ABSTRACT
A long tract justifying the atrocity of 11 September 2001 was published a year later. Addressed to those Muslims who had been critical of the massacre of innocent civilians in New York, it was entitled The Reality of the New Crusaders War and its author, one of Usamah bin Laden's lieutenants, used as nom de plume "Saladin, Defeater of the Crusaders". 2 Throughout, the tract expressed a historical vision which is an article of faith to many Muslims and has helped to provide moral justification for the actions of both Arab Nationalists and radical Islamists. It is likely to strike a chord with many in the Islamic world for a long time to come, although few in the West even acknowledge its existence.
