New translation of Osama rhetoric.

• Position: YOUR LIFE

Osama bin Laden became the international symbol of radical Islam on Sept. 11, 2001. Four years later, despite intense media scrutiny, his unique brand of violent, apocalyptic Islam remains baffling to many in the West. A new translation of bin Laden's own writings, edited and introduced by religion professor Bruce Lawrence of Duke University, Durham, N.C., tries to address that confusion.

Messages to the World--The Statements of Osama bin Laden collects writings, public statements, interviews, faxes, and video recordings issued under bin Laden's name from 1994-2004. James Howarth, an authority on modern Arabic poetry, translates--and often re-translates--these statements from their original Arabic; Lawrence sets them into religious, historical, and political context through annotations and a critical introduction.

"If you are going to educate anyone about the Muslim world today, you're going to have to talk about Osama bin Laden," observes Lawrence. "And you can't just take a snippet here and an excerpt there and understand either the man or his message."

By reviewing the decade-long record of his public declarations, one can grasp better...