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Osama Fever Hits Cellular Phones in ASEAN Countries
By Kazi Mahmood
JAKARTA, Oct 2 (IslamOnline) - While the world is watching the military buildup in the Gulf and Asian region, cellular phone owners in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are experiencing a new dimension of technology since last Monday.
Osama bin Laden fever has gripped the region's majority Malay-Muslim population, and has now reached cellular phones, with Short Messages (SMS) or WAP messages.
Users of GSM and PCN hand-held devices have been flooded with a graphic representing a picture of bin Laden, with his name in Arabic written at the side of the picture.
Other users received SMS or WAP messages with the words Allah O'Akbar written under bin Laden's picture.
Several of the mostly "Nokia" handset users proudly displayed the graphic and its messages to IslamOnline.
Some of the messages said Bin Laden was a hero, others said he was a mujahideen (fighter), hence not a terrorist. None of the messages were against bin Laden.
A local newspaper in Kuala Lumpur, known for its sensational journalism and investigations into the occult in the region, displayed the graphic alongside an article on the Guide Book of the al-Qaeda organization.
It said the messages were sent to various people around Malaysia by people using Internet phones or Internet SMS messaging.
IslamOnline could not track the origin of the messages which overall seem most welcome by users of the hand-held devices.
In Jakarta, people using the Nokia series of hand phones were also sent the SMS.
Reaction there was the same as in Kuala Lumpur. Singaporeans of Malay-Muslim origin also felt it was not a bad joke and were pleased reading the message with the picture of bin Laden.
Meanwhile in Indonesia, young Malay-Javanese Muslims were busy printing out t-shirts, caps and other banners with bin Laden's photograph.
They say the items sell well, as most of the people in the city are not anti-bin Laden, adding that they believe the Saudi-born dissident is innocent of the September 11th attacks on the U.S., commenting that the U.S consistently circulates false assertions concerning bin Laden.
The youth also said bin Laden was not in hiding in Afghanistan, as portrayed by the U.S. media and authorities.
One youth said Osama was not only in Afghanistan, showing a cap with a picture of Osama printed on it and saying, "There he is."
"Osama, as bin laden is better known in the ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] region, is in every country, every minds and hearts of Muslims who knows how to differentiate between the lies of the U.S. and the words of truth of bin Laden," said one young lad, wearing a t-shirt with a portrait of Osama holding a machine gun printed on it.
Bin Laden has denied any involvement in the attacks, saying that he would not attack civilians. The U.S. dismissed his denial and called him "the face of evil".
Osama fever is not only in Indonesia, it is also in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines, where young Muslims, and even many of their elders, regards the enemy number one of the U.S. a hero.
"He reminds me of the Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt, Muammar Khaddafi and Commander Jalloud of Libya, Muhammad Ali the boxing champion and other brave Muslims," said an elderly man, who was wearing a Hard Rock café T-shirt.
In southern Thailand, T-shirts, caps and other products bearing the effigies of the suspected terrorist are bestsellers and have reaped good harvests for young lads eager to sell the trademark of their hero.
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