A set of documents, recently declassified by the United States, reveal that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had wrote about the impact of global climate change on the Muslim poor.
The declassified documents gives a closer look into the mind of the Al-Qaeda leader during the time he was holed up in Abbottabad, a garrison town in Pakistan.
In one of the documents, which is a letter addressed to "My Islamic World", the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks asked the international community and the Muslim leaders to come to the aid of Muslim poor affected by the impact of global warming.
It is understood that the letter was written in 2010, during the floods in Pakistan that began in late July, causing major damage to property and affected about 20 million people. At least 2,000 people were killed in the floods.
Referring to the Pakistan floods, the al-Qaeda leader wrote: "Millions of children are left in the open, without a suitable living environment, including good drinking water, which has exposed them to dehydration, dangerous diseases and higher death rates. I pray to Allah Almighty to grant them both relief and mercy."
While sticking to his Muslim belief that the natural disaster "is a plague or suffering from Allah Almighty" and that the "first solution" was to be faithful and live life in accordance with Allah's will, bin Laden did offer some advice to mitigate the situation.
He asked the authorities "to research the residential compounds built along the banks of rivers and valleys in the Islamic World and the prospects of future disasters as a result of climate changes."
He even called on the officials to ensure that "all dam and bridge safety regulations be examined and revised."
In his letter, he also made reference to the need to realising food security and raising "Muslim awareness about the dangers associated with depleting the underground water used for agriculture that is not renewable."
