Osama bin Laden was interviewed in Afghanistan by Palestinian journalist Jamal Ismail on December 22, 1998. He said: ” ‘It is very strange: If America has all the mass-destruction weapons, that is nothing. If the Jewish state has the same weapons, it is OK. But if a Muslim state like Pakistan tries to defend itself against the Hindu hegemony in South Asia, everything should be done to prevent it from doing so. We don’t consider it a crime if we tried to have nuclear, chemical, biological weapons. Our holy land is occupied by Israeli and American forces. We have the right to defend ourselves and to liberate our holy land.’ ”
– “I Am Not Afraid of Death,” Newsweek, Jan. 10, 1999