By MICHAEL OMER-MAN
Following repeated claims by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that the 9/11 attacks were part of a United States government conspiracy, al-Qaida (or rather al-Qaida-affiliated propagandists) has sent the Iranian president a poorly-edited Jihadi equivalent of a cease and desist letter.In the most recent edition of the al-Qaida affiliated English-language magazine, Inspire, dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a prominent "opinion piece" derides Ahmadinejad for perpetuating conspiracy theories about the attacks.RELATED:US delegation walks out of Ahmadinejad speech September 11th, remembering and forgetting The author, writing under the name Abu Suhail, accuses the Islamic Republic of harboring a festering jealousy over its own inability to damage the United States as al-Qaida did ten years ago."For them, al-Qaida was a competitor for the hearts and minds of the disenfranchised Muslims around the world," Abu Suhail continued condescendingly, "al-Qaida, an organization under fire, with no state, succeeded in what Iran couldn’t."Therefore, the Iranians feel compelled "to discredit 9/11, and what better way to do so? Conspiracy theories."The al-Qaida op-ed also accused Tehran of engaging merely in "lip-service jihad against the Great Satan," deriding Iranian anti-Americanism as "merely a game of politics."The author continued, "[Iran] is anti-America when it suits it and it is a collaborator with the US when it suits it," slamming what he described as "the shameful assistance Iran gave to the US in its invasion of Afghanistan... welcoming them with open arms."Although it was not clear whether the piece was published in response to any particular statement by the Iranian president, Ahmadinejad last accused the United States of being behind or at least complicit in the 9/11 attacks while speaking at the UN General Assembly last week.He also claimed to have been threatened by the United States for proposing an investigation into the "hidden elements involved in [the] September 11 incident." One such element, he said, was "the safe space provided for the invading aircraft to attack the twin World Trade towers."
The Iranian president asked world leaders gathered in New York, "Is there any classified information that must be kept secret?"As far as al-Qaida is concerned, the answer is a resounding "no."