Year: 2012

New statement from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan: "Call to the Pakistani Authorities to Provide Clarification About Ustāẓ Yāsir"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin


Rumors have been swirling for the past several days that the former chief of Islamic Emirate’s Cultural Commission, the famous religious and Jihadi personality, Ustaz Muhammad Yasir, has attained martyrdom under the imprisonment of the Pakistani authorities which has the Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate, the family of Ustaz and all of his associates very distressed.
The mentioned Ustaz was apprehended in the Pakistani city of Peshawar on January of 2009, news which has also been verified by the Pakistani authorities in press, and has since been held captive for the past four years.
Since rumors have now been spread about Ustaz Muhammad Yasir’s martyrdom in Pakistani captivity and various other released prisoners have also told his family about his martyrdom, news which is very distressing for the Islamic Emirate and his family and at the same time, no information has been furnished by the government of Pakistan therefore the Islamic Emirate deems its necessary to demand clarification from the concerned Pakistani authority to provide information to the Islamic Emirate about the fate of Ustaz Muhammad Yasir so the matter becomes clear.
Wasalam
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
14/04/1433
05/05/2012
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al-Ma’sadat Media Foundation presents a new article from Shaykh Abū Muḥammad al-Ṭaḥāwī: "Support for Shaykh Abū al-Walid al-Maqdisī"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin


Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Shaykh Abū Muḥammad al-Ṭaḥāwī — “Support for Shaykh Abū al-Walid al-Maqdisī”
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To inquire about a translation for this article for a fee email: [email protected]

al-Malāḥim Media presents a new audio message from al-Qā’idah in the Arabian Peninsula's Shaykh Abū Zūbayr 'Adīl bīn 'Abdullah al-Abāb: "Eulogy for Shaykh Muḥammad al-Ḥaniq"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

UPDATE 5/7/12 12:02 PM: Here is an Arabic transcription of the below audio message:

Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Shaykh Abū Zūbayr ‘Adīl bīn ‘Abdullah al-Abāb — “Eulogy for Shaykh Muḥammad al-Ḥaniq” (Ar)
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Shaykh Abū Zūbayr ‘Adīl bīn ‘Abdullah al-Abāb — “Eulogy for Shaykh Muḥammad al-Ḥaniq”

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To inquire about a translation for this audio message for a fee email: [email protected]

Check out my new piece for Conversation.edu: "Bin Laden’s online legacy"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin


The past few days have seen a flurry of prognostications on al-Qaeda and its future. While each argument spars over whether al-Qaeda is on the ropes or resurgent, they miss a vital segment of analysis. What are al-Qaeda’s grassroots supporters saying?
Unlike Western media, which has obsessively been writing about the anniversary, bin Laden’s supporters have not shown much initiative in remembering his legacy. In the days leading up to the anniversary of bin Laden’s “martyrdom,” there were a couple of threads on the forums that posted photoshopped pictures of bin Laden with al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem behind him, adorned with flowers on the ground and an AK-47 on the side, along with other similar images. There was also a poem written in his honour.
It is still possible that online jihadis as well as supporters attached to al-Qaeda’s branches or individuals unaffiliated such as key ideologues could release commemorations, since most eulogies released last year for bin Laden were in the weeks after his death. Since then bin Laden has been highlighted in Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri’s video message “Days With the Imam #1,” released last November. Bin Laden was also celebrated in Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahidin’s messageon the merger with al-Qaeda this February. In doing so, al-Shabab reiterated its fealty they gave to bin Laden would also hold true to al-Zawahiri. This hearkened back to al-Shabab’s original pledge of allegiance to bin Laden when they releaseda video in 2009 titled “Labayk ya Usama” (At Your Service Oh Usama).
Overall, though, one has not seen too much in the past year. There are two potential explanations: individuals still remember bin Laden, but have moved on, or they view celebrating his “martyrdom” as contrary to Islam.
Click here to read the rest.

New video message from Boko Haram (Jamā’at Ahl al-Sunnah li Da’wah wa-l-Jihād): "Reasons For Attacking Thisday Newspaper"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin


Video Message:

Transcription in English:
“This is a message from the public awareness department of the Jamatu Ahlis sunnah lil daawati wal jihad, a group engaged in jihad in Nigeria.
“We wish to explain about the attack we carried out on Thisday Newspapers. Some of the reasons why we decided to attack some Media Houses, especially Thisday, is because the paper was used in dishonouring our prophet, Mohammad (SAW) during a beauty pageant in Kaduna in November 2002.
“At that time, some people who called themselves leaders of Muslims came out to say they have forgiven those who committed the offence.
“But based on our knowledge, we know that no one has the power to forgive anyone for an offence that God himself has given judgement, especially on an offence that has to do with dishonouring Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
“No one has the power to forgive this type of offence, and the judgement is for such persons to be killed.
“This lady that committed this crime, the judgement on her is to be killed at any opportunity; and the media house is also supposed to be driven out of existence whenever there is a chance to do so.
“We are just getting the opportunity to attack the media house, and we are hoping to continue these attacks until we drive them out of existence.
“It is our hope that Allah (SWT) will help his religion.
“We know that any genuine Muslim must have been deeply touched by the Thisday incident.
“Thisday newspaper is also leading in helping the government in fighting us, alongside other media houses that we will mention soon.
“Some of the offences of Thisday and other media outlets include: firstly, during the botched attempt to rescue some kidnapped foreign nationals in Sokoto; these media houses asked us if we have anything to do with the kidnap and we said we have nothing to do with it, yet these media houses reported that we were responsible for the incident, that was a lie against us.
“Secondly, when we sent a video of our leader, Abubakar Shekau, the media houses reported things that our leader did not say, such as that in response to the president’s threat to finish us in three months, we have also threatened to finish the government in three months. But the truth is, nowhere in the video did our leader said what they attributed to him.
“Thirdly, on the purported arrest of Abu Qaqa by the SSS, we have come out to tell them that the person arrested was not Abu Qaqa,yet the media continue to potray us as liars, and even said that our leader had ordered for Abu Qaqa II to be executed, and we are now searching for Abu Qaqa III.
“Recently too, they came out with another lie that one Mohammed Awwal Kontagora was the Abu Qaqa II that was executed, and that even his parents confirmed it, that was just a big lie to convince the world.
“The media also said that we have killed the father of Abu Darda, so as to pass a message to him, because he had leaked our secrets after his arrest by security agencies, and they  wanted him to know that he is one of our targets.
“These are all lies, and they are many.
“These media houses have committed a lot of offences that is detrimental to Islam, and we don’t have the power to forgive them. We will take revenge on them by God’s grace, some of these media houses have been categorized into three groups.
“The first group is the likes of Thisday whose offences are big.
“The second group we will also attack soon are Punch, Daily Sun, Vanguard, Guardian, Nation, Tribune, and National Accord, which are all newspaper houses.
“There is also VOA Hausa radio. All these media houses we will attack them including their staff and offices, by God’s grace.
“VOA Hausa for instance have recently started campaigning for people to support the government against us by exposing us,
“The next group that are on the verge of joining this list who if they are not careful we will attack very soon include, Leadership, Daily Trust, Peoples Daily and RFI(Radio France international)
“There is an online medium known as Saharareporters who have their office in New York, and who have made their site as a platform for attack against Islam. So we are warning them to stop making their site an avenue for attacking Islam, otherwise we will find a way of attacking them too.
“We resorted to using this medium to send our message instead of the normal tele-conference because of the fear by journalists; which made them refuse to conduct the conference.
“We are grateful to God for the success recorded on the attack on Thisday, and we hope to continue such attacks.
“Finally, the government has now resorted to arresting our wives and children and also demolishing our houses, like they did in Biu recently, that is why we have also resolved to start attacking government schools, especially, tertiary ones.
“We promise to demolish 500 buildings for any one of our houses that the government destroys.
“We have already started with Gombe and Kano.”
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al-Furqān Media presents Issue #51 in the Biographies of the Prominent Martyrs series on Mājid 'Aīshā al-Jabarayn al 'Anzī (Abū Talḥah al-Ḥafrāwī)

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin


Click the following link for a safe PDF copy: Biographies of the Prominent Martyrs Issue #51 — Mājid ‘Aīshā al-Jabarayn al ‘Anzī (Abū Talḥah al-Ḥafrāwī)
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To inquire about a translation for this biography for a fee email: [email protected]