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Ayman al-Zawahiri's letter to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi :Analysis
"Last month, the world learned of a letter written by al Qaeda's number two leader, a guy named Zawahiri. And he wrote this letter to his chief deputy in Iraq -- the terrorist Zarqawi. In it, Zawahiri points to the Vietnam War as a model for al Qaeda. This is what he said: "The aftermath of the collapse of American power in Vietnam -- and how they ran and left their agents -- is noteworthy." The terrorists witnessed a similar response after the attacks on American troops in Beirut in 1983 and Mogadishu in 1993. They believe that America can be made to run again -- only this time on a larger scale, with greater consequences." George W. Bush, Commemorates Veterans Day, Discusses War on Terror, 11/11/2005 |
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On October 11, 2005 the DNI released a letter it had obtained "during counterterrorism operations in Iraq." The letter is purportedly written by al Qaeda leader Ayman al- Zawahiri to "al Qaeda in Iraq" leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. "Al-Zawahiri's letter offers a strategic vision for al Qa'ida's direction for Iraq and beyond, and portrays al Qa'ida's senior leadership's isolation and dependence." Among the letter's highlights are discussions indicating:
Director of National Intelligence 10/11/2005 |
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Since it's publication, the letter has become a cornerstone in the current debate to stay the course in Iraq. It has turned up frequently in the talking points of Administration officials and their supporters. But questions have come up about the letters authenticity. |
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The leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, claims the letter found by US soldiers in Iraq, which is said to be written by al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri, is false. In a statement released over the Internet he denies the authenticity of the letter, and accuses the US forces of making up the story as a slur on al-Qaeda. "Everything in the letter attributed to Ayman al-Zawahiri is false," al-Zarqawi's statement says. "We don't know where they found it or when they found it. We from the al-Qaeda organisation announce that this news is completely unfounded. It is a lie which comes from the military camp of the infidels, from the Green Zone and the command of the crusader campaign, whose news are always far from the truth of the battlefield." AKI |
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Professor Juan Cole of the University of Michigan writes: the phrase "salla Allahu `alayhi wa alihi wa sallam" (the blessings and peace of God be upon him and his family) is a Shiite form of the salutation, because of the emphasis of the Shiites on the House or descendants of the Prophet. Because of the cultural influence of Shiism in South Asia, one does find that form of the salutation in Pakistan and India among Sunni Muslims. I do not believe that an Egyptian like al-Zawahiri would use this phraseology at all. But he certainly would not use it to open a letter to a Salafi. Sunni hardliners deeply object to what they see as Shiite idolatry of the imams or descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, for whom they made shrines such as Ali's at Najaf and Husayn's at Karbala. In fact, hard line Wahhabis from Saudi Arabia attacked and sacked Karbala in 1803. Juan Cole 10/14/2005 Although this interpretation was questioned by some linguists, Cole responded: ....a number of knowledgeable observers have agreed that it is strange for al-Zawahiri and his circle to call the Prophet's grandson, Husayn, an "Imam." There are other odd things about the letter that I will discuss on Saturday. Later he refers to Husain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, as al-Imam al-sibt, "the Imam, the grandson". I do not believe that a hard line Sunni such as Zawahiri would call Husain an Imam. That is Shiite terminology. -------------------------------------------------- Cole goes on to question: The letter then says how much Zawahiri misses meeting with Zarqawi. Zarqawi was not part of al-Qaeda when he was in Afghanistan. He had a rivalry with it. And when he went back to Jordan he did not allow the Jordanian and German chapters of his Tawhid wa Jihad group to send money to Bin Laden. If Zawahiri was going to bring up old times, he would have had to find a way to get past this troubled history, not just pretend that the two used to pal around. Juan Cole 10/14/2005 and later goes on to say: The other thing that struck me as odd about the Zawahiri letter was that at the end he raises the question of whether a non Iraqi should be leading the insurgency. This is odd for several reasons. Al Qaeda does not think in terms of nationality but of the umma or Muslim community. It reads to me like an attempt to undermine Zarqawi. And it is an insult. Juan Cole 10/15/2005 My gut tells me that the letter is a forgery. Most likely it is a black psy-ops operation of the US. But it could also come from Iran, since the mistakes are those a Shiite might make when pretending to be a Sunni. Or it could come from an Iraqi Shiite group attempting to manipulate the United States. |
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The Arabic text uses the word Israel, terrorism analyst Stephen Ulph told United Press International. Ulph, who works with the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation, said that typically, jihadists like Zawahiri would use a term like "Zionist entity" to refer to the Jewish state. "But it could be," he acknowledged, "that in a private communication, you use it just for brevity." Ulph has other reservations about its authenticity -- like the way the four stages of the war are spelled out in such detail, when that concept is part of the shared ideology of contemporary Mujahedin. That same point was echoed by Raymond Ibrahim, a scholar of Arabic history and language. "That would be a given," he told UPI. "There's no reason to set it out in so much detail." Ibrahim, who prepared a forthcoming collection of newly translated al-Qaida documents, and who has read a great deal of Zawahiri's writing, both public and private, said that the style of address was both "too chummy and too deferential." Usually, he said, Zawahiri's tone was "more masterful, more commanding." "He is the elder, he is the sheikh," said Ibrahim of Zawahiri, describing parts of the letter as almost a supplication. "He wouldn't take that tone." At one point, the author urges Zarqawi to cease the televised beheadings which have become his gory trademark -- and which "the Muslim populace who love and support you will never find palatable" -- because hostages can be killed just as easily with bullets. But to demonstrate his jihadi bona fides, the author confides that he "has tasted the bitterness of American brutality," and that his "favorite wife," son and young daughter had been crushed when the house they were in was leveled -- presumably by the U.S. military -- and he does not know where the bodies are. "Were they brought out of the rubble, or are they still buried beneath it to this day?" the author plaintively inquires. Ibrahim points out that Zawahiri and Zarqawi are not exactly old friends -- some believe they have never actually met. "His other letters, even to people that he does know very well, don't have such intimate revelations in them," he said. "It doesn't sound too much like him." UPI On balance, Ibrahim said, "I tend to think it is a forgery." |
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Mohannad Hage Ali of the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Al-Hayat, cites the tone of the letter as a reason he doubts its authenticity. In the letter, al-Zawahiri urges al-Zarqawi to stop the beheadings that were carried out by his group and to downplay his vicious attacks on Iraq's Shiite majority because "we are in a media battle in a race for the hearts and minds" of the Sunnis. However, Ali says: "The writer, who is supposed to be Zawahiri, sounds like a moderate with pragmatic views. The most recent tape of Zawahiri shows this is not the case. He is as adamant as ever." Still, the al-Zawahiri of the recent letter sounds remarkably like the al-Zawahiri from 2001, in both cases saying the jihad could go only so far, and that popular support was crucial. Others cite instances of bad grammar, a plea for money by the author to send 100,000 (it doesn't say what), and the almost-chatty mention that he is the father of a new daughter named Nawwar, as out of character for al-Zawahiri. And even though the letter is supposed to be addressed to al-Zarqawi, the last line says, "By God, if by chance you're going to Fallujah, send greetings to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi," another puzzling inconsistency. At least one skeptical analyst says clues that one would use to verify the letter -- including al-Zawahiri's mention of how his son, daughter and one of his wives were killed by a U.S. bomb in Afghanistan -- were almost too obvious. The eagerness with which the U.S. military seemed willing to talk about the letter to the media in places like Dubai also aroused suspicion among the already, to put it mildly, wary Arab media CNN |
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Christopher Brown, research associate at the Hudson Institute's Transitions to Democracy program, doubts that Zarqawi was even in Iraq at the time the letter was purportedly written to him, an opinion shared by a retired U.S. intelligence operative who spoke recently with Cybercast News Service. In email communications with Cybercast News Service last week, Brown also pointed out that Zawahiri uses both Muslim and Christian dates in his letter. The use of Western dual dates is customarily done only for material designed for western consumption, not for internal communications, he said. The letter, dated July 9, also makes no reference to the July 7 London bombings, Brown noted. Zawahiri purportedly mentions in the letter that he has a daughter named "Nawwar," which he explains "means the timid female gazelle and the woman who is free from suspicion ..." But Brown questioned why Zawahiri would feel the need to explain the meaning of an Arab word to another Arab. Furthermore, Zawahiri's alleged definition of "Nawwar" as "timid female gazelle" is incorrect, according to translators with Transperfect Translations, a global translation firm. "Nawwar means: blossom, flower, bright as in illuminated. It also could be a nice female's name, and by extension could be the beginning of the spring season," said the translators. The letter notes the effectiveness of Pakistani military operations, yet there is little evidence to support that idea, Brown said, except for a three- to four-week period in May when Pakistani anti-terrorist operations were conducted with U.S. assistance. The Zawahiri letter, if genuine, makes no mention of al Qaeda working "within Iranian strategy" in Iraq, Brown said. That strategy and the accompanying tactics, he added, are serving the terror network's own goals in Iraq as well as those of Iran. "[B]y declaring all-out war on the Shi'a, [al Qaeda is] driving the Shi'a population further into the hands of the Iranians, who can provide them with security through both their own organizations and what I would venture to say is their either formal or informal control over al Qaeda," Brown said. CNS News |
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the letter from Zawahiri to Zarqawi doesn't seem to be to Zarqawi at all but to someone else who is being asked to send Zarqawi greetings. My greetings to all the loved ones and please give me news of Karem and the rest of the folks I know, and especially: By God, if by chance you're going to Fallujah, send greetings to Abu Musab alZarqawi. Or how, almost halfway through on page 6 the author seems to be proposing a democratic solution: "...We don't want to repeat the mistake of the Taliban, who restricted participation in governance to the students and the people of Qandahar alone. They did not have any representation for the Afghan people in their ruling regime, so the result was that the Afghan people disengaged themselves from them. Even devout ones took the stance of the spectator and, when the invasion came, the amirate collapsed in days, because the people were either passive or hostile..." To be advocating democracy would be and impossible proposition for al-Zawahiri Iraq Blog Count |
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"This letter presents a number of problems. To date there has been no clarification as to how the letter was intercepted, and despite high official confidence of its authenticity, verified by "multiple sources over an extended period of time," there is little in the way of independent corroboration offered. Further questions are raised by the content. While the message of global jihad's aims is consistent with other documents outlining al-Qaeda strategy, it is remarkable that a letter between the two al-Qaeda leaders should spell this out in such an explanatory way, as if these basic details, shared as common knowledge among mujahideen, were the subject of some doubt. Indeed, the text is conspicuous for the way in which it seems to counter, almost point for point, the objections raised by Western critics of the coalition campaign in Iraq, in that: - al-Qaeda's aims are not confined to "resistance" of a foreign invader; - the war would not end with American withdrawal but extend to neighboring states and to Israel; - the "foreignness" of the mujahideen in Iraq may be a de-legitimizing factor; - al-Qaeda has actually resigned itself to defeat in Afghanistan; - the organization is experiencing difficulty in communications; and - funding has become a problem for the organization." Stephen Ulph The Jamestown Foundation reprinted in The Turkish Weekly |
English Translation of Ayman al-Zawahiri's letter to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
In the name of God, praise be to God, and praise and blessings be upon the Messenger of
God, his family, his Companions, and all those who follow him.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The gracious brother/Abu Musab, God protect him and watch over him, may His religion, and
His Book and the Sunna of His Prophet @ aid him, I ask the Almighty that he bless him, us, and
all Muslims, with His divine aid, His clear victory, and His release from suffering be close at
hand. Likewise, I ask the Almighty to gather us as He sees fit from the glory of this world and
the prize of the hereafter.
1-Dear brother, God Almighty knows how much I miss meeting with you, how much I long to
join you in your historic battle against the greatest of criminals and apostates in the heart of
the Islamic world, the field where epic and major battles in the history of Islam were fought. I
think that if I could find a way to you, I would not delay a day, God willing.
2-My dear brother, we are following your news, despite the difficulty and hardship. We
received your last published message sent to Sheikh Usama Bin Ladin, God save him. Likewise,
I made sure in my last speech-that Aljazeera broadcast Saturday, 11 Jumadi I, 1426h, 18 June
2005-to mention you, send you greetings, and show support and thanks for the heroic acts
you are performing in defense of Islam and the Muslims, but I do not know what Aljazeera
broadcast. Did this part appear or not? I will try to attach the full speech with this message,
conditions permitting.
Likewise, I showed my support for your noble initiative to join with your brothers, during a
prior speech I sent to the brothers a number of months ago, but the brothers' circumstances
prevented its publication.
3-I want to reassure you about our situation. The summer started hot with operations
escalating in Afghanistan. The enemy struck a blow against us with the arrest of Abu al-Faraj,
may God break his bonds. However, no Arab brother was arrested because of him. The
brothers tried-and were successful to a great degree-to contain the fall of Abu al-Faraj as
much as they could.
However, the real danger comes from the agent Pakistani army that is carrying out operations
in the tribal areas looking for mujahedeen.
4-I want to keep corresponding with you about the details of what is going on in dear Iraq,
especially since we do not know the full truth as you know it. Therefore, I want you to
explain to me your situation in a little detail, especially in regards to the political angle. I
want you to express to me what is on your mind in regards to what is on my mind in the way
of questions and inquiries.
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A-I want to be the first to congratulate you for what God has blessed you with in terms of
fighting battle in the heart of the Islamic world, which was formerly the field for major battles
in Islam's history, and what is now the place for the greatest battle of Islam in this era, and
what will happen, according to what appeared in the Hadiths of the Messenger of God @
about the epic battles between Islam and atheism. It has always been my belief that the
victory of Islam will never take place until a Muslim state is established in the manner of the
Prophet in the heart of the Islamic world, specifically in the Levant, Egypt, and the
neighboring states of the Peninsula and Iraq; however, the center would be in the Levant and
Egypt. This is my opinion, which I do not preach as infallibile, but I have reviewed historical
events and the behavior of the enemies of Islam themselves, and they did not establish Israel
in this triangle surrounded by Egypt and Syria and overlooking the Hijaz except for their own
interests.
As for the battles that are going on in the far-flung regions of the Islamic world, such as
Chechnya, Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Bosnia, they are just the groundwork and the vanguard
for the major battles which have begun in the heart of the Islamic world. We ask God that He
send down his victory upon us that he promised to his faithful worshipers.
It is strange that the Arab nationalists also have, despite their avoidance of Islamic practice,
come to comprehend the great importance of this province. It is like a bird whose wings are
Egypt and Syria, and whose heart is Palestine. They have come to comprehend the goal of
planting Israel in this region, and they are not misled in this, rather they have admitted their
ignorance of the religious nature of this conflict.
What I mean is that God has blessed you and your brothers while many of the Muslim
mujahedeen have longed for that blessing, and that is Jihad in the heart of the Islamic world.
He has, in addition to that, granted you superiority over the idolatrous infidels, traitorous
apostates, and those turncoat deviants.
This is what God Almighty has distinguished you and your brothers with over the mujahedeen
before you who fought in the heart of the Islamic world, and in Egypt and Syria to be precise,
but this splendor and superiority against the enemies of Islam was not ordained for them.
God also blessed you not only with the splendor of the spearhead of Jihad, but with the
splendor as well of the doctrines of monotheism, the rejection of polytheism, and avoidance
of the tenets of the secularists and detractors and inferiors, the call to the pure way of the
Prophet, and the sublime goal that the Prophet @ left to his companions {. This is a blessing
on top of blessing on top of blessing which obliges you and your noble brothers to be
constantly thankful and full of praise. The Almighty said: (If ye are grateful, He is pleased with
you) and the Almighty says: (If ye are grateful, I will add more unto you.)
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B-Because of this, we are extremely concerned, as are the mujahedeen and all sincere
Muslims, about your Jihad and your heroic acts until you reach its intended goal.
You know well that purity of faith and the correct way of living are not connected
necessarily to success in the field unless you take into consideration the reasons and
practices which events are guided by. For the grandson of the Prophet Imam al Hussein Bin
Ali }, the Leader of the Faithful Abdallah Bin al-Zubair }, Abdul Rahman Bin al-Ashath , and
other great people, did not achieve their sought-after goal.
C-If our intended goal in this age is the establishment of a caliphate in the manner of the
Prophet and if we expect to establish its state predominantly-according to how it appears to
us-in the heart of the Islamic world, then your efforts and sacrifices-God permitting-are a
large step directly towards that goal.
So we must think for a long time about our next steps and how we want to attain it, and it is
my humble opinion that the Jihad in Iraq requires several incremental goals:
The first stage: Expel the Americans from Iraq.
The second stage: Establish an Islamic authority or amirate, then develop it and support it
until it achieves the level of a caliphate- over as much territory as you can to spread its
power in Iraq, i.e., in Sunni areas, is in order to fill the void stemming from the departure of
the Americans, immediately upon their exit and before unIslamic forces attempt to fill this
void, whether those whom the Americans will leave behind them, or those among the
un-Islamic forces who will try to jump at taking power.
There is no doubt that this amirate will enter into a fierce struggle with the foreign infidel
forces, and those supporting them among the local forces, to put it in a state of constant
preoccupation with defending itself, to make it impossible for it to establish a stable state
which could proclaim a caliphate, and to keep the Jihadist groups in a constant state of war,
until these forces find a chance to annihilate them.
The third stage: Extend the jihad wave to the secular countries neighboring Iraq.
The fourth stage: It may coincide with what came before: the clash with Israel, because Israel
was established only to challenge any new Islamic entity.
My raising this idea-I don't claim that it's infallible-is only to stress something extremely
important. And it is that the mujahedeen must not have their mission end with the expulsion
of the Americans from Iraq, and then lay down their weapons, and silence the fighting zeal.
We will return to having the secularists and traitors holding sway over us. Instead, their
ongoing mission is to establish an Islamic state, and defend it, and for every generation to
hand over the banner to the one after it until the Hour of Resurrection.
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If the matter is thus, we must contemplate our affairs carefully, so that we are not robbed of
the spoils, and our brothers did not die, so that others can reap the fruits of their labor.
D-If we look at the two short-term goals, which are removing the Americans and establishing
an Islamic amirate in Iraq, or a caliphate if possible, then, we will see that the strongest
weapon which the mujahedeen enjoy - after the help and granting of success by God - is
popular support from the Muslim masses in Iraq, and the surrounding Muslim countries.
So, we must maintain this support as best we can, and we should strive to increase it, on the
condition that striving for that support does not lead to any concession in the laws of the
Sharia.
And it's very important that you allow me to elaborate a little here on this issue of popular
support. Let's say:
(1) If we are in agreement that the victory of Islam and the establishment of a caliphate in the
manner of the Prophet will not be achieved except through jihad against the apostate rulers
and their removal, then this goal will not be accomplished by the mujahed movement while it
is cut off from public support, even if the Jihadist movement pursues the method of sudden
overthrow. This is because such an overthrow would not take place without some minimum of
popular support and some condition of public discontent which offers the mujahed movement
what it needs in terms of capabilities in the quickest fashion. Additionally, if the Jihadist
movement were obliged to pursue other methods, such as a popular war of jihad or a popular
intifadah, then popular support would be a decisive factor between victory and defeat.
(2) In the absence of this popular support, the Islamic mujahed movement would be crushed
in the shadows, far from the masses who are distracted or fearful, and the struggle between
the Jihadist elite and the arrogant authorities would be confined to prison dungeons far from
the public and the light of day. This is precisely what the secular, apostate forces that are
controlling our countries are striving for. These forces don't desire to wipe out the mujahed
Islamic movement, rather they are stealthily striving to separate it from the misguided or
frightened Muslim masses. Therefore, our planning must strive to involve the Muslim masses in
the battle, and to bring the mujahed movement to the masses and not conduct the struggle
far from them.
This, in my limited opinion, is the reason for the popular support that the mujahedeen enjoy
in Iraq, by the grace of God.
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As for the sectarian and chauvinistic factor, it is secondary in importance to outside
aggression, and is much weaker than it. In my opinion-which is limited and which is what I see
far from the scene-the awakening of the Sunni people in Iraq against the Shia would not have
had such strength and toughness were it not for the treason of the Shia and their collusion
with the Americans, and their agreement with them to permit the Americans to occupy Iraq
in exchange for the Shia assuming power.
(4) Therefore, the mujahed movement must avoid any action that the masses do not
understand or approve, if there is no contravention of Sharia in such avoidance, and as long
as there are other options to resort to, meaning we must not throw the masses-scant in
knowledge-into the sea before we teach them to swim, relying for guidance in that on the
saying of the Prophet @ to Umar bin al-Khattab<: lest the people should say that Muhammad
used to kill his Companions.
Among the practical applications of this viewpoint in your blessed arena:
(A) The matter of preparing for the aftermath of the exit of the Americans: The Americans
will exit soon, God willing, and the establishment of a governing authorityas soon as the
country is freed from the Americans-does not depend on force alone. Indeed, it's imperative
that, in addition to force, there be an appeasement of Muslims and a sharing with them in
governance and in the Shura council and in promulgating what is allowed and what is not
allowed. In my view-which I continue to reiterate is limited and has a distant perspective
upon the events-this must be achieved through the people of the Shura and who possess
authority to determine issues and make them binding, and who are endowed with the
qualifications for working in Sharia law. They would be
elected by the people of the country to represent them and overlook the work of the
authorities in accordance with the rules of the glorious Sharia.
And it doesn't appear that the Mujahedeen, much less the al-Qaida in the Land of Two Rivers,
will lay claim to governance without the Iraqi people. Not to mention that that would be in
contravention of the Shura methodology. That is not practical in my opinion.
You might ask an important question: What drives me to broach these matters while we are in
the din of war and the challenges of killing and combat?
My answer is, firstly: Things may develop faster than we imagine. The aftermath of the
collapse of American power in Vietnam-and how they ran and left their agents-is noteworthy.
Because of that, we must be ready starting now, before events overtake us, and before we
are surprised by the conspiracies of the Americans and the United Nations and their plans to
fill the void behind them. We must take the initiative and impose a fait accompli upon our
enemies, instead of the enemy imposing one on us, wherein our lot would be to merely resist
their schemes.
Second: This is the most vital part. This authority, or the Sharia amirate that is necessary,
requires fieldwork starting now, alongside the combat and war. It would be a
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political endeavor in which the mujahedeen would be a nucleus around which would gather
the tribes and their elders, and the people in positions, and scientists, and merchants, and
people of opinion, and all the distinguished ones who were not sullied by appeasing the
occupation and those who defended Islam.
We don't want to repeat the mistake of the Taliban, who restricted participation in
governance to the students and the people of Qandahar alone. They did not have any
representation for the Afghan people in their ruling regime, so the result was that the Afghan
people disengaged themselves from them. Even devout ones took the stance of the spectator
and, when the invasion came, the amirate collapsed in days, because the people were either
passive or hostile. Even the students themselves had a stronger affiliation to their tribes and
their villages than their affiliation to the Islamic amirate or the Taliban movement or the
responsible party in charge of each one of them in his place. Each of them retreated to his
village and his tribe, where his affiliation was stronger!!
The comparison between the fall of Kabul and the resistance of Fallujah, Ramadi, and Al Qaim
and their fearless sisters shows a clear distinction, by God's grace and His kindness. It is the
matter towards which we must strive, that we must support and strengthen.
Therefore, I stress again to you and to all your brothers the need to direct the political
action equally with the military action, by the alliance, cooperation and gathering of all
leaders of opinion and influence in the Iraqi arena. I can't define for you a specific means of
action. You are more knowledgeable about the field conditions. But you and your brothers
must strive to have around you circles of support, assistance, and cooperation, and through
them, to advance until you become a consensus, entity, organization, or association that
represents all the honorable people and the loyal folks in Iraq. I repeat the warning against
separating from the masses, whatever the danger.
(2) Striving for the unity of the mujahedeen: This is something I entrust to you. It is between
you and God. If the mujahedeen are scattered, this leads to the scattering of the people
around them. I don't have detailed information about the situation of the mujahedeen, so I
ask that you help us with some beneficial details in this, and the extent of the different
mujahedeen movements' readiness to join the course of unity.
(3) Striving for the ulema: From the standpoint of not highlighting the doctrinal differences
which the masses do not understand, such as this one is Matridi or this one is Ashari or this
one is Salafi, and from the standpoint of doing justice to the people, for there may be in the
world a heresy or an inadequacy in a side which may have something to give to jihad, fighting,
and sacrifice for God. We have seen magnificent examples in the Afghan jihad, and the prince
of believers, Mullah Muhammad Omar - may God protect him - himself is of Hanafi adherence,
Matridi doctrine, but he stood in the history of Islam with a stance rarely taken. You are the
richer if you know the stances of the authentic ulema on rulers in times of jihad and the
defense of the Muslim holy sites. And more than that, their stances on doing justice to the
people and not denying their merit.
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The ulema among the general public are, as well, the symbol of Islam and its emblem. Their
disparagement may lead to the general public deeming religion and its adherents as being
unimportant. This is a greater injury than the benefit of criticizing a theologian on a heresy
or an issue.
Of course, these words of mine have nothing to do with the hypocritical traitors who are in
allegiance with the crusaders, but I wish to stress the warning against diminishing the ulema
before the general public.
Also, the active mujahedeen ulema - even if there may be some heresy or fault in them that is
not blasphemous - we must find a means to include them and to benefit from their energy.
You know well -what I am mentioning to you- that many of the most learned ulema of Islam
such as Izz Bin Abdul Salam, al-Nawawi, and Ibn Hajar - may God have mercy on them - were
Ashari. And many of the most eminent jihadists, whom the Umma resolved unanimously to
praise such as Nur al-Din Bin Zanki and Salahal-Din al-Ayyubi - were Ashari. The mujahedeen
sultans who came after them - who didn't reach their level - whom the ulema and the
historians lauded such as Sayf al-Din Qatz, Rukn al-Din Baybars, al-Nasir Muhammad
Bin-Qallawun, and Muhammad al-Fatih, were Ashari or Matridi. They fell into errors, sins, and
heresies. And the stances of Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiya regarding al-Nasir Muhammad Bin
Qallawun and his extolling of him and his inciting him to jihad - despite the prosecutions and
prison which befell the sheikh in his time - are well known.
If you take into account the fact that most of the Umma's ulema are Ashari or Matridi, and if
you take into consideration as well the fact that the issue of correcting the mistakes of
ideology is an issue that will require generations of the call to Islam and modifying the
educational curricula, and that the mujahedeen are not able to undertake this burden,
rather they are in need of those who will help them with the difficulties and problems they
face; if you take all this into consideration, and add to it the fact that all Muslims are
speaking of jihad, whether they are Salafi or non-Salafi, then you would understand that it is
a duty of the mujahed movement to include the energies of the Umma and in its wisdom and
prudence to fill the role of leader, trailblazer, and exploiter of all the capabilities of the
Umma for the sake of achieving our aims: a caliphate along the lines of the Prophet's, with
God's permission.
I do not know the details of the situation where you are, but I do not want us to repeat the
mistake of Jamil al-Rahman , who was killed and whose organization was shattered, because he
neglected the realities on the ground.
(4) The position on the Shia:
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This subject is complicated and detailed. I have brought it up here so as not to address the
general public on something they do not know. But please permit me to present it logically:
(A) I repeat that I see the picture from afar, and I repeat that you see what we do not see.
No doubt you have the right to defend yourself, the mujahedeen, and Muslims in general and
in particular against any aggression or threat of aggression.
(B) I assert here that any rational person understands with ease that the Shia cooperated
with the Americans in the invasion of Afghanistan, Rafsanjani himself confessed to it, and they
cooperated with them in the overthrow of Saddam and the occupation of Iraq in exchange
for the Shia's assumption of power and their turning a blind eye to the American military
presence in Iraq. This is clear to everybody who has two eyes.
(C) People of discernment and knowledge among Muslims know the extent
of danger to Islam of the Twelve'er school of Shiism. It is a religious school
based on excess and falsehood whose function is to accuse the companions of Muhammad {
of heresy in a campaign against Islam, in order to free the way for a group of those who call
for a dialogue in the name of the hidden mahdi who is in control of existence and infallible in
what he does. Their prior history in cooperating with the enemies of Islam is consistent with
their current reality of connivance with the Crusaders.
(D) The collision between any state based on the model of prophecy with the Shia is a matter
that will happen sooner or later. This is the judgment of history, and these are the fruits to
be expected from the rejectionist Shia sect and their opinion of the Sunnis.
These are clear, well-known matters to anyone with a knowledge of history, the ideologies,
and the politics of states.
(E) We must repeat what we mentioned previously, that the majority of Muslims don't
comprehend this and possibly could not even imagine it. For that reason, many of your Muslim
admirers amongst the common folk are wondering about your attacks on the Shia. The
sharpness of this questioning increases when the attacks are on one of their mosques, and it
increases more when the attacks are on the mausoleum of Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib, may God
honor him. My opinion is that this matter won't be acceptable to the Muslim populace
however much you have tried to explain it, and aversion to this will continue.
Indeed, questions will circulate among mujahedeen circles and their opinion makers about
the correctness of this conflict with the Shia at this time. Is it something that is unavoidable?
Or, is it something can be put off until the force of the mujahed movement in Iraq gets
stronger? And if some of the operations were necessary for selfdefense, were all of the
operations necessary? Or, were there some operations that weren't called for? And is the
opening of another front now in addition to the front against the Americans and the
government a wise decision? Or, does this conflict with the Shia lift the burden from the
Americans by diverting the mujahedeen to the Shia, while the
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Americans continue to control matters from afar? And if the attacks on Shia leaders were
necessary to put a stop to their plans, then why were there attacks on ordinary Shia? Won't
this lead to reinforcing false ideas in their minds, even as it is incumbent on us to preach the
call of Islam to them and explain and communicate to guide them to the truth? And can the
mujahedeen kill all of the Shia in Iraq? Has any Islamic state in history ever tried that? And why
kill ordinary Shia considering that they are forgiven because of their ignorance? And what loss
will befall us if we did not attack the Shia? And do the brothers forget that we have more
than one hundred prisoners - many of whom are from the leadership who are wanted in their
countries - in the custody of the Iranians? And even if we attack the Shia out of necessity,
then why do you announce this matter and make it public, which compels the Iranians to
take counter measures? And do the brothers forget that both we and the Iranians need to
refrain from harming each other at this time in which the Americans are targeting us?
All of these questions and others are circulating among your brothers, and they are
monitoring the picture from afar, as I told you. One who monitors from afar lacks many of the
important details that affect decision-making in the field.
However, monitoring from afar has the advantage of providing the total picture and observing
the general line without getting submerged in the details, which might draw attention away
from the direction of the target. As the English proverb says, the person who is standing
among the leaves of the tree might not see the tree.
One of the most important factors of success is that you don't let your eyes lose sight of the
target, and that it should stand before you always. Otherwise you deviate from the general
line through a policy of reaction. And this is a lifetime's experience, and I will not conceal
from you the fact that we suffered a lot through following this policy of reaction, then we
suffered a lot another time because we tried to return to the original line.
One of the most important things facing the leadership is the enthusiasm of the supporters,
and especially of the energetic young men who are burning to make the religion victorious.
This enthusiasm must flow wisely, and al-Mutanabbi says:
Courage in a man does suffice but not like the courage of one who is wise.
And he also says:
Judiciousness precedes the courage of the courageous which is second
And when the two blend in one free soul it reaches everywhere in the heavens.
In summation, with regard to the talk about the issue of the Shia, I would like to repeat that I
see that matter from afar without being aware of all the details, I would like my words to be
deserving of your attention and consideration, and God is the guarantor of success for every
good thing.
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(5) Scenes of slaughter:
Among the things which the feelings of the Muslim populace who love and support you will
never find palatable - also- are the scenes of slaughtering the hostages. You shouldn't be
deceived by the praise of some of the zealous young men and their description of you as the
shaykh of the slaughterers, etc. They do not express the general view of the admirer and the
supporter of the resistance in Iraq, and of you in particular by the favor and blessing of God.
And your response, while true, might be: Why shouldn't we sow terror in the hearts of the
Crusaders and their helpers? And isn't the destruction of the villages and the cities on the
heads of their inhabitants more cruel than slaughtering? And aren't the cluster bombs and the
seven ton bombs and the depleted uranium bombs crueler than slaughtering? And isn't killing
by torture crueler than slaughtering? And isn't violating the honor of men and women more
painful and more destructive than slaughtering?
All of these questions and more might be asked, and you are justified. However this does not
change the reality at all, which is that the general opinion of our supporter does not
comprehend that, and that this general opinion falls under a campaign by the malicious,
perfidious, and fallacious campaign by the deceptive and fabricated media. And we would
spare the people from the effect of questions about the usefulness of our actions in the
hearts and minds of the general opinion that is essentially sympathetic to us.
And I say to you with sure feeling and I say: That the author of these lines has tasted the
bitterness of American brutality, and that my favorite wife's chest was crushed by a concrete
ceiling and she went on calling for aid to lift the stone block off her chest until she breathed
her last, may God have mercy on her and accept her among the martyrs. As for my young
daughter, she was afflicted by a cerebral hemorrhage, and she continued for a whole day
suffering in pain until she expired. And to this day I do not know the location of the graves of
my wife, my son, my daughter, and the rest of the three other families who were martyred in
the incident and who were pulverized by the concrete ceiling, may God have mercy on them
and the Muslim martyrs. Were they brought out of the rubble, or are they still buried
beneath it to this day?
However, despite all of this, I say to you: that we are in a battle, and that more than half of
this battle is taking place in the battlefield of the media. And that we are in a media battle in
a race for the hearts and minds of our Umma. And that however far our capabilities reach,
they will never be equal to one thousandth of the capabilities of the kingdom of Satan that is
waging war on us. And we can kill the captives by bullet. That would achieve that which is
sought after without exposing ourselves to the questions and answering to doubts. We don't
need this.
E-I would like you to explain for us another issue related to Iraq, and I think without a doubt
that you are the most knowledgeable about it. Can the assumption of leadership
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for the mujahedeen or a group of the mujahedeen by non-Iraqis stir up sensitivity for some
people? And if there is sensitivity, what is its effect? And how can it be eliminated while
preserving the commitment of the jihadist work and without exposing it to any shocks? Please
inform us in detail regarding this matter.
F-Likewise I would like you to inform us about the Iraqi situation in general and the situation
of the mujahedeen in particular in detail without exposing the security of the mujahedeen
and the Muslims to danger. At the least, we should know as much as the enemy knows. And
allow us to burden you with this trouble, for we are most eager to learn your news.
G-I have a definite desire to travel to you but I do not know whether that is possible from the
standpoint of traveling and getting settled, so please let me know. And God is the guarantor
of every good thing.
5-Please take every caution in the meetings, especially when someone claims to carry an
important letter or contributions. It was in this way that they arrested Khalid Sheikh.
Likewise, please, if you want to meet one of your assistants, I hope that you don't meet him
in a public place or in a place that is not known to you. I hope that you would meet him in a
secure place, not the place of your residence. Because Abu alFaraj - may God set him free
and release him from his torment - was lured by one of his brothers, who had been taken into
custody, to meet him at a public location where a trap had been set.
6-The brothers informed me that you suggested to them sending some assistance. Our
situation since Abu al-Faraj is good by the grace of God, but many of the lines have been cut
off. Because of this, we need a payment while new lines are being opened. So, if you're
capable of sending a payment of approximately one hundred thousand, we'll be very grateful
to you.
7-The subject of the Algerian brothers at our end, there are fears from the previous
experiences, so if you're able to get in touch with them and notify us of the details from
them, we would be very grateful to you.
8-As for news on the poor servant,
A-During an earlier period I published some publications:
(1) Allegiance and exemption - A Faith transmitted, a lost reality.
(2) Strengthening the Banner of Islam - an article emphasizing the authority's commitment to
monotheism.
?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?
(3) Wind of Paradise - an article about: Most Honorable Sacrifices of the Believers - Campaigns
of Death and Martyrdom.
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I endeavored in this article to include what was written on the subject as much as I could. I
also strived to verify every word in it, and it's an issue that took me almost a year or more.
(4) The Bitter Harvest - The Muslim Brotherhood in 60 Years - Second Edition 1426h - 2005m.
In this edition, I wanted to delete all the extreme phrases for which there's no proof, and I
referred to the book a number of times, then I wrote a new preface. In it I pointed out a
dangerous trend of the Brotherhood, especially in the circumstances of the New Crusader
War which was launched on the Islamic Umma. In my opinion, this edition is better than the
first with respect to the calmness of the presentation instead of being emotional. The
Brotherhood's danger is demonstrated by the weakening of the Islamic Resistance to the
campaign of the Crusaders and their supporters. God is the only one who is perfect.
(5) I have also had fifteen audio statements published and six others that were not published
for one reason or another. We ask God for acceptance and devotion.
I will enclose for you the written statements and what I can of the audio and video
statements with this message, God willing. If you find they are good, you can publish them.
We seek God's assistance.
(6) I don't know if you all have contact with Abu Rasmi? Even if it is via the Internet, because I
gave him a copy of my book (A Knight under the banner of the Prophet@) so he could
attempt to publish it, and I lost the original. Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper published it
truncated and jumbled. I think that the American intelligence services provided the
aforementioned newspaper with it from my computer which they acquired, because the
publication of the book coincided with a publication of messages from my computer in the
same newspaper. So if you can contact him and get the original of the book, if that is possible
for you all, then you can publish it on your blessed website and then send a copy to us, if
that is possible.
B-As for my personal condition, I am in good health, blessings and wellness thanks to God and
His grace. I am only lacking your pious prayers, in which I beg you not to forget me. God
Almighty has blessed me with a daughter whom I have named (Nawwar), and Nawwar means:
the timid female gazelle and the woman who is free from suspicion, and technically: it is the
name of my maternal aunt who was a second mother to me and who stood with me during all
the difficult and harsh times. I ask God to reward her for me with the best reward, and have
mercy on her, our mothers and the Muslims.
9-My greetings to all the loved ones and please give me news of Karem and the rest of the
folks I know, and especially:
By God, if by chance you're going to Fallujah, send greetings to Abu Musab alZarqawi.
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In closing, I ask God entrust you all with His guardianship, providence and protection, and
bless you all in your families, possessions and offspring and protect them from all evil and that
He delight you all with them in this world and the next world, and that He bestow upon us
and you all the victory that he promised his servants the Believers, and that He strengthen
for us our religion which He has sanctioned for us, and that He make us safe after our
fear.Peace, God's blessings and mercy to you.
Your loving brother
Abu Muhammad
Saturday, 02 Jumada al-Thani, 1426 - 09 July, 2005.
In the name of God, praise be to God, and praise and blessings be upon the Messenger of
God, his family, his Companions, and all those who follow him.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The gracious brother/Abu Musab, God protect him and watch over him, may His religion, and
His Book and the Sunna of His Prophet @ aid him, I ask the Almighty that he bless him, us, and
all Muslims, with His divine aid, His clear victory, and His release from suffering be close at
hand. Likewise, I ask the Almighty to gather us as He sees fit from the glory of this world and
the prize of the hereafter.
1-Dear brother, God Almighty knows how much I miss meeting with you, how much I long to
join you in your historic battle against the greatest of criminals and apostates in the heart of
the Islamic world, the field where epic and major battles in the history of Islam were fought. I
think that if I could find a way to you, I would not delay a day, God willing.
2-My dear brother, we are following your news, despite the difficulty and hardship. We
received your last published message sent to Sheikh Usama Bin Ladin, God save him. Likewise,
I made sure in my last speech-that Aljazeera broadcast Saturday, 11 Jumadi I, 1426h, 18 June
2005-to mention you, send you greetings, and show support and thanks for the heroic acts
you are performing in defense of Islam and the Muslims, but I do not know what Aljazeera
broadcast. Did this part appear or not? I will try to attach the full speech with this message,
conditions permitting.
Likewise, I showed my support for your noble initiative to join with your brothers, during a
prior speech I sent to the brothers a number of months ago, but the brothers' circumstances
prevented its publication.
3-I want to reassure you about our situation. The summer started hot with operations
escalating in Afghanistan. The enemy struck a blow against us with the arrest of Abu al-Faraj,
may God break his bonds. However, no Arab brother was arrested because of him. The
brothers tried-and were successful to a great degree-to contain the fall of Abu al-Faraj as
much as they could.
However, the real danger comes from the agent Pakistani army that is carrying out operations
in the tribal areas looking for mujahedeen.
4-I want to keep corresponding with you about the details of what is going on in dear Iraq,
especially since we do not know the full truth as you know it. Therefore, I want you to
explain to me your situation in a little detail, especially in regards to the political angle. I
want you to express to me what is on your mind in regards to what is on my mind in the way
of questions and inquiries.
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A-I want to be the first to congratulate you for what God has blessed you with in terms of
fighting battle in the heart of the Islamic world, which was formerly the field for major battles
in Islam's history, and what is now the place for the greatest battle of Islam in this era, and
what will happen, according to what appeared in the Hadiths of the Messenger of God @
about the epic battles between Islam and atheism. It has always been my belief that the
victory of Islam will never take place until a Muslim state is established in the manner of the
Prophet in the heart of the Islamic world, specifically in the Levant, Egypt, and the
neighboring states of the Peninsula and Iraq; however, the center would be in the Levant and
Egypt. This is my opinion, which I do not preach as infallibile, but I have reviewed historical
events and the behavior of the enemies of Islam themselves, and they did not establish Israel
in this triangle surrounded by Egypt and Syria and overlooking the Hijaz except for their own
interests.
As for the battles that are going on in the far-flung regions of the Islamic world, such as
Chechnya, Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Bosnia, they are just the groundwork and the vanguard
for the major battles which have begun in the heart of the Islamic world. We ask God that He
send down his victory upon us that he promised to his faithful worshipers.
It is strange that the Arab nationalists also have, despite their avoidance of Islamic practice,
come to comprehend the great importance of this province. It is like a bird whose wings are
Egypt and Syria, and whose heart is Palestine. They have come to comprehend the goal of
planting Israel in this region, and they are not misled in this, rather they have admitted their
ignorance of the religious nature of this conflict.
What I mean is that God has blessed you and your brothers while many of the Muslim
mujahedeen have longed for that blessing, and that is Jihad in the heart of the Islamic world.
He has, in addition to that, granted you superiority over the idolatrous infidels, traitorous
apostates, and those turncoat deviants.
This is what God Almighty has distinguished you and your brothers with over the mujahedeen
before you who fought in the heart of the Islamic world, and in Egypt and Syria to be precise,
but this splendor and superiority against the enemies of Islam was not ordained for them.
God also blessed you not only with the splendor of the spearhead of Jihad, but with the
splendor as well of the doctrines of monotheism, the rejection of polytheism, and avoidance
of the tenets of the secularists and detractors and inferiors, the call to the pure way of the
Prophet, and the sublime goal that the Prophet @ left to his companions {. This is a blessing
on top of blessing on top of blessing which obliges you and your noble brothers to be
constantly thankful and full of praise. The Almighty said: (If ye are grateful, He is pleased with
you) and the Almighty says: (If ye are grateful, I will add more unto you.)
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B-Because of this, we are extremely concerned, as are the mujahedeen and all sincere
Muslims, about your Jihad and your heroic acts until you reach its intended goal.
You know well that purity of faith and the correct way of living are not connected
necessarily to success in the field unless you take into consideration the reasons and
practices which events are guided by. For the grandson of the Prophet Imam al Hussein Bin
Ali }, the Leader of the Faithful Abdallah Bin al-Zubair }, Abdul Rahman Bin al-Ashath , and
other great people, did not achieve their sought-after goal.
C-If our intended goal in this age is the establishment of a caliphate in the manner of the
Prophet and if we expect to establish its state predominantly-according to how it appears to
us-in the heart of the Islamic world, then your efforts and sacrifices-God permitting-are a
large step directly towards that goal.
So we must think for a long time about our next steps and how we want to attain it, and it is
my humble opinion that the Jihad in Iraq requires several incremental goals:
The first stage: Expel the Americans from Iraq.
The second stage: Establish an Islamic authority or amirate, then develop it and support it
until it achieves the level of a caliphate- over as much territory as you can to spread its
power in Iraq, i.e., in Sunni areas, is in order to fill the void stemming from the departure of
the Americans, immediately upon their exit and before unIslamic forces attempt to fill this
void, whether those whom the Americans will leave behind them, or those among the
un-Islamic forces who will try to jump at taking power.
There is no doubt that this amirate will enter into a fierce struggle with the foreign infidel
forces, and those supporting them among the local forces, to put it in a state of constant
preoccupation with defending itself, to make it impossible for it to establish a stable state
which could proclaim a caliphate, and to keep the Jihadist groups in a constant state of war,
until these forces find a chance to annihilate them.
The third stage: Extend the jihad wave to the secular countries neighboring Iraq.
The fourth stage: It may coincide with what came before: the clash with Israel, because Israel
was established only to challenge any new Islamic entity.
My raising this idea-I don't claim that it's infallible-is only to stress something extremely
important. And it is that the mujahedeen must not have their mission end with the expulsion
of the Americans from Iraq, and then lay down their weapons, and silence the fighting zeal.
We will return to having the secularists and traitors holding sway over us. Instead, their
ongoing mission is to establish an Islamic state, and defend it, and for every generation to
hand over the banner to the one after it until the Hour of Resurrection.
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If the matter is thus, we must contemplate our affairs carefully, so that we are not robbed of
the spoils, and our brothers did not die, so that others can reap the fruits of their labor.
D-If we look at the two short-term goals, which are removing the Americans and establishing
an Islamic amirate in Iraq, or a caliphate if possible, then, we will see that the strongest
weapon which the mujahedeen enjoy - after the help and granting of success by God - is
popular support from the Muslim masses in Iraq, and the surrounding Muslim countries.
So, we must maintain this support as best we can, and we should strive to increase it, on the
condition that striving for that support does not lead to any concession in the laws of the
Sharia.
And it's very important that you allow me to elaborate a little here on this issue of popular
support. Let's say:
(1) If we are in agreement that the victory of Islam and the establishment of a caliphate in the
manner of the Prophet will not be achieved except through jihad against the apostate rulers
and their removal, then this goal will not be accomplished by the mujahed movement while it
is cut off from public support, even if the Jihadist movement pursues the method of sudden
overthrow. This is because such an overthrow would not take place without some minimum of
popular support and some condition of public discontent which offers the mujahed movement
what it needs in terms of capabilities in the quickest fashion. Additionally, if the Jihadist
movement were obliged to pursue other methods, such as a popular war of jihad or a popular
intifadah, then popular support would be a decisive factor between victory and defeat.
(2) In the absence of this popular support, the Islamic mujahed movement would be crushed
in the shadows, far from the masses who are distracted or fearful, and the struggle between
the Jihadist elite and the arrogant authorities would be confined to prison dungeons far from
the public and the light of day. This is precisely what the secular, apostate forces that are
controlling our countries are striving for. These forces don't desire to wipe out the mujahed
Islamic movement, rather they are stealthily striving to separate it from the misguided or
frightened Muslim masses. Therefore, our planning must strive to involve the Muslim masses in
the battle, and to bring the mujahed movement to the masses and not conduct the struggle
far from them.
This, in my limited opinion, is the reason for the popular support that the mujahedeen enjoy
in Iraq, by the grace of God.
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As for the sectarian and chauvinistic factor, it is secondary in importance to outside
aggression, and is much weaker than it. In my opinion-which is limited and which is what I see
far from the scene-the awakening of the Sunni people in Iraq against the Shia would not have
had such strength and toughness were it not for the treason of the Shia and their collusion
with the Americans, and their agreement with them to permit the Americans to occupy Iraq
in exchange for the Shia assuming power.
(4) Therefore, the mujahed movement must avoid any action that the masses do not
understand or approve, if there is no contravention of Sharia in such avoidance, and as long
as there are other options to resort to, meaning we must not throw the masses-scant in
knowledge-into the sea before we teach them to swim, relying for guidance in that on the
saying of the Prophet @ to Umar bin al-Khattab<: lest the people should say that Muhammad
used to kill his Companions.
Among the practical applications of this viewpoint in your blessed arena:
(A) The matter of preparing for the aftermath of the exit of the Americans: The Americans
will exit soon, God willing, and the establishment of a governing authorityas soon as the
country is freed from the Americans-does not depend on force alone. Indeed, it's imperative
that, in addition to force, there be an appeasement of Muslims and a sharing with them in
governance and in the Shura council and in promulgating what is allowed and what is not
allowed. In my view-which I continue to reiterate is limited and has a distant perspective
upon the events-this must be achieved through the people of the Shura and who possess
authority to determine issues and make them binding, and who are endowed with the
qualifications for working in Sharia law. They would be
elected by the people of the country to represent them and overlook the work of the
authorities in accordance with the rules of the glorious Sharia.
And it doesn't appear that the Mujahedeen, much less the al-Qaida in the Land of Two Rivers,
will lay claim to governance without the Iraqi people. Not to mention that that would be in
contravention of the Shura methodology. That is not practical in my opinion.
You might ask an important question: What drives me to broach these matters while we are in
the din of war and the challenges of killing and combat?
My answer is, firstly: Things may develop faster than we imagine. The aftermath of the
collapse of American power in Vietnam-and how they ran and left their agents-is noteworthy.
Because of that, we must be ready starting now, before events overtake us, and before we
are surprised by the conspiracies of the Americans and the United Nations and their plans to
fill the void behind them. We must take the initiative and impose a fait accompli upon our
enemies, instead of the enemy imposing one on us, wherein our lot would be to merely resist
their schemes.
Second: This is the most vital part. This authority, or the Sharia amirate that is necessary,
requires fieldwork starting now, alongside the combat and war. It would be a
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political endeavor in which the mujahedeen would be a nucleus around which would gather
the tribes and their elders, and the people in positions, and scientists, and merchants, and
people of opinion, and all the distinguished ones who were not sullied by appeasing the
occupation and those who defended Islam.
We don't want to repeat the mistake of the Taliban, who restricted participation in
governance to the students and the people of Qandahar alone. They did not have any
representation for the Afghan people in their ruling regime, so the result was that the Afghan
people disengaged themselves from them. Even devout ones took the stance of the spectator
and, when the invasion came, the amirate collapsed in days, because the people were either
passive or hostile. Even the students themselves had a stronger affiliation to their tribes and
their villages than their affiliation to the Islamic amirate or the Taliban movement or the
responsible party in charge of each one of them in his place. Each of them retreated to his
village and his tribe, where his affiliation was stronger!!
The comparison between the fall of Kabul and the resistance of Fallujah, Ramadi, and Al Qaim
and their fearless sisters shows a clear distinction, by God's grace and His kindness. It is the
matter towards which we must strive, that we must support and strengthen.
Therefore, I stress again to you and to all your brothers the need to direct the political
action equally with the military action, by the alliance, cooperation and gathering of all
leaders of opinion and influence in the Iraqi arena. I can't define for you a specific means of
action. You are more knowledgeable about the field conditions. But you and your brothers
must strive to have around you circles of support, assistance, and cooperation, and through
them, to advance until you become a consensus, entity, organization, or association that
represents all the honorable people and the loyal folks in Iraq. I repeat the warning against
separating from the masses, whatever the danger.
(2) Striving for the unity of the mujahedeen: This is something I entrust to you. It is between
you and God. If the mujahedeen are scattered, this leads to the scattering of the people
around them. I don't have detailed information about the situation of the mujahedeen, so I
ask that you help us with some beneficial details in this, and the extent of the different
mujahedeen movements' readiness to join the course of unity.
(3) Striving for the ulema: From the standpoint of not highlighting the doctrinal differences
which the masses do not understand, such as this one is Matridi or this one is Ashari or this
one is Salafi, and from the standpoint of doing justice to the people, for there may be in the
world a heresy or an inadequacy in a side which may have something to give to jihad, fighting,
and sacrifice for God. We have seen magnificent examples in the Afghan jihad, and the prince
of believers, Mullah Muhammad Omar - may God protect him - himself is of Hanafi adherence,
Matridi doctrine, but he stood in the history of Islam with a stance rarely taken. You are the
richer if you know the stances of the authentic ulema on rulers in times of jihad and the
defense of the Muslim holy sites. And more than that, their stances on doing justice to the
people and not denying their merit.
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The ulema among the general public are, as well, the symbol of Islam and its emblem. Their
disparagement may lead to the general public deeming religion and its adherents as being
unimportant. This is a greater injury than the benefit of criticizing a theologian on a heresy
or an issue.
Of course, these words of mine have nothing to do with the hypocritical traitors who are in
allegiance with the crusaders, but I wish to stress the warning against diminishing the ulema
before the general public.
Also, the active mujahedeen ulema - even if there may be some heresy or fault in them that is
not blasphemous - we must find a means to include them and to benefit from their energy.
You know well -what I am mentioning to you- that many of the most learned ulema of Islam
such as Izz Bin Abdul Salam, al-Nawawi, and Ibn Hajar - may God have mercy on them - were
Ashari. And many of the most eminent jihadists, whom the Umma resolved unanimously to
praise such as Nur al-Din Bin Zanki and Salahal-Din al-Ayyubi - were Ashari. The mujahedeen
sultans who came after them - who didn't reach their level - whom the ulema and the
historians lauded such as Sayf al-Din Qatz, Rukn al-Din Baybars, al-Nasir Muhammad
Bin-Qallawun, and Muhammad al-Fatih, were Ashari or Matridi. They fell into errors, sins, and
heresies. And the stances of Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiya regarding al-Nasir Muhammad Bin
Qallawun and his extolling of him and his inciting him to jihad - despite the prosecutions and
prison which befell the sheikh in his time - are well known.
If you take into account the fact that most of the Umma's ulema are Ashari or Matridi, and if
you take into consideration as well the fact that the issue of correcting the mistakes of
ideology is an issue that will require generations of the call to Islam and modifying the
educational curricula, and that the mujahedeen are not able to undertake this burden,
rather they are in need of those who will help them with the difficulties and problems they
face; if you take all this into consideration, and add to it the fact that all Muslims are
speaking of jihad, whether they are Salafi or non-Salafi, then you would understand that it is
a duty of the mujahed movement to include the energies of the Umma and in its wisdom and
prudence to fill the role of leader, trailblazer, and exploiter of all the capabilities of the
Umma for the sake of achieving our aims: a caliphate along the lines of the Prophet's, with
God's permission.
I do not know the details of the situation where you are, but I do not want us to repeat the
mistake of Jamil al-Rahman , who was killed and whose organization was shattered, because he
neglected the realities on the ground.
(4) The position on the Shia:
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This subject is complicated and detailed. I have brought it up here so as not to address the
general public on something they do not know. But please permit me to present it logically:
(A) I repeat that I see the picture from afar, and I repeat that you see what we do not see.
No doubt you have the right to defend yourself, the mujahedeen, and Muslims in general and
in particular against any aggression or threat of aggression.
(B) I assert here that any rational person understands with ease that the Shia cooperated
with the Americans in the invasion of Afghanistan, Rafsanjani himself confessed to it, and they
cooperated with them in the overthrow of Saddam and the occupation of Iraq in exchange
for the Shia's assumption of power and their turning a blind eye to the American military
presence in Iraq. This is clear to everybody who has two eyes.
(C) People of discernment and knowledge among Muslims know the extent
of danger to Islam of the Twelve'er school of Shiism. It is a religious school
based on excess and falsehood whose function is to accuse the companions of Muhammad {
of heresy in a campaign against Islam, in order to free the way for a group of those who call
for a dialogue in the name of the hidden mahdi who is in control of existence and infallible in
what he does. Their prior history in cooperating with the enemies of Islam is consistent with
their current reality of connivance with the Crusaders.
(D) The collision between any state based on the model of prophecy with the Shia is a matter
that will happen sooner or later. This is the judgment of history, and these are the fruits to
be expected from the rejectionist Shia sect and their opinion of the Sunnis.
These are clear, well-known matters to anyone with a knowledge of history, the ideologies,
and the politics of states.
(E) We must repeat what we mentioned previously, that the majority of Muslims don't
comprehend this and possibly could not even imagine it. For that reason, many of your Muslim
admirers amongst the common folk are wondering about your attacks on the Shia. The
sharpness of this questioning increases when the attacks are on one of their mosques, and it
increases more when the attacks are on the mausoleum of Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib, may God
honor him. My opinion is that this matter won't be acceptable to the Muslim populace
however much you have tried to explain it, and aversion to this will continue.
Indeed, questions will circulate among mujahedeen circles and their opinion makers about
the correctness of this conflict with the Shia at this time. Is it something that is unavoidable?
Or, is it something can be put off until the force of the mujahed movement in Iraq gets
stronger? And if some of the operations were necessary for selfdefense, were all of the
operations necessary? Or, were there some operations that weren't called for? And is the
opening of another front now in addition to the front against the Americans and the
government a wise decision? Or, does this conflict with the Shia lift the burden from the
Americans by diverting the mujahedeen to the Shia, while the
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Americans continue to control matters from afar? And if the attacks on Shia leaders were
necessary to put a stop to their plans, then why were there attacks on ordinary Shia? Won't
this lead to reinforcing false ideas in their minds, even as it is incumbent on us to preach the
call of Islam to them and explain and communicate to guide them to the truth? And can the
mujahedeen kill all of the Shia in Iraq? Has any Islamic state in history ever tried that? And why
kill ordinary Shia considering that they are forgiven because of their ignorance? And what loss
will befall us if we did not attack the Shia? And do the brothers forget that we have more
than one hundred prisoners - many of whom are from the leadership who are wanted in their
countries - in the custody of the Iranians? And even if we attack the Shia out of necessity,
then why do you announce this matter and make it public, which compels the Iranians to
take counter measures? And do the brothers forget that both we and the Iranians need to
refrain from harming each other at this time in which the Americans are targeting us?
All of these questions and others are circulating among your brothers, and they are
monitoring the picture from afar, as I told you. One who monitors from afar lacks many of the
important details that affect decision-making in the field.
However, monitoring from afar has the advantage of providing the total picture and observing
the general line without getting submerged in the details, which might draw attention away
from the direction of the target. As the English proverb says, the person who is standing
among the leaves of the tree might not see the tree.
One of the most important factors of success is that you don't let your eyes lose sight of the
target, and that it should stand before you always. Otherwise you deviate from the general
line through a policy of reaction. And this is a lifetime's experience, and I will not conceal
from you the fact that we suffered a lot through following this policy of reaction, then we
suffered a lot another time because we tried to return to the original line.
One of the most important things facing the leadership is the enthusiasm of the supporters,
and especially of the energetic young men who are burning to make the religion victorious.
This enthusiasm must flow wisely, and al-Mutanabbi says:
Courage in a man does suffice but not like the courage of one who is wise.
And he also says:
Judiciousness precedes the courage of the courageous which is second
And when the two blend in one free soul it reaches everywhere in the heavens.
In summation, with regard to the talk about the issue of the Shia, I would like to repeat that I
see that matter from afar without being aware of all the details, I would like my words to be
deserving of your attention and consideration, and God is the guarantor of success for every
good thing.
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(5) Scenes of slaughter:
Among the things which the feelings of the Muslim populace who love and support you will
never find palatable - also- are the scenes of slaughtering the hostages. You shouldn't be
deceived by the praise of some of the zealous young men and their description of you as the
shaykh of the slaughterers, etc. They do not express the general view of the admirer and the
supporter of the resistance in Iraq, and of you in particular by the favor and blessing of God.
And your response, while true, might be: Why shouldn't we sow terror in the hearts of the
Crusaders and their helpers? And isn't the destruction of the villages and the cities on the
heads of their inhabitants more cruel than slaughtering? And aren't the cluster bombs and the
seven ton bombs and the depleted uranium bombs crueler than slaughtering? And isn't killing
by torture crueler than slaughtering? And isn't violating the honor of men and women more
painful and more destructive than slaughtering?
All of these questions and more might be asked, and you are justified. However this does not
change the reality at all, which is that the general opinion of our supporter does not
comprehend that, and that this general opinion falls under a campaign by the malicious,
perfidious, and fallacious campaign by the deceptive and fabricated media. And we would
spare the people from the effect of questions about the usefulness of our actions in the
hearts and minds of the general opinion that is essentially sympathetic to us.
And I say to you with sure feeling and I say: That the author of these lines has tasted the
bitterness of American brutality, and that my favorite wife's chest was crushed by a concrete
ceiling and she went on calling for aid to lift the stone block off her chest until she breathed
her last, may God have mercy on her and accept her among the martyrs. As for my young
daughter, she was afflicted by a cerebral hemorrhage, and she continued for a whole day
suffering in pain until she expired. And to this day I do not know the location of the graves of
my wife, my son, my daughter, and the rest of the three other families who were martyred in
the incident and who were pulverized by the concrete ceiling, may God have mercy on them
and the Muslim martyrs. Were they brought out of the rubble, or are they still buried
beneath it to this day?
However, despite all of this, I say to you: that we are in a battle, and that more than half of
this battle is taking place in the battlefield of the media. And that we are in a media battle in
a race for the hearts and minds of our Umma. And that however far our capabilities reach,
they will never be equal to one thousandth of the capabilities of the kingdom of Satan that is
waging war on us. And we can kill the captives by bullet. That would achieve that which is
sought after without exposing ourselves to the questions and answering to doubts. We don't
need this.
E-I would like you to explain for us another issue related to Iraq, and I think without a doubt
that you are the most knowledgeable about it. Can the assumption of leadership
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for the mujahedeen or a group of the mujahedeen by non-Iraqis stir up sensitivity for some
people? And if there is sensitivity, what is its effect? And how can it be eliminated while
preserving the commitment of the jihadist work and without exposing it to any shocks? Please
inform us in detail regarding this matter.
F-Likewise I would like you to inform us about the Iraqi situation in general and the situation
of the mujahedeen in particular in detail without exposing the security of the mujahedeen
and the Muslims to danger. At the least, we should know as much as the enemy knows. And
allow us to burden you with this trouble, for we are most eager to learn your news.
G-I have a definite desire to travel to you but I do not know whether that is possible from the
standpoint of traveling and getting settled, so please let me know. And God is the guarantor
of every good thing.
5-Please take every caution in the meetings, especially when someone claims to carry an
important letter or contributions. It was in this way that they arrested Khalid Sheikh.
Likewise, please, if you want to meet one of your assistants, I hope that you don't meet him
in a public place or in a place that is not known to you. I hope that you would meet him in a
secure place, not the place of your residence. Because Abu alFaraj - may God set him free
and release him from his torment - was lured by one of his brothers, who had been taken into
custody, to meet him at a public location where a trap had been set.
6-The brothers informed me that you suggested to them sending some assistance. Our
situation since Abu al-Faraj is good by the grace of God, but many of the lines have been cut
off. Because of this, we need a payment while new lines are being opened. So, if you're
capable of sending a payment of approximately one hundred thousand, we'll be very grateful
to you.
7-The subject of the Algerian brothers at our end, there are fears from the previous
experiences, so if you're able to get in touch with them and notify us of the details from
them, we would be very grateful to you.
8-As for news on the poor servant,
A-During an earlier period I published some publications:
(1) Allegiance and exemption - A Faith transmitted, a lost reality.
(2) Strengthening the Banner of Islam - an article emphasizing the authority's commitment to
monotheism.
?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?
(3) Wind of Paradise - an article about: Most Honorable Sacrifices of the Believers - Campaigns
of Death and Martyrdom.
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I endeavored in this article to include what was written on the subject as much as I could. I
also strived to verify every word in it, and it's an issue that took me almost a year or more.
(4) The Bitter Harvest - The Muslim Brotherhood in 60 Years - Second Edition 1426h - 2005m.
In this edition, I wanted to delete all the extreme phrases for which there's no proof, and I
referred to the book a number of times, then I wrote a new preface. In it I pointed out a
dangerous trend of the Brotherhood, especially in the circumstances of the New Crusader
War which was launched on the Islamic Umma. In my opinion, this edition is better than the
first with respect to the calmness of the presentation instead of being emotional. The
Brotherhood's danger is demonstrated by the weakening of the Islamic Resistance to the
campaign of the Crusaders and their supporters. God is the only one who is perfect.
(5) I have also had fifteen audio statements published and six others that were not published
for one reason or another. We ask God for acceptance and devotion.
I will enclose for you the written statements and what I can of the audio and video
statements with this message, God willing. If you find they are good, you can publish them.
We seek God's assistance.
(6) I don't know if you all have contact with Abu Rasmi? Even if it is via the Internet, because I
gave him a copy of my book (A Knight under the banner of the Prophet@) so he could
attempt to publish it, and I lost the original. Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper published it
truncated and jumbled. I think that the American intelligence services provided the
aforementioned newspaper with it from my computer which they acquired, because the
publication of the book coincided with a publication of messages from my computer in the
same newspaper. So if you can contact him and get the original of the book, if that is possible
for you all, then you can publish it on your blessed website and then send a copy to us, if
that is possible.
B-As for my personal condition, I am in good health, blessings and wellness thanks to God and
His grace. I am only lacking your pious prayers, in which I beg you not to forget me. God
Almighty has blessed me with a daughter whom I have named (Nawwar), and Nawwar means:
the timid female gazelle and the woman who is free from suspicion, and technically: it is the
name of my maternal aunt who was a second mother to me and who stood with me during all
the difficult and harsh times. I ask God to reward her for me with the best reward, and have
mercy on her, our mothers and the Muslims.
9-My greetings to all the loved ones and please give me news of Karem and the rest of the
folks I know, and especially:
By God, if by chance you're going to Fallujah, send greetings to Abu Musab alZarqawi.
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In closing, I ask God entrust you all with His guardianship, providence and protection, and
bless you all in your families, possessions and offspring and protect them from all evil and that
He delight you all with them in this world and the next world, and that He bestow upon us
and you all the victory that he promised his servants the Believers, and that He strengthen
for us our religion which He has sanctioned for us, and that He make us safe after our
fear.Peace, God's blessings and mercy to you.
Your loving brother
Abu Muhammad
Saturday, 02 Jumada al-Thani, 1426 - 09 July, 2005.
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Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (possibly born on October 20, 1966) is a Jordanian terrorist. A convicted murderer, Zarqawi is the guerrilla leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq. He has allegedly confessed, in various audiotapes, to committing numerous acts of violence in Iraq, including killing of civilians and hostage-taking. Among the many acts of violence he is known to have committed, Zarqawi is notorious for beheading hostages in Iraq. Due to his current role in the Iraqi insurgency and his prior activities in Jordan, both American and Jordanian authorities are pursuing his capture. As an Islamist militant, Zarqawi is violently opposed to the presence of U.S., Israeli and Western military forces in the Islamic world. In Iraq he has in September 2005 reportedly declared "all-out war" on Shia Muslims and prior to that already sent numerous Al Qaeda in Iraq suicide bombers to target areas with large concentrations of Shia civilians. MORE |
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Ayman al-Zawahiri (born June 19, 1951) is a prominent member of the al-Qaeda group and formerly the head of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad paramilitary organization. Al-Zawahiri is a physician by trade. He speaks Arabic, French, and some English. He has used Abu Muhammad (Abu Mohammed), Abu Fatima, Muhammad Ibrahim, Abu Abdallah, Abu al-Mu'iz, The Doctor, The Teacher, Nur, Ustaz, Abu Mohammed Nur al-Deen, Abdel Muaz (Abdel Moez, Abdel Muez), and other names as aliases. In 1998 he formally merged Egyptian Islamic Jihad into al-Qaeda. According to reports by a former al-Qaida member, he has worked in the al-Qaida organization since its inception and was a senior member of the group's shura council. He is often described as a "lieutenant" to the head of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden. It is also assumed that al-Zawahiri serves as bin Laden's doctor MORE |
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| Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (Arabic: أبومصعب الزرقاوي) |
Ayman al-Zawahiri (Arabic: ايمن الظواهري) |
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| © 2005 IraqFact Working Group |