Jeffrey Imm Articles

Back to US Action Home Page

Al Qaeda's Zawahiri Urges Muslims to Join Jihad

By Jeffrey Imm

Al Qaeda's number 2, Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri, released a new video today calling for Muslim unity behind Al-Qaeda, and calling for global Muslims to join jihad. According to SITE Institute: "Touching upon a variety of issues pertinent to the jihadi arena and Muslims, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Palestine, Zawahiri repeats his call for unification of Mujahideen and total support among Muslim populations for jihad."

The 1 hour, 39 minute video entitled "The Advice of One Concerned", also "includes clips from other videos and news broadcasts, including one from Al Furqan, the video production arm of the Islamic State of Iraq" (per Laura Mansfield). SITE indicates that in this video Zawahiri also uses excerpts from Bob Woodward’s book, Plan of Attack, a PBS Frontline documentary, and words from Prince Bandar bin Sultan and Dr. Sa’ad al-Faqih.

AP reports: "Al-Zawahiri, the top deputy of Usama bin Laden, called on Muslims to follow a two-pronged strategy: work at home to topple "corrupt" Arab regimes and join Al Qaeda's 'jihad,' or holy war, in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia to fight and train 'to prepare for the next jihad.'"

Zawahiri defend the Islamic State of Iraq organization, despite mistakes that it may have made, and stated that "The Islamic State of Iraq is set up in Iraq, the mujahedeen (holy warriors) celebrate it in the streets of Iraq, the people demonstrate in support of it," Al-Zawahiri said, "pledges of allegiance to it are declared in the mosques of Baghdad." Zawahiri also said that global Muslims should "support this blessed fledgling mujahid garrison state with funds, manpower, opinion, information and expertise," saying its founding brought the Islamic world closer to "establishment of the caliphate, with God's permission."

Per AP report: Zawahiri stated that Jihadists' strategy should be to target U.S. and Israeli interests "everywhere" in retaliation for "attacks on the Islamic nation" in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia, and that such a strategy calls for "diligent work to change these corrupt and corrupting (Arab) regimes." He said Muslims should "rush to the fields of jihad" in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia "to defeat the enemies of the Islamic nation" and for "training to prepare for the next jihad."

Regarding Gaza and Hamas, Zawahiri stated that: "As for the leadership of Hamas, I tell it: return to the truth, for you will only get something worse than what (late Palestinian leader Yasser) Arafat got" from the Israelis in negotiations, he said. The peace process, he said, is a U.S. attempt to "deceive the Islamic nation and say that America solved the issue of Palestine, so what need is there to fight it and wage jihad against it?" And per SITE Institute: "Zawahiri continually laments the ceding of four-fifths of Palestine, and again voices his anger at Hamas for entering into negotiations and abandoning Shari’a".

Laura Mansfield reports that Zawahiri's video also states that he views the enemy is beginning to see the signs of imminent defeat: "I speak to the Muslim Ummah today as the battles which it is waging against its enemies are raging and as it moves from one victory to another, with Allah’s help and power, and its enemies retreat in front of it and as the good omens of the new dawn of victory have begun to loom on the horizon, with Allah’s permission and will. And the stage preceding victory is normally in the history of nations the stage in which there is most seen an increase in conspiracies, plots, and inciting of discord in an attempt by the enemy, who has begun to see his defeat approach to push back and delay the defeat as much as he can."

Sources:

SITE Institute: "The Advice of One Concerned" – A Video Speech by Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Produced by as-Sahab Media

Laura Mansfield: "Zawahiri message: The enemy is beginning to see the signs of defeat; no mention of London attacks"

Associated Press: Al Qaeda No. 2 Ayman Al-Zawahri Releases New Video Calling for Muslim Unity

CNN: Al Qaeda's No. 2 says end of West imminent, video shows