WASHINGTON - Al Qaida Terrorist Leader Osama bin Laden, in a new message, has warned the European Union that it will be severely punished for publishing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in European newspapers.

In an audio recording posted to an al-Qaida-affiliated Web site al-Ekhlaas late Wednesday, a voice said to be that of bin Laden’s says publishing the cartoons was a greater offense than Western forces bombing the homes of women and children.

The audio track with English subtitles is heard over a video image of bin Laden holding a rifle.

Satirical cartoons of Islam’s Prophet Mohammed were published in Danish newspapers in 2006, sparking mass riots in Islamic nations worldwide. In one of the cartoons Mohammed was wearing a bomb as a turban.

The bin Laden statement says the cartoons are part of a new crusade against Islam in which the Vatican has played a large and lengthy role.

Bin-Laden’s statement, entitled “The response will be what you see, not what you hear” comes on the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Thursday is also the day recognized in the Islamic world as the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed

The message is bin Laden’s first public statement since late last year.

Source:  VOA News