Category: al-Maqālāt

New article from al-Maqālāt: "The Mass Defections Have Yet To Start: Commenting On The Defections In The Ranks Of Hayy'at Taḥrīr al-Shām"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

What’s happening today in Syria of backtracking and surrender is something very natural in a war or a revolution. Not everyone who stood up against the regime was taking an armed struggle into account. Many of them were forced and had no other choice, if given another choice they would have grabbed it. Some fled, others stayed and fought, some died, some surrendered, etc. Not everyone who took up arms was convinced that this was the solution, while others thought it was a temporary phase which would quickly end with an international intervention similar to the intervention in Libya. Several factions want to leave the armed struggle and prefer political solutions and peace agreements with the regime, Russia and Iran after the war has prolonged for seven years. This is why Hassan Sawfan the current leader of Ahraar Shaam and other factions have expressed their intention of attending the sixth Astana meeting with Russia and Iran.
These people long for a peaceful stable live, thinking that this can come about with meetings and agreements with Russia and the regime, who seek nothing less than their complete surrender. Some of them were so desperate that they even joined or returned into the ranks of regime, we saw this on several fronts. They did not learn from the political experiments in Egypt and Algeria while these regimes were not half as vile as the Syrian regime. But again this heedlessness and defeatism should not surprise us. Our hearts and souls, especially during pressing trails and tribulations, are subjected to constant fluctuation. Even ISIS has defections into the ranks of the regime as some of their soldiers became completely disillusioned by the major losses. This is why we should not think that we are immune for deviance after Allah has guided us, rather we should increase our supplications for direction and guidance. The Messenger of Allah (SalAllahu Alayhi wa Selam) said “Verily the hearts of the children of Adam, all of them, are between the two fingers of the Merciful as one heart. He directs them wherever he wills.” Then the Prophet said “O Allah, the director of the hearts, direct our hearts to your obedience.” (Sahih Muslim)
You can live as a pious believer your whole life but become a disbeliever right before you die. The Prophet (SalAllahu Alayhi wa Selam) predicted that this fluctuation of Imaan will increase in the End Times, you could wake up as a believer and go to sleep as disbeliever or the other way around. So you could also be a righteous Mujahid one day and become a despicable traitor the next. We heard and read this about the Soviet-Afghan war before witnessing it with our own eyes in Syria. People no matter how much they differ, including Muslims, always become united to a greater or lesser extent when they are facing the same fate. This is why Russia and the regime have eased their bombardments on the liberated territories. While seducing the weak hearted with political solutions, as they incite and make room for internal disputes between the opposing blocks within the opposition, consequentially weakening the opposition as a whole. Which gives the regime the advantage of isolating their assaults and reckoning with them one after the other.
The international powers help the regime as they guide the flock of weak hearted factions and its leaders with the stick of terrorist designation, something they oddly seem to fear more than the bombardment and destruction of their land and people. Despite the treacherous backstabbing international community represented by the UN, who betrayed the Syrian revolution, they still seek to please it, even if it entails the sacrifice of their people and revolution. So in their desperate attempt to distance themselves from the contagiousness of terrorist designation, in addition to the reports about an upcoming military campaign against the regime, and the upcoming political negotiations in Astana, this in combination with their desire to give up arms and live a peaceful life. All of these ingredients form a recipe for the fierce defaming campaign they have cooked against Hay’at Tahrir Shaam; effectually causing several defections in their ranks.
However they are not really defections. Meaning the individuals and factions that defected from Hay’at Tahrir Shaam did not defect from the revolution all together. They did not give up the armed struggle, they simple left a group because of internal disagreements, but they will carry on their armed struggle against the regime on the battlefield. So such a defection should not sadden us that much. They will not leave the battle and sit at home nor will they leave the battle and sit at the table in Astana to sell the Syrian revolution. We are still united because we will fight beside each other in the coming battles; the battlefield is what really unites us. Factions and organizations do not unite us, rather what really unites us is our shared struggle. This is why a defensive Jihaad does not even require a banner. Moreover, it is even allowed to fight under a corrupt banner during a defensive Jihaad. This is for example why Shaykh Sulayman Al-Ulwan allowed Muslims to fight in the Baathist army of Saddam Hussein against the US invasion.
They are not the first who left the merger nor will they be the last. This will not harm the revolution provided they will continue the fight against the regime, independently or with another faction. This is why are not saddened that much and this why the hypocrites are not pleased that much, as it is their goal to defect the people from the armed struggle all together. They want to leave the armed struggle and they want to drag the people with them. There is no doubt that they will deceive a number of people who will follow them, but the revolution will continue with or without them. During the battle of Uhud the hypocrites also succeeded in withdrawing one third of the army from the battle. The Prophet (SalAllahu Alayhi wa Selam) likewise predicted that one third will run away during Al-Malhamah, also known as the Battle of Armageddon. So it is no surprise if a number within the opposition defect from the revolution and the armed resistance.
It is not Shaykh Abdullah Al-Muhaysini, Shaykh Muslih Al-Ulyani, Abu Salih Tahan or Jaysh Al-Ahraar who really defected, for they will continue with the armed struggle against the regime. Rather the hypocrites who will attend Astana are the ones who really defected, for they have turned their backs on the revolution and the Syrian people. They abandoned the armed struggle as they seek political solutions and peace agreements with Russia, Iran and the regime. However this is not enough for them, they want to drag the rest of the armed opposition with them. We did not forget the days in which we used to hear about mass defections in the military ranks of the regime at the beginning of the revolution, unfortunately we will soon witness mass defections in the armed opposition as we near the end of the revolution. For they have become tired of warfare and defeatism has crawled deep into their hearts. Like Thomas Edison said “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
As for Hay’at Tahrir Shaam and its mistakes, any diverse merger-group growing exponentially will have an increased rate of committing mistakes. Those who did not take this in to account before the merger lack a great amount of realistic insight. Making mistakes is not what matters, rather what matters is the willingness to denounce and correct any mistakes. As long as this willingness is present we have hope for such an individual or group. Even Satan had the chance to repent, but instead of asking for forgiveness he asked Allah for an extended live on earth filled with injustice and disobedience. Unlike Adam who made a mistake and hastily asked for forgiveness. Allah answered both their prayers, so we are given the freedom to choose between stubbornness or repentance. The brothers from Hay’at Tahrir Shaam chose repentance, unlike the stubborn Khawarij or the hypocrites who defend their mistakes and adopt them as a policy.
Even the army of the Prophet (SalAllahu Alayhi wa Selam) made mistakes, the general Khalid ibn Walid for example executed the Banu Jadhimah tribe mistakenly and the Prophet distanced himself from this mistake upon hearing the news. The same goes for the army of Abu Bakr who appointed Fujaa’a during the Wars of Apostasy as he went on a rampage killing innocent Muslims until he was caught. No one left- or advised others to leave their armies, let alone defame their armies day and night because of these mistakes. Because these mistakes were not adopted as policy, rather these individual mistakes were denounced and punished by the leadership.
The hypocrites who keep defaming Hay’at Tahrir Shaam however do not have the goal of them correcting these mistakes. Rather they use these mistakes to sabotage and destroy the merger giving them the chance to impose their corruption and defeatism in the liberated territories. They do not seek to advice Hay’at Tahrir Shaam hoping that they will correct their mistakes, if this was the case we would not have any problem with them exposing and showing these mistakes. But unfortunately this is not the case, they seek to destroy the only strong armed Sunni entity which is actually able to protect the liberated territories, all for their own measly benefits. Of course the local foreign secret services are co-operating with these hypocrites as well, but we will not go in to that for now.
These hypocrites did not dare to talk about the hundreds of innocent civilians killed by Turkey in Al-Baab, they waved these collateral victims away as if they were flies. When Jaysh Al-Islam transgressed against Jaysh Al-Fustaat, Faylaq Rahmaan and other factions including

New article from al-Maqālāt: "Preordained Unity: The Rise of a New Ṭālibān in al-Shām"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

The enemies of the Ummah are fighting against the fundamentals of Islam. The hundreds of thousands of people killed in Syria are general Muslims, they do not belong to one particular school of thought or movement or methodology. The children, women and elders, all the civilians killed in Syria, they do not belong to any particular Islamic current. So this war is against the basic core principals of Islam. Why is this important to know? Because it sets the criterion for unification. When the core foundations of Islam are attacked then everyone who adheres to these grounding foundations must unite to defend them. No matter which school of thought and no matter what movement or methodology; they have become secondary to the foundations we want to protect; the foundations we all share. The enemies have gathered against us even though they do not share any foundations: the Alawites, the Russians and the Shia Rawafid, with all their different sects, have united and gathered against us. The Shia Rawafid even make Takfir on the Alawites, but despite that they have joined their ranks to fight against Ahl Sunnah.
The Sufi who is fighting in Afghanistan and the Caucasus to defend Islam from annihilation is better than the Salafi who allies himself with the apostate tyrants and corrupt puppet regimes in the Middle-East who seek to annihilate Islam. We are not looking at theological methodologies in theory, this is not a conflict of theoretical debates between schools of thoughts or currents. This is a war of existence or annihilation between Islam and Kufr, between Islam in its essence and Kufr in its essence. So the deviant innovator who is defending the essence of Islam is better than the one who betrayed Islam; even if his beliefs are correct in theory. This is the criterion which separate us is the line between the defenders of the religion and those who betray it; not the different schools of thought or methodologies. Everyone who is defending Islam should share the same rank, no matter which school of thought or methodology. This has become the most obligatory duty in Shaam in order to repel the transgressing enemies.
The one who does not look at the conflict in Shaam with this perspective of priority will only delay our victory and liberation. He will busy himself with secondary issues which divide- instead of unite us. In the mistakes of ISIS which led to the delay of victory, the division, and eventually their own downfall lies an important example from which we must learn and take heed. Even the Prophets were victorious against the enemies of Islam only after the general masses entered Islam to support them and the Religions they revealed from Allah, we have to unite the masses in the same way. The Prophets were not victorious with small groups or limited movements, they were victorious with the general people who entered Islam and supported the Religion. History witnesses the rise and fall of Caliphates, empires, kingdoms, states and movements, but one thing remained; the Ummah and the Religion remained. Those who cling to their factions must realize this. The names of leaders and states were only banners, passing down from one to another. Even the Prophets were only carriers of banners, passing down from one to another. Jihaad however continued because it was linked to the Religion and the Ummah.
The biggest mistakes of the factions in Shaam are actually not theological or methodological, rather their biggest mistake is that they are not willing to learn from history. They should learn from the experiences of the Mujahideen who fought before them. They should learn from the experiences of the Mujahideen who fought in Afghanistan for example. Why repeat the exact same mistakes other groups have made before you? Why trouble and exhaust the Ummah with these repeated failures? Most of the mistakes made in the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan are repeated again today in Shaam; the groups and factions who each fight for their own project and exclusive authority, the extremism, the treachery of the local regimes. All of it is repeated in Shaam because we are not willing to learn from recent history let alone the distant history filling our libraries. The factions in Shaam however must realize that Allah replaced the groups in Afghanistan as He gave rise to the Taliban when the groups and factions refused to unite. The infighting and division in Afghanistan made way for the Taliban who united the Muslims in Afghanistan, bringing back Islamic justice, safety and stability.
The unity of the Ummah will be reached, with or without the factions. Sharia will be implemented, with or without the factions. If the factions in Shaam refuse to unite Allah will replace them with servants who will unite the Muslims, like He replaced the factions in Afghanistan with the Taliban who united the Muslims. If the factions refuse to bring back Islamic justice, safety and stability Allah will replace them with servants who will. The factions must learn from Rabbani, Sayyaf and Hekmatyar. Their political twists and wriggles with the local regimes at the expense of the Afghan people did not achieve them anything. The treachery of local regimes who tried to spoil the Jihaad in Afghanistan did likewise not succeed. Afghanistan stayed a cradle for Jihaad giving birth to the Taliban and Al-Qaedah who are until this very day still rubbing the noses of tyrants in the dirt.
Muslims will not despair over the future fate of Shaam, the Ummah will not despair over the Muslim people of Shaam. Allah protects His Religion more than us, and Allah has more love for His servants than we have. However it pains us to see Muslims who stubbornly keep repeating the same mistakes. How similar was the treacherous position of Pakistan in the Afghan-Soviet war to that of Turkey today in Shaam. How similar is the dubious position of the US towards the political Islamist parties in Afghanistan to their position today towards the Islamist parties in Shaam. How similar are the mistakes of the inexperienced Islamist parties in Afghanistan to the stubborn mistakes of the Islamist parties in Shaam. Scholars and Mujahid leaders have stayed quite over many mistakes because of the possible harms it could cause, but they can not stay quite for much longer. The succes of the Taliban is due to the fact that they stayed independent, while sticking to the Islamic scholars and the Sharia in combination with the Islamic jurisprudence of reality and priority, and the fact that they placed the interest of the Afghan people first. The factions in Shaam must not only learn from the mistakes made by the different groups in Afghanistan but they should also learn from the success of the Taliban.
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New article from al-Maqālāt: "We Must Benefit From Trump's Presidency Before A Possible Coup"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

The democrats have been very busy with patching the economy of the US, while spreading differences in foreign countries to busy them with each other. They were very dependent on waging proxy wars and avoided any direct military intervention. They used secret services, militias and sects to accomplish their wished. In eight years Obama was thus able to rebuild the economy of the US somewhat from the destruction caused by his republican predecessor Bush, and he achieved many things Bush was not able to achieve.
The democrats have a long breath in dealing with political issues, and it is difficult to trap them and embroil them into a bleeding conflict due to any political and strategic mistakes. Obama and the democrats are therefore a bigger threat to the Ummah, he had a large role in destroying the region of the Middle-East by opening all kinds of fronts against it and embroiling it in internal conflicts; political, economic and military.
The Obama administration was preparing Hillary to complete this task. They tried to get Hillary on track concerning Iran, Russia and Syria -with the objective of busying the Muslims in the Middle-East from Israel and the US. The naive Hillary however did not seem completely willing to walk this path as she criticized Obama for walking away from his set red line against the Assad regime, and she criticized the nuclear deal with Iran while openly she supported an intervention against the Syrian regime. We read from one of her Wiki-leaked letters “Some argue that U.S. involvement in Syria risks a wider war with Russia. But the Kosovo example shows otherwise. In that case, Russia had genuine ethnic and political ties to the Serbs, which don’t exist between Russia and Syria, and even then Russia did little more than complain.”
The US knows very well that Russia will not do a thing if the US decides to launch a military intervention against the Assad regime. Yet they keep fooling people that an intervention in Syria equals a confrontation with Russia. It was therefore no surprise that Hillary lost the elections despite her winning the obvious popular vote. She could have won the election if she supported Russia and the Assad regime like Trump openly did, because this has been the policy of the Obama administration from the get-go.
The Obama administration was busy with spreading division in the Mujahid ranks instead of attacking them directly, the US under Obama played a vital role in the rise of ISIS and the division between the Mujahideen, especially between Al-Qaedah and ISIS. In addition to this divide and conquer policy, the Obama administration invested its military intelligence in killing the top leadership of Al-Qaedah. An unprecedented number of top leaders were killed under the Obama administration in Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia and Syria. The largest Fitnah was spread in the Mujahid ranks under the Obama administration, known since the global Jihaad movement. We saw the rise of a powerful Jihaad movement claiming to have established the Caliphate and implement the Sharia, while in reality they implemented the US policy in the region without them knowing.
We saw all of this under the Obama administration, so the question leaves us with “What will change under the republican Trump administration?” We will without a doubt see a transition from secretive warfare to open warfare. As Trump openly states what Obama kept hidden. The republicans benefit heavily from military contracts and war profits, so they do not shy away from open and direct warfare. This was very evident under the Bush administration who quickly opened fronts of direct warfare throughout the Muslim world; built on military contracts and war profits. Even if this meant the destruction of the US economy; because the republicans do not care one bit about the overall economy of the US, they only care about the corporate profits of the wealthiest upper-class. The tax avoiding billionaire Trump seems cut for this policy.
These direct military confrontations will make the US number one enemy in the Middle-Eastern region again, which will unite the Muslim forces after being divided. The republicans in addition do not have the same political and strategic cunningness of the democrats in dealing with world actualities. So it will be easier to embroil them into bleeding conflicts, which will hurt the US economy and military. The presidential elections of Trump is therefore a chance for the Muslim Ummah to benefit from the greed and blunt stupidities of the republicans, especially those of Trump.
Obama tried very hard to twist and escape from the republican stupidities caused by the Bush administration before him, he succeeded after eight years, and now Trump will dive right into them again. We have to benefit from his presidency and we must not let this chance pass by because it could not be presented again in the future. Who would have thought that a blatant idiot like Trump would ever rule the US? Even Bush Jr. looks intelligent next to him. If we do not seize this chance to benefit from his stupidities then we truly do not know how to seize opportunities when they are presented. And this chance should be seized quickly in the first term of his presidency, because if there was ever a coup planned in the US, then now would be the most expected time in US history.
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Source: al-Maqlat’s Telegram Channel

New article from al-Maqālāt: "Remaining and Expanding: Remain a Forgotten History or Expand Into a Memorable Future?"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

The Fatiheen (conquerors) who came from North Africa invaded the Iberian Peninsula to liberate the people from the oppressive Germanic Visigoths; with the light and the justice of Islam. When they conquered Al-Andalus they were constantly attacked from France. After the Fatiheen repeatedly repelled their attacks they decided to invade France, so that they could put a definitive end to these attacks. Unfortunately the Muslims were unable to conquer France. After this failed campaign it went downhill, until Al-Andalus was eventually retaken by the Visigoths –this re-conquering was known as the Reconquista.
This loss was not due to the small numbers and strength of the Muslims, they were stronger than the Franks in terms of military strength and men. The reason why the Muslims were unable to conquer France was due to other shortcomings. These same shortcomings that made it impossible for them to conquer France and eventually led to the fall of Al-Andalus, are the same shortcomings that weaken the Jihaad in Shaam. So let us open this page in Islamic history perhaps we could benefit from it inshaAllah.
The most important shortcoming was division between the Muslims. There were many conflicts between the Berbers and the Arabs during the failed campaign against France. These conflicts actually started right after the conquest of Al-Andalus. These armed conflicts and rebellions weakened the Muslims in Al-Andalus a great deal, they delayed the campaign against France and also caused the failure of its conquering, until it eventually caused the fall of Al-Andalus all together. The governor Ubayd ibn Al-Haytham Al-Kalabi from the Umayyad dynasty played an important role in these conflicts, he showed extreme tribalism. Until Allah sent one of the righteous Tabi’een (the generation that came after the Prophet –SalAllahu Alayhi wa Selam–) who managed to unite the Muslims somewhat. It was the commander Abdurrahmaan Al-Ghaafiqi.
The Muslims marched forth to conquer France under his command. But unfortunately the division and disputed between the Muslims started again once they captured large war spoils in Southern France. The Arabs said “We are the first Muslims so we deserve more.” While the Berbers said “We are a majority and we were the first ones who conquered Al-Andalus so we deserve more.” This went on and made the cooperation between them very difficult. We are seeing that the enemies of this Ummah and the hypocrites are trying to create a similar division between the Syrian Mujahideen and the foreign Mujahideen in Shaam, or between the so-called moderates and the extremists, etc.
Allah said “And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not fall into disputes so that you do not weaken and lose your strength; and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.”
When the US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 they tried to create division between the Taliban and Al-Qaedah, between the Afghan Mujahid and the foreign Mujahid. They tried very hard to drive a wedge between the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Their attempts however were futile. Now we see them repeat the same strategy in Syria. How many times did we hear the international politics repeat that this is a fight of the Syrians alone, a national struggle for a national state, and the media keeps repeating that foreign fighters in Syria cause nothing but trouble. They are trying to create division between the Syrian Mujahid and the foreign Mujahid, and the so-called moderate Mujahid and the extremist Mujahid, etc. While the countless of foreign Shia militias throughout the region in Syria stay unmentioned, even if they are designated terrorist organizations like Hizballah.
We should not base our loyalty on factions and nationalities. Before the Jihaad erupted in Syria our hearts were broken over the tens of thousands of innocent Muslims civilians slaughtered by the ruthless regime. However Allah united the Ummah through this trail, the Muslims carried arms and stood up as one body against this oppression. The blood of the many martyrs in Syria created an exceptional fertile ground for unity, Muslims fought together for a common and divine goal in a legendary and historic front. Unfortunately this unity was lost when we lost sight on that which united us in Syria in the first place; due to misplaced loyalty, partisanship, territoriality, authority, extremism and war spoils.
يا زماناً بَكَيْتُ منه فلما … صِرْتُ في غَيْره بَكَيْتُ عَلَيْهِ
Times which made me cry, when they changed .. I cried (out of nostalgia) for that time.
The division we are seeing in Syria at the moment is much like the division in Al-Andalus. Every group and faction wants authority and everyone wants to build his own exclusive state, according to his own views and methodology. The division in Al-Andalus was at one point so intense that Al-Andalus fell apart in more than 30 small kingdoms. There was a lot of corruption in these kingdoms, and this weakened the Muslims tremendously. It was also the first time in Islamic history that two Caliphates ruled over the Ummah; the Umayyad Caliphate in Cordoba and the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad. Until the Murabitun led by Yusuf ibn Tashafin put an end to this division. But not long after their rule they were fought and expelled by the Muwahidun; who were driven by sectarianism and extremism. After a couple of successful conquests by the Muwahidun, and despite their large numbers, they were defeated by the Christians in the disastrous Battle of Al-Uqba (Las Navas de Tolosa). This defeat meant the actual fall of Al-Andalus, and the bloody Inquisition that followed is well known to everyone.
Division, infighting, love for wealth, war spoils, authority and power, extremism; all of these shortcomings are diseases that weaken the Ummah and empower the enemies throughout history. These fatal shortcomings in Al-Andalus have been studied very well by the enemies of this Ummah. They learned from our history and use this knowledge against us. They have divided our Ummah into many submissive tyrannical client states, while unleashing an intense divide and conquer strategy against us. This is not hidden from anyone. Our enemies learn from our mistakes and history and use this knowledge against us, we should also learn from our history and our mistakes. As the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Selam) said “A believer is not stung from the same hole twice.”
When the Muslims invaded France they dragged the heavy weight of the war spoils they gained behind them in Southern France. This was a fatal mistake once they reached the decisive confrontation known as the Battle of Poitiers. When the French tried to seize the spoils from behind, the Muslim army became divided as some of them hurried to protect their spoils of war. They lost the battle because of their love for wealth, and many of them were killed. The same mistake was repeated in Syria. We saw how some fought for oil fields, power plants, wheat fields and territory, while attacking the Mujahideen in their backs instead of defending the innocent civilians from the relentless massacres of the regime. They began to fight for authority and expansion; gaining territory and men for their own exclusive group became their most important priority, this even made them attack the liberated territories. Thousands of Mujahideen died due to these misplaced worldly objectives wrapped up in deviant theological justifications, while we witnessed the Jihaad in Syria weaken tremendously. More than two-thirds of Syria was liberated before the course of the battle and the balance of power turned in favor of the regime.
The Muslims in the Battle of Poitiers also began to rely on their numbers, instead of putting their trust in Allah. The Muslim army had reached fifty thousand men at that time. While the initial Fatiheen of Al-Andalus consisted of only twelve thousand men or less. We saw this same pride in Syria when some gained followers and conquered territories. While Allah warned us about this misplaced materialistic pride in the Quran. As He said “Indeed Allah helped you in many battle-fields and on the day of Hunaiyn, when you took pride in your great numbers, but they proved of no avail to you –for the earth, despite all its vastness, became narrow for you, so you turned back in retreat.”
Rather this materialistic way of thinking even reached the level that the number of followers and size of controlled territory was seen and used as evidence for the truthfulness and religious correctness of a group. The group that is closest to the Quran and Sunnah, even if it’s the weakest and smallest group, is the most truthful and correct group. It is not the biggest and most successful or powerful group. Allah even grants the oppressors power and temporary victories. Look at how big and powerful the armies of the enemies are, if this was evidence for their truthfulness we would not fight against them. Allah repeatedly explains to us in the Quran that the majority of people are on falsehood, and most of the Muslim armies throughout history were always in a minority –so large numbers are anything but evidence for truthfulness and religious correctness.
And if numbers and strength would have been evidence for their correctness, then losses and weakness would be evidence for their falseness. How many times did we hear the haughty slogan “remaining and expanding”.  Even great Muslim civilization in Al-Andalus fell, and they did not face any destructive airpower at that time like we are facing today, rather the Muslim army in Al-Andalus had the upper hand in terms of strength and power when they were defeated. If you talk about Al-Andalus today it is as if you are talking about a dreamy fairytale, as if they have never really conquered and ruled for almost 800 years a word power at

New article from al-Maqālāt: "The Wild Card in Time of Necessity: Jabhat al-Nuṣrah – Their Perfect Timing For an Unpredicted Decision"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin
The issue of Jabhat Nusra breaking their ties with Al-Qaedah has busied friends and foes, everyone is sitting on the edge of their seat waiting patiently to hear from Shaykh Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani. This shows how big the political and military influence of Jabhat Nusra actually is, both inside and outside Syria. This news came very unexpected, the US clearly did not have a plan-B for Jabhat Nusra if they would break their ties with Al-Qaedah, while the secularist hypocrites and the demoralizing parrots on the internet are already looking for other excuses and accusations they can fire at Jabhat Nusra. I am not in the position to say whether Jabhat Nusra will break its ties or not, but let us assume that they will. Then there are a couple of quick observations I could like to make. The factions and the Muslims in Shaam did not ask from Jabhat Nusra to change their strategy and methodology, they simple asked them to change their organizational ties. If Jabhat Nusra changed their ties and name, but still shared the same strategy and methodology as Al-Qaedah. Then this will actually be the initial plan of Al-Qaedah for Jabhat Nusra in Shaam, as Shaykh Ayman Zawahiri ordered his soldiers not declare any presence of Al-Qaedah in Shaam. So by changing the name, Jabhat Nusra is returning to the original strategy for Al-Qaedah in Shaam. We much rather have Mujahideen who share the same strategy and methodology as Al-Qaedah, even if they do not share the organizational ties and name of Al-Qaedah, then Mujahideen who claim to be part of Al-Qaedah and carry its name while they do not share their strategy nor methodology. We have seen how ISIS shared the organizational ties and name of Al-Qaedah under Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi but they did not share their strategy and methodology. There are numerous groups on various fronts throughout the world who share the strategy and methodology of Al-Qaedah and they could even have organizational ties with Al-Qaedah –in Mali, Tunisia and Egypt for example– but they did not openly declare these ties. Like Ahmad Shawqi said: خفي الأساس عن العيون تواضعا .. من بعد ما رفع البناء مشيدا The modest foundations remain hidden for the eyes .. after firmly constructing the building. Those who accuse Jabhat Nusra for declaring their ties with Al-Qaedah because this turned the Western powers against the people of Syria, should first of all know that Jabhat Nusra was put on the terror list before they declared these ties. Second of all, there was another danger which was more harmful for the revolution in Syria then the West at that time, which should not be ignored; the danger of the Khawarij. If Jabhat Nusra did not openly declare their ties with Al-Qaedah and confronted the deviant legitimacy of ISIS, then most of the Mujahideen in Syria would have joined ISIS. The damage was limited as mainly only factions from the FSA joined ISIS, while Jabhat Nusra kept resisting their deviance from the beginning. However this danger is now contained as the deviant methodology of the modern day Khawarij is exposed, and the clear methodology of Jabhat Nusra is known. So it is very unlikely that anyone would join ISIS now if Jabhat Nusra broke its ties with Al-Qaedah. The situation has changed, the Western powers have become a greater threat for the Syrian revolution than the Khawarij. After exposing the Khawarij and annulling their deviant legitimacy, until it is no longer a considerable threat, it became important to focus on the other growing threats. The recent treacherous agreement between the US and Russia signifies this growing threat. The Prophet (SalAllahu Alayhi wa Selam) said: “Fear the insight of the believer for he sees with the light of Allah.” Shaykh Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani announced his ties with Al-Qaedah due to the necessity of that moment, and now he will change these ties due to the necessity of this moment. The breaking of ties between Jabhat Nusra and Al-Qaedah will expose a lot of facts. The timing of this decision is no coincidence, it came right after the US agreement with Russia to cooperate and coordinate air strikes against Jabhat Nusra. Jabhat Nusra could not stand by and watch as the enemies unite against them. A major strategic move to counter and hinder this alliance, and a reorganization of their ranks within Syria was not really a matter of choice, it was an absolute military necessity. Breaking their ties with Al-Qaedah will form a dilemma for the US. If the US insists on bombing Jabhat Nusra in cooperation and coordination with Russia despite them breaking ties with Al-Qaedah, then this will without a doubt proof that the US is aiding the Syrian regime, it will proof that this is not a war against terrorist organizations, but a war against Muslims and Islam. The factions who still refuse to unite with Jabhat Nusra will also be exposed, it will proof that they used the ties of Jabhat Nusra as an excuse to refrain from unity. It will also divide between the truthful factions who only objected to the name and the organizational ties with Al-Qaedah, and those factions who keep their agenda hidden and actually oppose the Sharia project of Jabhat Nusra rather then their ties. There are two types of people who wanted to see the ties between Jabhat Nusra and Al-Qaedah disappear. The first are truthful Muslims who are of the opinion that this will benefit the revolution a great deal. The second are hypocrites who want to incite against Jabhat Nusra and weaken it; as if their lifeline was connected to these organizational ties. Jabhat Nusra does not seek to please either of them, but by breaking their ties with Al-Qaedah these two parties –who are very different– will not share any common ground. Like Muhammad ibn Al-Qasim said: إذا رضيت عني كرام عشيرتي .. فلا زال غضباناً عليّ لئامها If I were to please the noble ones among my people .. then its lowly will stay angry at me. ومن ذا يرضي كل نفس … وبين هوى النفوس مدى بعيد And who is able to please every soul .. while the desires of souls vary enormously. Allah said “Never will the Jews or the Christians be pleased with you until you follow their religion.” It is impossible to please everyone, even if you tried. If you would follow the religion of the Jews for example, then the Christian would be displeased. The same goes the other way around; if you would follow the religion of the Christians then the Jews would be displeased. So it is a wasteful effort from the very start. Pleasing people is not the goal we should aim for, rather certain benefits and harms must be considered and outweighed. This is the settling standard for sensitive decisions like these. The recent‏ assembly of scholars in Shaam also influenced the decisions of Jabhat Nusra without a doubt. The unity of the Mujahideen in Afghanistan started with the gathering of students and scholars known as the Taliban. This blessed gathering united between the truthful Mujahideen and exposed the hypocrites who opposed the Sharia of Allah; while they initially fought alongside the Mujahideen against the Soviets. The blessed gathering of the Talibn united between all schools of thought. A similar scenario could very well be expected after the assembly of scholars in Shaam, the signs of unity are already beginning to show, true unity is always accompanied with knowledge. The breaking of ties with Al-Qaedah will be a strong message to the factions who do not want to unite and to the Western powers who try to deceive the Ummah. The overall message of the break with Al-Qaedah will be that the US is not enemies with Al-Qaedah or any other so-called terrorist organization, but their animosity is against the Muslim Ummah as a whole, especially the Muslims who are seeking to establish the rule of Islam. Many Muslims have reached this awareness of course, but this awareness will grow further and reach every general and common Muslim. If the US insists on bombing Jabhat Nusra despite their broken ties with Al-Qaedah then the popular support for Jabhat Nusra will grow in a rapid speed. It were the people of Shaam who requested from Jabhat Nusra to break their ties with Al-Qaedah, Jabhat Nusra showed their loyalty to the Muslim Ummah, they proofed that they place the interest of the Ummah before the interest of an organization. If they are sidelined by the other factions despite this show of good will, and if they are bombed despite their decision to break ties with Al-Qaedah, then the popular support for Jabhat Nusra in Shaam and outside could be unstoppable. With such popular support the ideology, strategy and methodology of Al-Qaedah will reach far and wide within the Muslim communities and enter further into the heart of Muslim societies. This goal would be far more important then the organizational ties with Jabhat Nusra. These facts are not hidden, it is obvious that this decision could work out brilliantly. As an intelligence site stated: “The prospect of a formal breaking of ties with al-Qaeda and formation of a new coalition body with al-Qaeda’s blessing arguably represents the worst outcome from the U.S. perspective, making targeting of terrorist figures much more difficult as they will be ever more deeply embedded in the wider insurgency. Further, in such a scenario, if the proposed U.S.-Russia coordination actually goes forward, it seems likely that a larger coalition between Jabhat al-Nusra and other groups would then quickly and easily dismantle many of the U.S.-backed groups among the Syrian rebels in the north, reducing any influence and leverage in so far as U.S. policy hopes for an eventual political transition in Syria. Or perhaps U.S.-backed groups would join this coalition.. Jabhat al-Nusra has effectively exploited the breakdown of the ‘cessation of hostilities’: it may well outsmart the U.S. further with the supposed breaking of ties with al-Qaeda, which, far from reflecting a change in the ideological end goals, could actually embody an al-Qaeda ideal of integrating more deeply into the local environment.” (Source: ‘Jabhat al-Nusra: Breaking ties with al-Qaeda?’ –jihadintel.meforum.org) The secularist hypocrites and their parrots have been repeating that Jabhat Nusra is spoiling the revolution in Syria. But we will see that those who spoiled the revolution in Egypt and in Libya and tried to spoil the political attempt in Turkey, are the same wolves in sheep clothing who hide behind fake claims and weak excuses as they attempt- and wait for the right moment to spoil the revolution in Syria. These poisonous weeds must be rooted out, and Jabhat Nusra has proven to be the best remedy against this plague. Jabhat Nusra is very well aware of their threat, breaking ties with Al-Qaedah will not change this awareness. Rather, it will become an awareness shared by all the faction. Like Abu Muslim Al-Khurasani said: من رعى غنما في أرض مسبعة .. ونام عنها تولى رعيها الأسد Those who herd sheep in a country of lions .. and falls asleep –then the lion will take over the herding. Many people seem stunned and surprised by this strategic move, but this decision is actually nothing new if we were to look at the history of Al-Qaedah. It is not the first time that such a decision is made. Shaykh Abu Musab Zarqawi and after him Shaykh Abu Hamza Al-Mujahir were the leaders of Al-Qaedah in Iraq. Al-Qaedah in Iraq became part of the Mujahideen Shura Council, after that it merged with other groups in what was known as the Islamic State in Iraq, before it was hijacked and infiltrated by Baathis officers and deviated to what is now. When Al-Qaedah merged with the other groups in the Mujahideen Shura Council, the name Al-Qaedah disappeared in Iraq, and the loyalty and ties with Al-Qaedah became a hidden fact, while the strategy and the methodology stayed the same until ISIS deviated. This decision was made so that the groups in Iraq could unite. It is therefore very likely that we are going to witness a similar unity between the groups and factions in Syria very soon under Jabhat Fath Shaam. The first priority of Al-Qaedah in Syria is to topple the Syrian regime, they share this goal and this enemy target with the other factions, but to achieve this goal Al-Qaedah and the rest of the Mujahideen must fully cooperate and completely coordinate their efforts and their operations with each other. The eyes of Shaykh Abu Muhammad Al-Joulani are set on Damascus, but he can not liberate Damascus without cooperating and coordinating with the other factions. Al-Qaedah has shown and proven that it is truthful in its claims and goals, it is now up to the rest of the Mujahideen to show the same sincerity. They must be willing to set aside any obstacle to unite and merge with the other factions. I repeat what I said before: If the Islamic Sharia is implemented by all the factions, if the ties with the secret services of Turkey and Jordan is broken by all the factions, if all political solutions and all truces with the regime are scrapped, if all the factions unite in one army, if all foreign agendas are annulled in Syria, if the Mujahireen are left to stay and come into Shaam, if the corrupt ones are removed from the field in Shaam, and if all the fronts are reignited against the regime; in return for breaking of the ties between Jabhat Nusra and Al-Qaedah. If the other parties agree to any of these preconditions, then this would be the best deal in the history of Islam, or rather mankind. If the other parties agree to these preconditions, then the breaking of ties between Jabhat Nusra and Al-Qaedah will form a major backlash for the West, as this is everything they did not want in Shaam. Al-Qaedah is a message before it is an organization, and these mentioned goals and prerequisites are exactly what the message and Dawah of Al-Qaedah seeks to achieve. Goals are more important then the means, the mentioned goals are more important then the organizational means through which the Mujahideen are trying to achieve these goals. The Prophet (SalAllahu Alayhi wa Selam) erased the words “Messenger of Allah” from the treaty of Hudaybiyah; because it is not about names, rather it is about realities, it is about objectives. Erasing these words did not change the fact that he indeed was the Messenger of Allah, whether the pagan Arabs of Mekkah wanted to recognize this fact or not. A Mujahid from Al-Qaedah wages Jihaad to support the religion and the Muslim Ummah as a whole, not only his own organization. His organization is merely a means to organize his actions on the battlefield. If his actions in Al-Qaedah could be organized better, and if his actions in Al-Qaedah are more beneficial for the Ummah, then it is obvious that staying in this organization is preferable. But if his actions could be organized better in another organizational setting and if his actions will be more beneficial for the Ummah in another organization setting, then this setting if of course more preferable. A Mujahid should not be blinded by partisanship, he should realize that organizations are mere stepping stones for a much larger project which encompassed the Ummah as a whole. He works within the most suitable, efficient and beneficial organizational setting. The Mujahideen from Al-Qaedah have clearly proven that they are not blinded by partisanship, they do not place their organizational love above the interest of the Ummah and the goals of Jihaad. A Mujahid from Al-Qaedah does not fight for organizational names, he fights to lift oppression from the Ummah and to raise the Word of Allah. Al-Qaedah is a school and the noble Mujahideen of Shaam are some of its many graduates. The central command of Al-Qaedah is a center which spreads awareness, it spreads the message and the strategy of Al-Qaedah, it inspires and mobilizes the Ummah against the Western powers, whether they do so under the command of Al-Qaedah or independently. However it does not control area’s nor people. Unlike Jabhat Nusra, they are a guerilla movement who wage a defensive war against a local enemy, it is a movement who now controls vast area’s in Syria, it has all kinds of responsibilities towards the people they control. They must wage Jihaad and control land together with other factions with whom they eventually must merge and unite, while avoiding a confrontation with any additional enemies like the Western powers. So Jabhat Nusra needs to operate in a different organizational setting. Al-Qaedah has declared an open war against the West, and calls for attacks against it, while it ordered Jabhat Nusra to focus on the Syrian regime and not to carry out any attacks against the West. The West however chose deliberately to ignore these organizational division of assignments, and accused Jabhat Nusra of planning attacks in the West; as an excuse to carry out coalition air strikes against Jabhat Nusra to aid the regime and prevent the establishment of an Islamic government in Syria. If Jabhat Nusra broke their organizational ties with Al-Qaedah the West will be left with no excuse. Their animosity against Jabhat Nusra will become a clear violation for everyone to see. This will turn the Muslim population against the West, it could even mobilize the Muslims against the West in long run –and this is exactly the goal of Al-Qaedah from the get-go. The hypocrites and the enemies of the Ummah have been focusing their propaganda on the ties between Jabhat Nusra and Al-Qaedah to create a popular opinion against them, and to split and weaken the ranks within Jabhat Nusra. To avoid a growing popular opinion against them, and to avoid the weakening of ranks, the timing for breaking the ties with Al-Qaedah is chosen carefully, thus turning the tables completely. Popular support will turn against the enemies if they decide to attack Jabhat Nusra despite them breaking their ties. If Jabhat Nusra broke these ties a couple of years ago it could have created a weakening of the ranks. But the soldiers of Jabhat Nusra have reached a high level of trust in their leadership and the overall majority understands the benefits of this decision, many of them were even opting for it quite some time. So the seeming weakness of Jabhat Nusra has now become their strength, this decision was an unexpected wild card they were saving for the right moment; so it will work in the complete interest of the Muslim Ummah and against the enemies. The enemies of the Ummah will of course try to misuse this decision as much as possible; the Russians, the Shia-Rawafid, the Nusayris, the West, the secularist hypocrites, and the Khawarij extremist. All of them will try to misuse this decision and turn it to their benefit. Maybe they could even gain some tactical gains, but the overall strategic gain will be in the benefit of the Mujahideen with the permission of Allah. Especially the extremist Khawarij will try to capitalize on this decision. As they tried to capitalize on the Fitnah in Shaam, and they indeed gained many followers through their deceiving methods. However the Mujahid leaders and scholars warned them for their reckless self-destructive behavior. Unfortunately many youths did not listen as their lives were wasted due to the terrible political, theological and strategic insight of their leadership. The rapid tactical gains in Iraq and Syria quickly vanished, everything they built on the backs and the limbs of the Muslims and the Mujahideen in Iraq and Syria collapsed. So tactical victories should not fool those with insight or those who learn from history.

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New article from al-Maqālāt: "The Rampant Eruption: Mass Takfīr by Abū Maysarah al-Shāmī"

Posted on by Aaron Y. Zelin

Everyone by now has heard or read the recent article filled with excessive Takfir written by the well known ISIS jurist and spokesperson Abu Maysarah Al-Shaami. Abu Maysarah Al-Shaami does not only make Takfir on the Muslim Brotherhood in general, he makes Takfir on the organization in its entirety and all the individuals of this organization, which has more than 100 millions members in the world. Of course this goes for all other Islamic parties who participate in the democratic parliaments, and this goes for all the millions of members of the Muslim Brotherhood who have passed away since its establishment by Hassan Al-Bannah (may Allah have mercy upon him). But he doesn’t stop there, he continues and attacks the leaders of As-Salifiyah Al-Jihadiyah calling them the “Idols of As-Salifayah Al-Jihadiyah.” He begins with making Takfir on Shaykh Ayman Zawahiri, while calling him a fool, he then makes Takfir on Mullah Akhtar Mansour, while calling him a Dajjaal and an agent of the Pakistani secret services, he then makes Takfir on the Taliban, while calling them a nationalistic movement who refuse the Sharia of Allah. He continues and makes Takfir on Shaykh Abu Musab Suri (may Allah hasten his release). But he doesn’t stop there, there is more. He finishes with making Takfir on all the Muslims who vote on democratic parties; 40 millions Muslims vote in Egypt alone, let alone the rest of the dozens of Muslim countries! SubhanAllah, anyone still doubt the fact that ISIS are Khawarij after reading all of this mass-Takfir?
But what about the Muslims who do not make Takfir on the Muslims who vote? Are they apostates too, because they refrain from making Takfir on a Kaafir? Or are they excused due to ignorance? And if they are excused due to ignorance, then why not excuse the voters themselves? Most of the general Muslims do not understand the reality of democracy and legislation. He does not go in to that, he does however excuse his own Caliphate, claiming that they did know the reality of Shaykh Ayman Zawahiri previously, fearing that the bolder extremists in their ranks will eventually make Takfir on ISIS because they did not make Takfir on Shaykh Ayman and the Taliban before. They even praised them, even though the positions on which they now make Takfir are old. Which could create a paradox, as one could make Takfir on ISIS, because ISIS refrained from making Takfir on themselves, while they knew about the so-called Kufr of Shaykh Ayman Zawahiri and the Taliban. And even if they did not know, then they can not be excused for their ignorance. So this article actually gave the extremists a basis for making Takfir on ISIS itself. This is the ridiculous inconsistent idiocy of chain Takfir.
Shaykh Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi responded on this and said: “The son that was raised on harming his relatives and neighbors; when he grows up he will also oppose his parents. Remember who you killed when they will make Takfir on you because you refrained from Takfir on the one who is excused. Abu Maysarah Al-Shaami claimed that Zawahiri helps every apostate group against Islam and Muslims, he even calls for his death and prays that Allah will destroy him at the hands of his brothers in the province of Khorasan. This is the caller of extremism: Leave the treacherous Afghan government, the NATO army, the enemies of Islam, and the Idol worshippers, and instead of inciting his followers against them, he incites them to kill the wise one (Shaykh Ayman Zawahiri).”
He contradicts himself as he excuses ISIS for its ignorance about the reality of Shayk Ayman Zawahiri and the Taliban, but he does not excuse the voters for their ignorance. Furthermore he makes Takfir on Shaykh Abu Musab Suri because he excused the Muslim Brotherhood and the voters due to their ignorance about the reality of democracy. He claims that ISIS must be excused because they did not the reality of Shaykh Ayman Zawahiri “because they were too busy waging Jihaad.” While all the points he mentioned to proof his so-called Kufr were also mentioned years ago by Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani in his speeches “This is not our methodology” and “Apologies oh Amir of Al-Qaedah”, and he did not make Takfir on Shaykh Ayman Zawahiri at that time. So he knew about these positions, but he did not make Takfir on the Shaykh because of them.
This should mean that Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani has also fallen in to Kufr according to their own standards. Al-Adnani even said that he will accept the Bayah of Shaykh Ayman Zawahiri if he came to Shaam, how could the Bayah of a disbeliever be accepted? Abu Maysrah Al-Shaami also blamed Abu Musab Suri for refraining from Takfir on voters. While Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani addressed the protesters in Egypt who voted on Mursi as Muslims and people of Ahl Sunnah in his speech “Pacifism is the religion of whom?”, how could he address them as Muslims if they are apostates according to Abu Maysrah Al-Shaami? And what about his previous leader Abu Umar Al-Baghdadi (May Allah have mercy on him) who did not make Takfir on the voters and considered their blood to be sacred according to his own statements?
It is known that the majority of the Muslims vote in democratic elections in the Muslim countries, and you judge over a people or society according to the majority. So the basis of the Ummah is Kufr according to ISIS, as the majority of the Ummah votes. And if ISIS in addition does not excuse the ones who do not make Takfir on the voters, then we are not left with one single Muslim on the world, except a small Takfiri sect. Takfir is not just a judgment without any practical implications, with Takfir on someone blood and wealth become legal war spoils and women can be taken as slaves. So this is the promise the Caliphate of ISIS has for the Ummah, instead of promising the Muslim Ummah liberation from tyrannical oppression and colonial occupation, ISIS makes Takfir on the Ummah and promises them wars of apostasy. Who needs enemies if we have Takfiri jurists like Abu Maysarah Al-Shaami? His judgment means that we will likely witness random attacks on Muslim public places. As the majority of the Muslims vote, so their basis is Kufr and their blood is legal. We saw another indication of this prelude when we heard that the blood of those who refuse to give Bayah to their Caliphate is legal. We are already witnessing ISIS cold bloodedly executing the Taliban Mujahideen in Afghanistan and labeling them as apostates. Why? Because they did not give their Bayah to ISIS.
Making Takfir on all the voters is not just his own personal opinion, as he claimed that this is the position of ISIS in general. The current ISIS leadership seems to agree because his articles are shared on ISIS media channels, like the magazine Dabiq, and we still haven’t heard of any ISIS leader rejecting his many deviances and published works. Rather his articles are the most shared, translated and published. So this is not just some individual with a personal opinion, he represents ISIS and is an official spokesperson, and his Arabic articles are read by thousands of readers. Many even suggest that he is the official media spokesperson Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani. But Allah knows best. Two years ago ISIS supporters and soldiers said that ISIS does not make Takfir on Shaykh Ayman Zawahiri. Well now ISIS officially makes Takfir on the whole Al-Qaedah leadership and all its branches and soldiers, so will they reject the deviances of ISIS?
Like Shaykh Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi said in his response to the recent article of Abu Maysarah Al-Shaami: “If there were any sane people with authority and influence in ISIS they would not allow the likes of Abu Maysarah Al-Shaami to publish and talk, because his Takfir and perversion is like that of Al-Adnani; if it isn’t the same person.”
Abu Maysarah is known for his extremism and shameful articles, which often confirm previous articles written in Dabiq. He wrote an article titled “Inform the wives of the Sahawaat that they are divorced” making Takfir on the members of Jabhat Nusra and other Mujahid factions, and calling their wives fornicators if they did not divorce their husbands, confirming what Umm Sumayah said in the 10th issue of Dabiq. He also wrote an article titled “A response to the sissy pimp” defaming Shaykh Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisis and Shaykh Abu Qatadah Al-Filistini calling them donkeys of knowledge.
He also made Takfir on the Taliban and called Mullah Akhtar Mansour a Taghut and a Dajjaal in his article titled “Oh youth in Somalia – The foolish sheep gave Bayah to the Tawagheet of the Taliban”. But when the Mujahid youth in Somalia ignored his nonsense and renewed their Bayah to Shaykh Ayman Zawahiri and Mullah Akhtar Mansor, he wrote an article attacking and defaming the Mujahid youth in Somalia, calling them deviant, and he called upon ISIS cells in Somalia to execute suicide operations against Al-Shabaab and its leaders, in his article titled “Surely this is the treachery of Al-Shabaab leaders.” He then wrote an article called “The Jews of Jihad – The Al-Qaedah of Zawahiri” filled with lies, defaming and slandering the Al-Qaedah leadership and Ansar Sharia in Libya. Now this article titled “The obliteration of symbols – Abu Musab As-Suri” confirming the slanders against the Shaykh in the recent edition of Dabiq.
The attack against Shaykh Abu Musab Suri clearly originates from his outspoken statements against the extremist Takfiris he encountered in the Algerian civil war in the early nineties. Which indicates that ISIS shares the same extremism of the Takfiris from the GIA in Algeria. We have never heard ISIS criticize the extremism in the Algerian war, but they do criticize Shaykh Abu Musab who opposed the extremism in Algeria that cost many Muslim lives. His statements about the extremism he encountered in Algeria are also