actually lay criminal charges against the Taliban, because they were Just, in requesting evidence that doesn't exist, for without, Bin would be, as he still is, innocent of the WTC disaster, and America, guilty for crimes against humanity. Now, you likely know this, but as a fascist nazi slave whore, you pretend you don't on hopes you as a soldier won't be sacrificed for the heroin trade savage northern alliance, because your not a real soldier, nor even man. A rat has a higher place in this Kingdom than you do, as the crap you profess as a traitor to America, and on all of which the flag represents. Justice for all.

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