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In his latest audio released by al-Sahab
(media arm of al Qaeda), the organization’s Zaeem (supreme chief)
elaborates on the difference between the pure Jihadists and those
Islamists who lost their way and determination to continue the fight in
the path of the founding fathers, which he calls the "Salaf of Islam."
This complex speech (by Jihadist standards) can be only understood --
and thus explained to decision-makers and the public if the
listener-analyst is able to grasp the multi-layered world of Jihadism.
But this task has been made unnecessarily
difficult for most citizens and certainly impossible to those who in the
US bureaucracy are supposed to do the job. By disseminating the
so-called "Lexicon", the Bush administration, bureaucrats are prohibited
from using the words Jihad, Jihadism, Caliphate, Salafism, Islamism and
the like when writing about and analyzing matters related to terrorism.
This ridiculous proposition is now put to test when al Qaeda leaders --
and other Jihadist high profile figures broadcast their statements.
Just imagine the poor analysts at the
various counter-terrorism centers who chose to apply the new directives
to the bin Laden letter. How can these CT bureaucrats process Bin
Laden's words which they can't use or touch "when dealing with
Terrorism"? One can imagine them staring at these "forbidden words"
attempting to replace them with "Lexiconic" terms. So how will they
handle such texts? Some are suggesting that the end product of these "Lexiconic"
analysis will not only be absurd, but will further confuse the consumers
of the intelligence assessment, from the defense and national security
sectors up to the highest congressional leaders and of course, the
President.
We are not constrained by the “Lexicon”.
Let’s dismiss it for the tragicomedy it is. So in real terms, how shall
we analyze the latest Bin Laden audio?
The number one of al Qaeda addressed what he perceives as the Umma that
is -- in Arabic -- the global community of Muslims. Bin Laden’s audio
message was specifically aimed at those in the Umma who follow his
ideology of Salafi Jihadism that is the return to the ways of the
founders of the Caliphate. Bin Laden wishes the entire Umma to follow
the struggle of those Jihadists who haven't diverted from the historical
line of the successive Khilafa from the first four Wise Caliphs, the
Rashidun, to the Umeyads, Abbassids and the Ottoman.
This attitude has been consistent with all Bin Laden's speeches since
1996. He hasn't shaken his belief in the final reconstitution of the
Islamic Empire since he rose to the leadership of al Qaeda, and even
years before. So the bottom line of this speech is to lecture Muslims on
who is in line with Jihad and who isn't. He dissects the various post
Ottoman struggles, including the rise of the "Zionist entity", the Arab
modern states and elevates the "best Jihadists" to the zenith and curses
the apostate Muslim regimes. In between, he mildly criticizes those
Islamists who believe in the final caliphate but who have, in his mind
"sold out" to the rulers and the infidels.
The opening of his statement cannot avoid the vision of a US President
and other leaders attending the 60th birthday of Israel. Jihadism, as an
ideology, cannot accept the principle that a Jewish entity can be
established in Palestine, on any part of the Holy Land. Their ideology
cannot accept the existence of any Kafir state (infidel country) within
the confines of the Caliphate. Thus, to al Qaeda's Jihadists, it is not
about land but about Kufr ("infidelism"). In his world view, so-called
humanitarian values are empty; international law – whenever it conflicts
with their ideology -- is rejected.
Bin Laden’s historical reading is that Nassara (Christians) and Yahuud
(Jews) have taken a "Muslim" land for more than eighty years. And the
story is who among Muslims fought back as an "Islamic" force and who
among them wavered, or collaborated with the salibyeen (Crusaders). Bin
Laden, as I argued in my two post 9/11 books, Future Jihad and the War
of Ideas, is the product of an ideology that sees direct link between
the past and the present, between the old state-Jihad and his
contemporary Jihadism. He certainly doesn't mean Yoga when he uses the
J-word.
Hence, in his new audiotape he regurgitates the classical Salafi tale of
the Ottoman collapse. After the fall of the Turkish Sultanate the world
turns bleak. The New Crusaders shows up; they appoint "agents;" Arab
Muslim monarchs -including Sheriff Hussein and even Abdel Aziz Bin Saud-
is irresponsible. In addition, "British agents" control Arab Armies; the
"Jews" control Palestine; infidel wolves devour Muslim sheep, and on and
on. Bin Laden then mentions that finally Islamist groups are formed in
the region and they were supposed to begin the struggle for the
Caliphate, or al Jihaad fi sabeel Allah. He means the Muslim Brotherhood
and the classical Wahhabis. "They sought Jihad but weren't successful."
Many left that Jihad later and befriended the Muslim "rulers" themselves
friends of the infidels. For 90 years they went from failure to failure,
from Indonesia to Mauritania, he said.
"Aah, if salah al Deen (Saladin) was here," laments Osama. "How
different he was from today's Arab rulers. First he was committed to the
real (religious) teaching." He quotes from the scriptures: "Qatil Fi
Sabeel Allah laa tukallif illa nafsaka, wa harrid al Mu'mineen, Qatil al
Kuffar." (Fight for Allah, mandate yourself and incite the believers,
fight the Infidels).
Bin Laden compared: "Look at these Arab
rulers how they deviated from Salah al Deen. See how the U.S ordered
changes in the educational curriculum and Peace with Israel." Second,
Saladin consulted with the Ulemas (clerics). But Arab rulers jail them,
pay some to become their masters voices and they become Ulama' al Su'
(Evil Clerics). Hence, one can see that all what al Qaeda has to do to
de-legitimize the state-clerics is to accuse them of deviation from the
real principles of Salafi Islam. To rely solely on better funded clerics
who chant "another" Jihad will hardly work. Bin Laden’s message is by
far more "authentic" in Islamist circles.
Lexicons can't defeat his devastating
message.
Thirdly, Osama borrows from history and scores another point. "Saladin
fought the Muslims who sided with the Crusaders." Thus he grants
legitimacy to his Jihadists against the "Muslim apostates" allies of the
infidel U.S. "They call us Kharijites and Takfiris," but we are the real
Jihadists. One can see here the problem of attempting to play with
linguistic-religious fire. Indeed, who can determine who more Jihadist
than another is? Certainly the rich and Western leaning Jihad bearers
cannot withstand the ferocious Jihadists of nowadays. They can't stand a
chance.
I have a piece of advice to the self
proclaimed architects of the "Lexicon Eureka": Don't play Jihad with the
Jihadists: they will overwhelm your experiments.
Bin laden moves to discredit the other less successful Jihadists: Those
Islamists who wait for approval from Riyadh for Jihad aren't going to
make it. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood is too tactical: they will not
succeed, says bin Laden, because they occasionally deviate from the
ideology.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah is on a
defensive Jihad. Why doesn't he attack? He has accepted the infidel
UNIFIL. Ironically, Bin Laden quotes the previous secretary general of
Hezbollah, Subhi al Tufaili criticizing the current leader of the
Iranian backed organization. Pushing the envelope to the deepest end of
pure Jihadism, Osama says "stating that Islam is the solution is not
enough," hinting at the classical Islamists (who work to penetrate the
West and reestablish the Caliphate).
He wants them to follow the strict
Manhaaj, the methodology of the best Jihadists, i.e., his.
His methodology is pure. "No rules from the UN or the so-called
international legitimacy but only the book of Allah and its Sunna," as
he defines it. His view of the Palestinian question is simple: fight the
apostate Muslim Governments who are obstructing the real Jihadists from
striking at the heart of the Jewish state, then eradicate the latter. He
informs his followers, the pure Mujahedeen, that the Muslim rulers are
not good enough to wage Jihad. They haven’t fully applied Sharia, and
dared introducing few positive laws. That would be Egypt, Tunisia,
Algeria and Morocco.
In his eyes, the classical Islamists
aren’t better. These regimes and movements that see eye to eye on the
long run, i.e. the Caliphate and the Islamization-process, are in
Osama’s eyes long term Jihadists: Not daring enough. These types of shy
Jihad and long term one aren’t what Bin laden believes were the
prescriptions of the Sahaba, the early companions of the Prophet.
Immersing himself in 7th century Salaf, meaning the examples of the
founding fathers of the Caliphate, he dismisses today’s regimes and
movements who are adopting too much tactics, and being -- one would say
comparatively -- too politically correct.
Ironically, a Jihadist who is too PC in
the eyes of Bin laden is the one who do not explicitly declare that he
is on a Jihad campaign for the reestablishment of Caliphate. Amazingly,
in its essence, the message of Bin Laden to the other side -- that is to
the infidels -- is that there are two Jihadisms moving forward. His own
pure Jihad, open, honorable and direct (as he portrays it) and the Jihad
of the Wahhabis, Muslim Brotherhood and even the deviationist one of the
Khomeinist-inspired Hezbollah. What Bin laden reveals -- indirectly --
is that his competitors are perfidious, power hungry and deceptive.
Coming from the commander of al Qaeda, this is very revealing. He wants
to be perceived as the real Jihadist and the others to be looked at as
the false ones.
How apropos as some in the West, and
lately in the United States are trying to assert, that the Wahhabis and
the Muslim Brotherhoods are the real, albeit inoffensive, “Jihadis”
while Bin Laden is a common criminal, nothing more nothing less.
What is to be learned from this audio
tape, other than the repetitive calls to the combat Jihadists to fight
wherever they can, is that we are facing off with two types of threats.
One is the smallest in size, openly aggressive, and fully engaged in
direct action against his enemies. The other is the largest movement,
which emanates from the same ideology and aim at the same far goal, but
follow a more deceptive path, at the pinnacle of which is its assertion
that Jihadism should not be seen as a threat, obviously, until it is too
late.
This is a lesson
Americans must absorb as fast as they can. For they aren’t up against
just one enemy which face they can see, but they are now being menaced
by a stealthier enemy, one that is penetrating their homeland and
paralyzing their resistance. |