Convert to Islam, Al-Qaeda tells Bush

"If you obey, God will pardon the past," al-Zawahiri has said in a videotape.

Al-Qaeda's number two Ayman al-Zawahiri has called on US President George W Bush to convert to Islam.

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"Ayman Zawahiri called on President George W Bush to convert to Islam in the video recording received by Al-Jazeera," said the channel's presenter.

"If you obey, you will be a brother in religion and God will pardon the past," she cited Zawahiri as saying in the tape broadcast on Monday.

Al-Jazeera did not broadcast excerpts of this passage from the tape, but said the full recording would be made available on its website.

In the excerpts broadcast by Al-Jazeera, Zawahiri said he survived a controversial US raid targeting him in Pakistan.