New Security Realities and al-Qaeda’s Changing Tactics: An Interview with Saad al-Faqih

Jamestown Foundation ^ | 2005 Dec 15 | Mahan Abedin

[Wiz]

Dr. Saad al-Faqih heads the Saudi opposition group, Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (MIRA), and is a widely acknowledged expert on al-Qaeda. Terrorism Monitor Editor Mahan Abedin conducted this interview December 12, 2005 in London.

Mahan Abedin: What is the latest information on terrorism in Saudi Arabia?

Saad al-Faqih: The latest general trend is that the jihadis have abandoned their previous tactics of targeting Westerners and the security forces. The jihadis are now focusing all their attention on the royal family. Two factors have driven this change. Firstly, the jihadis had previously avoided targeting the royals for fear of offending Muslim sensibilities. But now they believe that the prevailing opinion in Saudi Arabia-and probably in the wider Muslim world-is that the royal family is infidel and deserves harsh treatment. Secondly, the jihadis have finally overcome their fear of a secular takeover in the event of the sudden downfall of the House of Saud. Somebody told me that in the late 1990s bin Laden used to say that if the House of Saud is removed, the country will fall into the hands of secular forces. But now al-Qaeda believes that the regime is behaving far worse than a would-be secular system, because it is gradually destroying Islam under the banner of a false Islam. Al-Qaeda has reached the conclusion that the sudden collapse of the regime will either invite foreign interference or chaos.

[Wiz]

There seems to be some portions with likely bias, but something interesting to read.

[Fenris6]

"al-Qaeda believes that the regime...is gradually destroying Islam under the banner of a false Islam."

Oh. The. Irony.

[wildcatf4f3]

irony is fighting these islamists in the 21st century. What next? Massive stampedes by wooly mamouths?

[Roy Tucker]

Wake me up when the jihadists actually take out a member of the Royal Family. The Family and the Wahhabist clerics have been in cahoots for years. It all comes a-cropper when a Prince gets taken out. The clerics know this, the jihadists know this. You can blow up private property belonging to business interests of the princes, take a few foreigners out and a few underlings, but you don't actually take out the Family.

This is classic misdirection.