By Anonymous; Image provided by author.
A month after the horrifying Hamas-led attack against Israel on October 7th, TikTokers began endorsing Osama Bin Laden’s “Letter to America.” It is important to note that these videos did not go ‘viral’ as many new sites reported; however, approximately 300 videos were posted under #lettertoamerica and this hashtag received 13 million views (Allyn, 2023). Due to the gaining popularity, TikTok started suppressing and banning any “Letter to America” content off the platform (Allyn, 2023). But one might ask: why did Osama Bin Laden’s post-9/11 manifesto gain support on TikTok, more than twenty years later?
The answer lies in, what President Joe Biden calls, Israel’s 9/11. After the October 7th attacks, many people around the world started weighing in on the Israel-Palestine Conflict, especially American ‘influencers’ on all social media platforms. Although it is unclear where or who first cited Bin Laden’s manifesto, these “pro-Palestine’ influencers endorsed the “Letter to America,” citing certain sections. Furthermore, the letter attempts to justify Al Qaeda carrying out the 9/11 attacks by referencing the ongoing conflict in Palestine; “You attacked us in Palestine” is written as the first explanation for 9/11 (“Full,” 2002). This section was heavily praised in these #lettertoamerica videos. These influencers promoted their viewers to read the manifesto, explaining that the letter made them feel disillusioned in America (Daily, 2023). One went as far as simply stating that “he [referencing Osama Bin Laden] was right” (Daily, 2023). Although the Letter to America in certain sections resembles a left-wing declaration about anti-American imperialism, the document is riddled with religious intolerance, homophobia, and anti-Semitism (Daily, 2023). For example, the document calls for Americans “to be a people of manners, principles, honour, and purity; to reject the immoral acts of fornication, homosexuality, intoxicants, gambling, and trading with interest” (“Full,” 2002).
Although this corner of TikTok appears small, this TikTok niche needs reevaluation. As Americans with expansive freedoms such as the freedom of speech and press, these TikTokers utilized their platform to support a manifesto that undermines those same freedoms. Al Qaeda’s ideology is not just anti-American imperialism; the group is profoundly anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, and anti-really anyone who does not think or act like them. So, it is concerning how liberal-minded Americans would support such extremism using a manifesto that ‘justifies’ the murder of nearly three thousand Americans to further excuse Hamas’ killing of 1,200 Israelis.
In spite of TikTok’s suppression, left-wing influencers on the platform moved from one terrorist fad to the next. This time, TikTokers showed their support for the Houthis. For context, after October 7th and the subsequent escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict, Yemeni rebels, known as the Houthis or Ansarullah, started attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. These attacks were labeled as solidarity with Palestine by the rebels. In Pro-Palestine protests, protesters chanted “Yemen, Yemen make us proud, turn another ship around” (Pope, 2024). The largest manifestation of TikTok support for the armed rebels came in the form of Rashid al-Haddad. Due to the quick removal of the tiktoker, the popularity of his account and videos are not quantifiable. Nevertheless, the supposed Houthi pirate quickly gained traction on the app. His videos documented him exploring captured ships and promoting the freedom of Palestine (Times, 2024). The “hot Houthi pirate” was affectionately dubbed “Tim-houthi Chalamet,” “Jihadi Depp,” “Robin Houth,” and many other names. Most of his pro-Houthi propaganda fell on deaf ears and heart eyes with more TikTokers focused on his looks rather than his piracy. Additionally, al-Haddad does not appear to actually be a part of Ansarullah but rather just a supporter of the Houthis’ message and tactics.
Even though liberal American influencers appeared dazed by the ‘pirate’s’ beauty, the circulation of his videos and support for the Houthis are just as alarming. The Houthis, like Al Qaeda, are anti-American and anti-Israel with their official slogan being: “God is the greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, and Victory to Islam” (Steinbuch et al., 2024). Along with their problematic sentiments, Brad Hunter of the Toronto Sun explains his concern that “after killing more than 300,000 Yemenis, buying and selling slaves, employing child soldiers and torturing countless others, the movement is having its moment in the sun” (Hunter, 2024). This continual support, even if it is niche, of anti-Semitic and anti-American extremists poses a grave issue for the Israel-Palestine Conflict where both sides argue that there does not have to be so much conflation. Moreover, some argue being pro-Palestine does not mean being anti-Semitic while the other side argues that being Zionist does not mean being anti-Palestinian or Islamophobic. However, that messaging is complicated by the continual push of anti-Semitic extremists who would love to see Israel toppled. From both sides, Americans must not view this conflict in a photographic frame-by-frame manner but rather as a full ongoing film. Understanding Al Qaeda and the Houthis ensures American influencers are not posting from a vacuum of ignorance that glorifies and spreads harmful ideologies.
Allyn, Bobby. “The Story Behind the Osama Bin Laden Videos on TikTok.” NPR, 17 Nov. 2023, www.npr.org/2023/11/17/1213712136/tik-tok-bin-laden-videos-osama.
Daily Mail. “How Tiktokers Fell for Osama Bin Laden’s Letter to America.” YouTube, 24 Nov. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BciyH_NLO7o.
“Full Text: Bin Laden’s “Letter to America.”” 24 Nov. 2002,
Bin Laden’s Letter To America 2002
Hunter, Brad. “WHO the HELL ARE THE HOUTHIS? Slavers, Killers, Despots, Maniacs and Misogynists.” Torontosun, Toronto Sun, 15 Jan. 2024, torontosun.com/news/world/who-the-hell-are-the-houthis-slavers-killers-despots-maniacs-and-misogynists.
Pope, Felix. “London Palestine Protests: Anti-Israel Crowd Chant in Support of Houthis.” Thejc.com, 14 Jan. 2024, www.thejc.com/news/palestine-protestors-chant-in-support-of-houthi-rebels-t3rlbac1.
Times Of India. “Houthi Terrorist Shocks the World with His Viral Tik Tok Videos | “Jihadi Depp” of Red Sea | TOI.” YouTube, 19 Jan. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDRMl25qZ4M. Yaron Steinbuch, and Jesse O’Neill. ““Timhouthi Chalamet”: Fighter with Terrorists on Hijacked Ship Banned from TikTok after Going Viral as “Hot Houthi Pirate.”” New York Post, 18 Jan. 2024, nypost.com/2024/01/18/news/yemeni-fighter-goes-viral-as-hot-houthi-pirate/.
