Those on the platform citing the letter encouraged people to read it, saying that doing so helped them better understand the U.S.’ interventions in the Middle East and the Israel-Hamas war. involvement in global conflicts, many clarified that they were not praising or defending bin Laden’s orchestration of the 9/11 attacks. Several have said it caused them to re-evaluate their beliefs around the U.S. People online have used bin Laden’s words as a springboard for discussion about American foreign policy in the Middle East. interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Kashmir, Chechnya and Lebanon. special operation in Pakistan in 2011, also denounced U.S. support for Israel and accuses Americans of aiding the oppression of Palestinian people. While TikTok has now blocked “Letter to America” from within its search function, videos referring to “Letter to America” are still easily accessible under the search term “Bin Laden,” the institute sa i d in its fi ndings.īin Laden’s letter condemns U.S. Researchers at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, which studies extremism on social media, said they found 41 “Letter to America” videos on TikTok. TikTok has said the allegations of bias are baseless.

7 attack on Israel, critics of the app have alleged that it is using its influence to push content that is anti-Israel and contrary to U.S. and other countries argue it poses a threat to national security. The app has faced mounting scrutiny in the last year as the U.S. The virality of the letter has reignited criticism of the platform, which is owned by China’s ByteDance.

In the letter, bin Laden addressed the American people and sought to answer the following questions: “Why are we fighting and opposing you?” and “What are we calling you to, and what do we want from you?” The letter includes antisemitic language and homophobic rhetoric.

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