One of Al Qaeda’s senior theologians is calling on his followers to end their military jihad and saying the attacks of September 11, 2001, were a “catastrophe for all Muslims.”
In a serialized manifesto written from prison in Egypt, Sayyed Imam al-Sharif is blasting Osama bin Laden for deceiving the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, and for insulting the Prophet Muhammad by comparing the September 11 attacks to the early raids of the Ansar warriors. The lapsed jihadist even calls for the formation of a special Islamic court to try Osama bin Laden and his old comrade Ayman al-Zawahri.
The disclosures from Mr. Sharif, also known as Dr. Fadl and Abd al-Qadir ibn Abd al-Aziz, have already opened a rift at the highest levels of Al Qaeda. The group’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, a former associate of the defecting theologian in Egypt, personally mocked him last month in a video, remarking that he was unaware Egyptian prisons had fax machines. Meanwhile, leading Western analysts are saying the defection of Mr. Sharif indicates the beginning of the end for Al Qaeda.
The author of “Inside Al Qaeda,” Rohan Gunaratna said in an interview this week, “There is nothing more important than a former jihadist as important as Dr. Fadl criticizing the jihadist vanguard.” Mr. Gunaratna, who acts at times as a consultant for American and Western intelligence, described the reformed theologian as “both an ideologue and operational leader, but he was primarily an ideologue.”
An expert on Islamic terrorism with the Jamestown Foundation, Steven Ulph, also said the defection of Mr. Sharif could hemorrhage support for Al Qaeda. “The important point to make, when you have the combination of a respected ideologue, plus someone who was in the field, say these things it is more important than having a Saudi sheik that moderates his message,” he said.
We’d better hurry up and surrender before they beat us to it.
Well thats nice if you think Al Qaeda is the heart and soul of the “hijackers” of the noble religion of peace. Truth is the US state dept. supplied the name Al Qaeda after 9/11 because they needed a name for paper work and legal technicalities. Instead of saying Islam, they said Al Qaeda, implying they were rogue rather than regular Muslims.
The guy in jail is squat to ardent Muslims “fighting in the way of Allah” and Al Zawahri is justified in mocking him. The west pi$$es it’s pants in hope of some turnaround in Islam. A waste of wishes. Islam does see the writing on the wall. The imams suspect they cannot keep Islamic lands pure and moribund forever and that this is their last reach for the brass ring of world spiritual supremacism, as ridiculous as that appears to the western mind.
There is no way that Islam can succeed it seems, yet they will give it their best shot and cause as much destruction and death as they can. Some days I think they may well win in the long run. Many peoples who thought themselves (and were) superior to Islam have been subverted and overwhelmed by Islam.
Hubris makes the western mind think itself immune.
From the link:
“I think this revelation to be incredibly important but apparently not noteworthy to Bush hating members of the wider MSM who are hell-bent on preventing good news about the war on terror to reach the masses.”
Prediction; Iraq will, within the next 5 years, dedicate an annual national holiday commemorating the U.S. & British militaries in general, and George W. Bush in particular, for liberating the country and propelling Iraq onwards to democracy.
Wouldn’t that be a hoot?!?! “George W. Bush” day! It certainly would make for a lot of apoplectic Democrats, movie stars, and Dixie Chicks.
Quick! Jack LAYDOWN has got to get over there and talk them out of quiting!!!
After all he’s devoted so much time advancing their cause, behind the scenes!
I tend to agree with bl@kbird. This guy in jail isn’t renouncing the 1400 year “kampf”, just a particular strategy.
bl2ckbird. yep , time for them to re group. it is necessary in islam to do so if it advances the cause in the future.
a jailhouse conversion??
whoeeeh…whodathunkit??
let’s hear his story when he gets out..
Thhis means as much as Harry reid saying they had lost. He can recant later as has been pointed out.
Nonetheless, an interesting propoganda victory. May be real may be false, I am in no position to say, other than there were similar reports that Bin Laden’s son had a similar criticism. And he has, apparently, left the movement.
So either a sustained prop effort (good) or real (very good)
As for the hint that it is all a CIA creation (al queda that is), when is this stuff going to end. Whether the CIA gave them the name for paperwork reasons or not doesnt change that they have adopted the name themselves.
I suspect the next argument is that they arent real and this is all to keep us in a state of fear.
I’m thinking along the lines on bl@ckbird on this. 9/11 was the dumbest thing they ever did. Now at least some people realize they are a threat. If that didn’t happen they would have (and probably still will anyway) keep becoming a larger and larger part of our diverse multicultural fabric until they take over completely, like they are doing in Europe and like they have done in Kosovo.
‘Tend to agree, 9/11 was an awakening, a cruel one but it certainly dummied down the terrorists among us. Their lives and the lives of all Muslims changed after that day of horror and not for the better.
Until Muslims world wide unite in complete condemnation of all terrorism in the name of Islam and work towards a massive cleanup from within the world cannot have peace.
In the meantime we cannot trust any of them, they have to EARN it over time with proven actions.
What is sad in all of this is the stance of the Left, they still don’t get it from their perch high in the clouds.
Liz, you got it bang on!! I think a revolution is needed for peace!!Immigration should be based on Religion and not the point system or just give all muslims a -50 if they submit to Allah!!
“a jailhouse conversion?? whoeeeh…whodathunkit??”
Waterboarding. What’s not to like?
Interesting turn of events…after the terrorist paranoia of our big brother governments has turned once free liberal democracies into surveillance society gulags…now they want to surrender?
I guess Blair and the neo-cans were right…you can beat these foamy-mouthed Muzzies by oppressing your own people with installing a total electronic civilian surveillance matrix…lookit there..they’re surrendering in droves…well at least one anyway.
Pffffttt
I’m not sure how strategic the thinking of Al Qaeda is but it would seem that they are losing a battle but winning the war. Yes they are losing Afghanistan and Iraq militarily but they are not losing Afghanistan and Iraq theologically. After the infidels leave Islam will still be the basis of their legal, educational and cultural standards.
In the mean time they have emboldened the Muslims living in “Christian” lands to use the legal system there to beat the infidel into submission. Do we (the infidels) have the moral fortitude to withstand the onslaught?
Thanks for the linky love Kate…
Khadaffi got the lesson of 911 loud and clear, he ditched his weapons programs and decided he’d rather not be next.
Radical Islam has it’s roots in the nomadic tribes,tribes that have no fences or fixed territories. Their only protection is making sure everyone knows better than to screw around with them. It’s no different than how the clans worked in the Scottish highlands, you better not steal MacGregor’s cow or him and his bagpipe playing clansmen will kick your ass but good.
The Islamic extremists think the same way, George Bush pounding the living crap out of a couple of countries did not go unnoticed.
BL@KBIRD, Al Qaeda means “the base” and was a name created by the islamists not the state dept.
It does show a certain light at the end of the tunnel. Normally, when a united band of “extreme deviants” splits apart and becomes fractious, they’re on the way out. Recriminations imply seen failure. From what I know of the Arab mind, this spells the end of al-Qai’da; no self-respecting Muslim wants to be associated with a group that’s failed, at least in the eyes of a prominent member of it. If any radical Islamists want to continue their anti-West campaign, they’re going to have to do it under the auspices of another group.
And this time, they won’t be so easily dismissed as “harmless nutcases” in the build-up stage. Not after 9/11, they won’t. U.S. intelligence staffers can be caught napping once, but I know of no case when they were caught napping twice.
A long haul it’s been – and WLMR is absolutely right in noting the cost to civil liberties during this period. If this marks the end, then it also marks a new beginning – of reconstruction of those liberties.
Thanks for posting that link, Kate.
Who says hard power doesn’t yield results?
“Do we (the infidels) have the moral fortitude to withstand the onslaught?”
Or rather, the moral and rational reason to legally neuter political and supremacist Islam, and put a moratorium on Islamic immigration in our own countries?
In the past, Islam was brought to heel by men who knew the truth of it and were not afraid to speak it and take action against it.
The rest of their undoing was provided by their religion. Creating desolation, illiteracy and poverty in their lands.
The foundationally violent ideology of Islam has not changed. It is our civilization that has changed. We do not respect the lessons of history. We do not make a virtue of reasonable and rational thought.
We live in a world where feelings cancel out facts.
We are not led by reasonable people, let alone heroes.
We are led by the silly fear of being called names, making the ignorant droids uncomfortable and being charged by the HRC – for pointing out factual truth. We are led by a morally twisted, opinion based leftist media. We are led by a fully censored educational institution and inculcation into socialist utopia. And we are led by manufactured polls.
A perfect storm.
Apollyon
Bin Laden only adopted that name “officially” after the state dept. used it to describe and label the perpetrators of 9/11.
————————–
“a jailhouse conversion?? whoeeeh…whodathunkit??”
Waterboarding. What’s not to like?
Posted by: Kate
—————————
GASP! I’M TELLING WARREN!!
Somewhat related:
“You’re all forbidden by CHRC rules to contact Dr. Mohamed Elmasry, CIC Chair & National President. A tipster warns:”
“It is a criminal offence for anyone to threaten, intimidate or discriminate against a person who complains, gives evidence or helps with a complaint. The Canadian Human Rights Act provides for fines of up to $50,000 for threatening, intimidating or discriminating against an individual who has filed a complaint, or for hampering an investigation. The Commission can also investigate and deal with complaints of retaliation against persons who file a complaint.”
steynian.wordpress.com (a site dedicated to: “Free Mark Steyn”)
A reconstruction of lost civil liberties.Really? Please articulate.I hear a lot of talk about lost civil liberties, yet nobody will identify them. As a law abiding real Canadian( as in born and raised here) I haven’t got a clue what you are talking about.
irwin daisy – what an excellent summary of Canada’s situation. With each win through intimidation, we reward and embolden them.
ron obvious – if you have not noticed the on-going erosion of our civil liberties over the last 30 or so years, then I doubt anyone can enlighten you. Sorry.
@ron obvious:
Here’s the “obvious” place to start: http://www.ccla.org . It’s the same orgainization that aided in having security certificates shot down.
Since you don’t seem to have heard of the Mark Steyn/Maclean’s matter, this link should suffice.
I’m not feeling the love brother, haven’t for a very long time
Not mine but..