Bin Laden tape: Is it proof that he is still alive?

A new audiotape purportedly recorded by Osama Bin Laden has urged Muslims to continue a jihad, or holy war, against the West and refers to the capture last month of Saddam Hussein.

UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said the tape, which was broadcast by the Arab news channel al-Jazeera, is probably genuine.

The CIA has said that its analysis also suggests the voice on the tape is that of the al-Qaeda leader - a conclusion backed by the US Director of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge.

If authentic, the 14-minute recording would be the first Bin Laden tape to be aired since 18 October.

Does the tape convince you that Osama Bin Laden is still alive? Do you think it is authentic?

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This debate is now closed. Read your comments below.

Your reaction:

The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:

Alive Yes but, condemned to live hidden under a rock for the rest of his miserable life. Gee, how brave he is hiding in his Rat-Hole, extorting others to do his killing of innocents. Lunatic asylums are full of sick hateful psychotics, we have to wonder why al-Jazeera dose not interview them too? Don't they realize that giving a voice to intolerance and hatreds will only bring harm to those who practice these evils and bring sorrow to their families. Bin Laden alive yes but, dying off.
Mike, Mount Shasta USA

Yes, I do believe that Osama the world's most heartless and dangerous beast-in-man who rejoices over the death of human being is still alive and kicking somewhere somehow, but my believe and optimism that every each day inches closer to his capture is more than ever. Therefore my advice to him is "come out renounce, repent, repay and regret whether for life or in death your heartless, inhuman and Godless act before both God's lose their love, tolerance and patience on you like they did on Saddam otherwise, however deep or high you hide even the innocent air around you would still one time hold you responsible for your crimes."
Taban Alex Donato, Sudanese/ ACT Australia

You can only defeat terrorism by defeating the underlying reasons for terrorism Sebastian, Oxford, England

You can only defeat terrorism by defeating the underlying reasons for terrorism. We must put a stop to the hatred and anger against the West that thrives in the Arab world. However, this anger and hatred is not caused by Israeli policies for dealing with the Palestinians, nor is it caused by genuinely unfair treatment by the West on the Arab world. They are angry because they their economies are mismanaged, their human rights are ignored by their dictators that lead them, and their level of education is poor. Only through the spread of democracy, human rights and economic freedom can terrorism be beaten.
Sebastian, Oxford, England

Whether you capture the man or not terrorism will continue so the most important thing is to invest recourses on how to do away with terrorism and not on this suspect. He can be alive or dead but that doesn't count. Let us just fight terrorism by educating all the people of the world and pray to god to intervene. Regards and god bless.
Stephen Mwaka Mulambia, Lusaka Zambia

Does it really matter if the man is dead or alive? What he stands for, what he encourages men and women to commit suicide for, will be maintained and developed by another, and then another. The West must realise that it is not one man, it is an Islamic movement based on an ideology determined to see the destruction of the west and all it stands for.
Mike Hall, Chipping Norton, UK

The US Army showered each & every area where there was even the slightest hint Osama was hiding, with tons of very destructive bombs, and they did it for months. Statistically he is a very lucky man if he survived. In addition, since he's gone rather quiet for long periods on end and since he's been camera shy for the last 2 years, I can't help but put two and two together... Didn't he love being filmed with his bony finger raised?
Bruno Condotta, Treviso, Italy

Alive or dead, the threat Bin Laden poses lies not in his breathing, but in the ideology he preaches.
Darab Khan, London, UK

Osama Bin Laden remains the last bastion of terrorism to be dismantled. The terrorist world looks up to him for direction and inspiration. Unfortunately, the number one nation against terrorism -America- has not shown enough commitment in recent past to uproot him. With many nations renouncing terrorism of late, now is the time to smoke him out of the caves before he demonstrate his once more his lethality.
Ojukwu Gregory, Lagos, Nigeria

Bin Laden is still alive, and will be caught one day Lucky Oborevwori, Nigeria

The authenticity of the tape cannot be ruled out. Osama Bin Laden is still alive, and will be caught one day.
Lucky Oborevwori, Nigeria

Bring it on Osama. You woke up the "sleeping giant" one more time. If you are alive, one piece of advice as far as attacking the US: "Maybe you should have read your history before you decided to make it."
Kay, LA, USA

What difference does it make whether he's still alive or not? Though I vehemently believe he's alive, the world is still not safe. Saddam was captured and bombs still rock Iraq almost everyday.
Victor Opara, Nigeria/Estonia

Bin Laden is dead. The Bush administration knows he's dead. They're just waiting until election time to pat themselves on the back, for obvious reasons.
Dora, USA

It matters not whether he lives or not. Like Big Brother in Orwell's 1984, he is symbolic.
Tyler, Cornwall, England

Does anyone remember the film "Videodrome" where a character had been dead for several years, but was still sending messages to the world via videotapes cobbled together from bits of old recordings. Enough said I think.
Peter, UK

Why do some people associate Saddam and Osama? There has been no proof so far that they collaborated. Who cares about Osama? Find the Iraqi WMD first, before Osama does. Frankly, this is all getting boring.
Mustafa Yorumcu, UK/Turkey

When I was a kid there were evil communists, threatening the world with millions of soldiers and tanks. Today there are old, bearded men in caves, threatening the world with audio tapes.
Heiko, Germany

Alive or Dead? Does that matter? Lets all join hands to fight terrorism.
Jackan, UK

So Jack Straw says the tape is probably genuine. Then again he also said Iraq was bristling with weapons of mass destruction. That says a lot about the British governments' intelligence 'experts'.
NM, UK

Anyone who says Bin Laden is dead should show the world where he is buried Emmanuel Gonda, Sudan/Canada

Anyone who says Bin Laden is dead should show the world where he is buried. Otherwise there is no smoke without fire. Who do you think produced the tape if Bin Laden is dead?
Emmanuel Gonda, Sudan/Canada

Bin Laden will not show up on TV for obvious reasons, so he will record his messages on audio cassette. Saddam did the same after he was overthrown. Al-Qaeda without a doubt is a bigger threat than Saddam Hussein.
Ben, USA

Of course Bin Laden is still alive and as long as he is able to spout his lop-sided and vicious diatribes to his mostly poor, brainwashed, and very impressionable co-religionists and no strong and convincing counter arguments are being broadcast from well respected Islamic leaders and scholars in the region, we will continue to see terror and instability in the Middle East as well as the rest of the more civilized world. Osama Bin Laden can safely hang his hat in Iran (whose government was founded on and survives on a strong anti-Western and anti-American ideology), parts of Pakistan and possibly other countries in the region at the present time.
John, New Jersey, USA

Who cares? We should concentrate on being vigilant and cautious - with or without his existence. After all, even if he is dead, the danger remains. The education of 'looking out for suspicious packages' or 'being vigilant in highly populated areas' should be part of the school curriculum.
James, UK

Bin Laden's threats are starting to get old Patrick, Detroit, USA

Bin Laden's threats are starting to get old. Every tape promises that great destruction will fall upon the USA. Well, as far as I can tell, nothing has happened. I am not afraid of him or any of his followers. Unfortunately, his gang of thugs chose to attack the wrong nation. Once you attack an American, be prepared to back your motives up.
Patrick, Detroit, USA

The tape is not proof that Bin Laden is still alive. It may be fabricated by any entity, person or state who has interest in broadcasting it. So, I do not think that it is authentic. Moreover, I do not think that Bin Laden constitutes a real danger now. The whole world should not pay such enormous attention to Bin Laden. They should rather mobilize their efforts to handle what is behind terrorism and hostile actions spread all over the world.
Nabil Abdel Ahad Abdel Baky, Cairo, Egypt

It doesn't matter if Osama is dead or alive, that only thing that matters is the change in attitude of the west towards the rest of the peoples of the world. All the problems will then be solved by itself.
Singh, Sydney, Australia

What evidence is there to suggest that he's not alive? He's got money and a large network of associates. Given the Bush/Blair attempt to catch Saddam, Bin Laden is probably going to be around for a long time. As for 'Intelligence Analysis' - WMD?
Steve, Edinburgh

He's now become a shadow - one huge shadow. I believe he is alive - unless he wants to be found, he will roam the hills and caves, making tapes and instilling hatred long after Bush is collecting a pension.
Deborah, US

Dead or alive, the threat to the civilised world he and his co-conspirators present is real and unmistakable Mark, USA

Current technology cannot offer convincing proof from an audio tape for authentication. However, dead or alive, the threat to the civilised world he and his co-conspirators present is real and unmistakable. The war against them has no end in sight.
Mark, USA

Perhaps he is still alive but until he is captured or a body is produced then we may never know. What bothers me is why the US with all of its resources available cannot locate him.
Charles, Montreal, Canada

Bush and Blair need us to believe that Bin Laden is still alive. That way they can execute the project for the New American Century with impunity. I think that Bush knows exactly where Bin Laden is. I am willing to bet with anyone here that Bin Laden will be 'captured' shortly before the American elections.
Taz, UK

If Osama Bin Laden were already in custody or known to be dead, it certainly would not be kept a secret. Enough with the wild conspiracy theories.
Jeff, Springfield, VA, USA

George Bush is still losing the war against terror. Maybe he should try listening to other leaders apart from Tony Blair. Or are there any leaders with fresh and original ideas to move us forward?
J FM, London, UK

If he is alive, it must be pretty humbling. Two years ago, he pretty much ran a country, now he has to dig a hole in the ground, or hallow out a cave just to have a meeting.
Sean, USA

Sean, USA says Bin Laden must be leading a humbling life in a cave. And well he might, but he still has Bush and Blair dancing to his tune, as witnessed by the BA flights fiasco.
Nick Toye, UK

The US needs Osama more than Osama needs the US. After the cold war, the US needed a new enemy to fight. Capturing Osama would ruin everything. Until the US finds a new enemy, it will continue to rely on Bin Laden as an effective enemy.
Harish, India

It would be better for the US to counter Osama's philosophy than look for the man Arbibi Ashoy, Malaysia

Whether Osama Bin Laden is dead or alive does not matter. His philosophy is flourishing. It is only a matter of time before Al-Qaeda get their hands on a nuclear device. It would be better for the US to counter Osama's philosophy than look for the man. Hurry up and solve the Israeli-Palestinian problem before the situation in the Middle East gets beyond repair.
Arbibi Ashoy, Malaysia

I think Bin Laden is probably still alive but in ill health and on the run. However, I really doubt whether the tapes are authentic. It seems more like a successful CIA effort to provide a new impetus to the war on "terror" every time it seems to be wearing thin. All these tapes contain the classic false propaganda espoused by Al-Qaeda which has long been rejected by true Muslim scholars. Citing these tapes as proof of the continuing threat of worldwide terrorism, the US believes it can justify its misguided war on terror.
Rashid Rida, Karachi, Pakistan

Why make an audio tape when a video would be definitive proof. It would not surprise me if the Bush administration has captured him already and are going to tell the world of his capture just before the US elections to boost George Bush's chances.
Duncan, Salisbury, UK

Al-Qaeda and Washington need each other Aristides Garcia, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

No, it does not convince me. The fact of the matter is that I don't believe any of the parties involved in the "new war". As far as I am concerned Washington might know that Bin Laden is dead and simply wants to keep the "war on terror" alive and kicking. Washington might also know in which rat hole he might be hiding and is just waiting for the right moment to "capture" him, just as I believe was the case with Saddam. Al-Qaeda and Washington need each other.
Aristides Garcia, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

To Aristides Garcia, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: I cannot believe that such rubbish would even be posted. As in many violent crimes, and 9/11 was certainly that, we find the world blaming the victim. The USA is not to blame and until the rest of the world places blame where it belongs, the terrorist problems will not change. Saddam was found when Saddam was found. Period. It would have been most advantageous to have found Saddam months ago. Washington cares most about what its citizens think, especially with an election coming up. Lingering in Iraq and having more people die only hurts Bush's chances for re-election. Bush needs to find Bin Laden and if the US could have found him, they would have.
Jim, USA

Aristides Garcia et al: Good of you to equate Washington and al-Qaeda. I've come to expect no less from your comments. And while we're at it, I suppose I should confess that the US told Adam to eat from the tree of knowledge. We're also responsible for bad weather. Oh, and we've made a deal with the aliens who'll be invading soon. Any other conspiracy theories?
Guy, USA

Jim and Guy: Your country's naive "blame the bad guy" philosophy is precisely the reason why the whole world has to suffer such terrorism. If US Middle Eastern policy had the slightest basis of truth or justice, Bin Laden would be an irrelevance. Instead, your president continues to act as al-Qaeda's number one recruitment specialist.
Jon E, France

Alive or dead, authentic tape or not, the war will continue against fundamentalist Islam, as will the terror attacks on the West. If he is alive, why doesn't he have a picture taken holding a recent newspaper? Or issue a "high quality" recording instead of the poor quality, low fidelity stuff he seems to churn out? Surely, with his resources he can muster one of these things? Maybe Osama is dead and this is known to the West, but it is in our interest to keep a "bogey man" on the loose. Maybe he is in captivity in the USA, which is keeping this a secret to continue the War on Terror. My best bet is that he is in Pakistan. Credence is added to this theory by the recent assassination attempts on President Musharraf.
Roger, Whitwick, England

It doesn't really matter if it is him or not. The point is not who is speaking but what he is saying. If that strikes a chord with Muslim extremists, they will follow no matter who it is that is on the tape. That said, yes, I think it probably is him.
Phillip Holley, Cambs, UK

It is in everyone's best interests that the public believes Bin Laden is alive Andy, West Midlands, UK

It is in everyone's best interests that the public believes Bin Laden is alive. George Bush and Tony Blair can use him to justify the "war on terror" and bully "rogue states". Islamic militants have a voice that the world will hear and take notice of. It all leads to an endless cycle of war.
Andy, West Midlands, UK

What does it matter? Bin Laden is a symbol, but not an operation chief or leading planner of al-Qaeda terrorist attacks. With him gone, the symbol will disappear, but the terrorist activities of semi-independent cells (like the one in Hamburg) shall continue!
Miroslav, Richmond, VA, USA

What on earth makes you think it is not Bin Laden? There wasn't any question over the authenticity of Saddam when he was captured, was there?
Tony, UK

Yes it probably is Bin Laden. However, whether he is alive or dead is irrelevant. Islamic extremists will continue to plot terror attacks with or without him.
JM, UK