Asimov and al-Qaeda?

A few minutes ago, I decided to check if my recent post comparing Isaac Asimov's Foundation novels with current events was listed on search engines, and in the process came across a fascinating article from 2002 that, believe it or not, claims that Osama Bin Laden was inspired by Foundation.

According to the piece, the terrorist kingpin believes that America and Western Civilization represent the fading empire of the novels, while he and al-Qaeda are the scientists of the Foundation, aiming to build a new, enlightened Second Empire on the ashes of the old. Bin Laden views himself as a Hari Seldon-like figure who has predicted the future, and indeed, just like Seldon, he transmits messages to his followers via pre-recorded video clips. On top of this, the term "The Foundation" is translated into Arabic as - you guessed it - "al Qaeda."

Could all this actually be true? The article also presents ample evidence against it, so perhaps the best we can say is that the jury is still out.

But whether the books influenced Bin Laden or not, I still fully stand by the prediction (as espoused in my piece) that radical Islam will not win. And in fact, my piece specifically analyzes the America-as-empire possibility and demonstrates its inaccuracy. The fictional scientists of the Foundation are all about technology, freedom, and peace. Al-Qaeda and Bin Laden, on the other hand, are all about terrorism, lack of freedom, and war.

No matter what Bin Laden thinks, the fact remains that he is a terrorist who has committed horrible acts of evil. And in the end, he will lose.