Bin Laden urges Pakistanis to defend Islam-Jazeera
 
DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden has issued a letter urging Pakistani Muslims to defend Islam against what he described as a Christian crusade, Qatar's al-Jazeera satellite television reported Thursday.

The television showed a picture of the letter written in Arabic that it said was signed by bin Laden, Washington's main suspect in the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. A copy of the letter was not immediately available.

"Osama bin Laden called on Muslims in Pakistan to stand in the face of what he called a Christian crusade against Islam," a Jazeera news reader quoted the letter as saying.

"Muslims in Afghanistan are being subjected to killing, and the Pakistani government is standing beneath the Christian banner," the letter was quoted by the announcer as saying.