Declaration Of War
Al Qaeda can't stand to be left out of all the uproar Iran is stirring up in the Middle East. So they have jumped in with a video tape from Ayman al-Zawahri, al Qaeda's number two (apt description). In the tape Zawahri calls for all Muslims to rise up against Israel and the "Crusader" Western states. Oh, and don't forget to reconquer Spain while you're at it.
In the message broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, Ayman al-Zawahri, second in command to Osama bin Laden, said that al-Qaida now views "all the world as a battlefield open in front of us."
The Egyptian-born physician said that the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and Palestinian militants would not be ended with "cease-fires or agreements."
"It is a jihad (holy war) for the sake of God and will last until (our) religion prevails … from Spain to Iraq," al-Zawahri said. "We will attack everywhere." Spain was controlled by Arab Muslims for more than seven centuries until they were driven from power in 1492.
He said Arab regimes were accomplices to Israel. "My fellow Muslims, it is obvious that Arab and Islamic governments are not only impotent but also complicit … and you are alone on the battlefield. Rely on God and fight your enemies … make yourselves martyrs."
He also called for the "downtrodden" throughout the world, not just Muslims, to join the battle against "tyrannical Western civilization and its leader, America."
"Stand with Muslims in confronting this unprecedented oppression and tyranny. Stand with us as we stand with you against this injustice that was forbidden by God in his book (the Quran)," al-Zawahri said.
Kamal Habib, a former member of Egypt's Islamic Jihad militant group who was jailed from 1981 to 1991 along with al-Zawahri, said the al-Qaida No. 2's outreach to Shiites and non-Muslims was unprecedented and reflected a major change in tactics.
"This is a transformation in the vision of al-Qaida and its struggle with the United States. It is now trying to unite Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims and calling for non-Muslims to join the fight," he said.
There is an instructive quote on the tape. The use of language is particularly indicative of a coordinated propaganda effort:
"The shells and rockets ripping apart Muslim bodies in Gaza and Lebanon are not only Israeli (weapons), but are supplied by all the countries of the crusader coalition. Therefore, every participant in the crime will pay the price," al-Zawahri said.
"We cannot just watch these shells as they burn our brothers in Gaza and Lebanon and stand by idly, humiliated," he added.
That is a very odd way to phrase it, until you remember the sudden "reports" that allege that Israel is using chemical weapons. I'd read it as revealing who is really behind those charges.
Other Links to this Post
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Don Singleton — July 27, 2006 @ 12:19 pm
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PartisanTimes.com — July 27, 2006 @ 2:51 pm
By Neo, July 27, 2006 @ 8:52 am
Usama might as well be dead. He is now so far out of the loop that his mule courier system of communication begs the question as to whether he is dead.
Their premature hit on the US, before securing some major victory on a lesser victim to show their true strength, put them on the defensive.
After a fairly good start, they got their asses kicked in Iraq, so now the Iraqis can fight among themselves.
Now #2, says “all the world as a battlefield open in front of us.” I presume because their not sure where they will be welcome. Even the Somali Muslims told him to stay home (smart move), when he announced al Qaeda was moving there.
These guys are losers, deadly, but losers nonetheless
By Roland Hesz, July 28, 2006 @ 2:51 am
“Spain was controlled by Arab Muslims for more than seven centuries until they were driven from power in 1492.”
LMAO…
And Christopher Colombo was sent to India by Harun Al-Rashid.
And the Reconquista never happened…
In the beginning of the year, on January 2, after a long siege, the army of the Spanish monarchs marched into the city of Granada, thus reconquering the last of the real estate seized by the Arabs and moors seven centuries earlier.
Spain controlled by arabs… sheesh…