A group representing people harmed by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon responded to the recent viral TikTok trend of users reading Osama bin Laden’s 2002 justification letter on Friday.
9/11 Families United “represents a community of over 10,000 family members, survivors, and those who were injured in or sickened from the worst terrorist attacks in American history” and characterized the trend as “appalling,” according to the statement.
The trend went viral on Wednesday evening, and TikTok took action to stop its spread on Thursday.
Read: Videos Of People Sympathizing With Bin Laden’s ‘Letter To America’ Go Viral
“No American should ever not know Osama bin Laden was a terrorist who helped mastermind the murder of nearly 3,000 innocent Americans on September 11, 2001,” 9/11 Families United National Chair Terry Strada stated. “These Americans were our husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. It is appalling to witness younger Americans voicing sympathy for bin Laden’s dangerous and antisemitic worldview 22 years after our nation was horrifically attacked and our loved ones were callously murdered by Islamists.”
Searches for the letter on TikTok yield no results, according to Reuters. TikTok is also prohibiting the videos from appearing on the platform, it stated.
“We strongly encourage these Americans who are not old enough to remember the brutality of 9/11 to seek out reliable sources to educate themselves instead of forming their misguided opinions based on false TikTok videos,” Strada added. “We also call on TikTok to stop allowing its platform to be used to promote terrorist propaganda.”
Read: Biden’s ‘TikTok Army’ Is Now Pressuring Him To Oppose Israel
TikTok asserted the content promoting the letter violates its rules related to supporting terrorism and it removed the hashtag on Thursday.
Over a dozen Jewish celebrities and influencers also challenged TikTok to take more action against spreading antisemitic content in a private Wednesday meeting, according to The New York Times, which obtained a recording of the discussion.
“No American should ever forget that Osama bin Laden’s stated goal was to impose the virulent Wahhabi version of Islam promoted by Saudi Arabia on ‘infidels’ and ‘non-believers around the world and here in America,’” Strada stated. “The version that treats women as second-class citizens, persecutes homosexuals, kills journalists, and embraces beheadings for minor deviations from the Wahhabi doctrine. That was his goal with 9/11, and no one should ever forget.”
TikTok and 9/11 Families United did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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