Posted on 07/29/2007 4:43:02 AM PDT by Valin
There are two recent defections worthy of notice. One is a Saudi who thought he was going to fight against us in Iraq, but his own brothers blew him up en route. The other is the founder of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, whence came Ayman al Zawahiri, currently number one (or, if you insist on believing bin Laden is still alive, number two) of al Qaeda.
The Saudi is Ahmed al-Sheayea, and he went to Iraq via Syria back in 2004 to wage jihad. They told him to drive a truck bomb across town, and they exploded it before he got there. Then they told his family he'd been martyred. Now he wants to warn his countrymen and women not to trust the jihadis. He puts it nicely, too: "There is no jihad. We are just instruments of death"
Then there's Sayid Imam al-Sharif, 57, the first commander of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad organisation. For those keeping track, Sharif is a surgeon, and he's been in jail for about three years, during which time he has changed his thinking about jihad. He recently denounced killing women and children and targeting minorities, and he quotes the Koran: "Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not transgress the limits; for God loveth not transgressors." Armed operations were wrong, counterproductive and must cease, he declared sternly.
As the Guardian put it in a long story , Zawahiri attacked Sharif in a video message, and no doubt there will much more along these lines, since Sharif has written a book with his new thinking.
Funny, isn't it, that as the war goes worse for them, they rethink the fundamentals?
Violence won’t work: how author of ‘jihadists’ bible’ stirred up a storm
Revisionist message from prison cell shakes al-Qaida colleagues
Ian Black Cairo
Friday July 27, 2007
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/egypt/story/0,,2135869,00.html
In a prison cell south of Cairo a repentant Egyptian terrorist leader is putting the finishing touches to a remarkable recantation that undermines the Muslim theological basis for violent jihad and is set to generate furious controversy among former comrades still fighting with al-Qaida.
Sayid Imam al-Sharif, 57, was the founder and first emir (commander) of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad organisation, whose supporters assassinated President Anwar Sadat in 1981 and later teamed up with Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan in the war against the Soviet occupation.
Sharif, a surgeon who is still known by his underground name of “Dr Fadl”, is famous as the author of the Salafi jihadists’ “bible” - Foundations of Preparation for Holy War. He worked with Ayman al-Zawahiri, another Egyptian doctor and now Bin Laden’s deputy, before being kidnapped in Yemen after 9/11, interrogated by the CIA and extradited to Egypt where has been serving a life sentence since 2004.
Sharif recently gave an electrifying foretaste of his conversion by condemning killings on the basis of nationality and colour of skin and the targeting of women and children, citing the Qur’anic injunction: “Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not transgress the limits; for God loveth not transgressors.” Armed operations were wrong, counterproductive and must cease, he declared sternly.
Zawahiri, evidently rattled, rounded sarcastically on him in a video message broadcast after Sharif’s statement - faxed from Torah prison to an Arabic newspaper - announced not only his change of heart but a book-length repudiation endorsed by hundreds of other former militants, and which is due to be published soon.
“Do they now have fax machines in Egyptian jail cells?” Zawahiri asked. “I wonder if they’re connected to the same line as the electric-shock machines [used to torture prisoners],” dismissing the exercise as propaganda warfare by Hosni Mubarak’s security services.
But Egyptian and western experts, government officials and former jihadis agree that Sharif’s shift is both genuine and highly significant. “People will say things to stop being tortured, but this is the result of a long process of reflection and debate,” insists Muntasir al-Zayyat, a lawyer jailed for Islamic Jihad membership in the 1980s. “When the book comes out there will be a furious reaction from Zawahiri and the global jihadi movement. It is clear that Sayid Imam will call a halt to killing operations in Egypt and abroad.”
(snip)
So they use violence against those who want to get away from the violence.
He is a muslim so he cannot be believed.They havent been hurt bad enough yet.
“There is no jihad”. Of course. It’s just a cult of brainwashed hashish smoking psychotic mohammadmen worshipping death and satan.
Its just a bumber sticker.
Taqiyya
http://i-cias.com/e.o/taqiyya.htm
Taqiyya
Arabic: ‘at-taqiyya
Other spelling: taqiyah
In the Middle East, but especially Islam, the concealment of belief, as a method of self-protection. Taqiyya is allowed, and performed, when necessary to avoid death or injury to oneself or other Muslims. Taqiyya is mainly considered as a part of Shi’i theology or modern-day Islamism.
Taqiyya may be translated with ‘fear’ and ‘caution’. It is closely related to the term katm or kitman, ‘concealment’. Taqiyya is in many cases linked with regulations of how Muslims should act with non-Muslims.
The rules concerning the true intention of taqiyya are strict, and abusers of taqiyya will be punished by God.
The permission to conceal the faith is believed to be admitted by the Koran:
Koran 16
108 ... unless it be one who is forced and whose heart is quiet in the faith...
Koran 3
27 ... If you hide that which is in your breasts, or if you show it, God knows it...
Some interpret Muhammad to have performed taqiyya, too, when migrating to Yathrib (later Madina) instead of risking his life staying in Mecca. This interpretation may seem doubtful, but has importance with Muslims in order to legitimize taqiyya. It must be stressed that the two Koran verses above seem to allow acts of taqiyya; they even seem to allow it indiscriminately, meaning that it is up to the individual to decide when it is fit to conceal all or parts of his/her faith.
Traditionally, a majority of Sunnis will not accept taqiyya, arguing that it is an expression of lack of faith in God. Yet, there are Sunni theologians who defend the use of taqiyya, stating that the faith in the heart is what counts, not outward expressions, like with the historian and theologian Tabari (8th/9th century).
With several Shi’i groups, like the Twelvers and the Zaydis, taqiyya has been defined as a fundamental tenet of faith. In some cases, taqiyya has been held as a distinguishing factor between them and the Sunni majority. There are many stories of Shi’i heroes breaking the regulations of his religion to achieve his goals. Unnecessary martyrdom is something that a Shi’i should avoid. With the Assassins, a Shi’i orientation, taqiyya has been an important technique. Entering taqiyya should be done with a niya, the intention, in order to clarify the true intention to conceal one’s ideas.
Also, the Ibadis allow the use of taqiyya. Among the Ibadis it is said that “the taqiyya is a cloak for the believer: he who has no religion has no taqiyya.”
All this may be seen in terms of who have been dominating the Muslim world over the centuries and not. For Shi’is taqiyya has been seen as vital for the survival of individuals and sects, while Sunnis most of the time have not had to take such considerations.
With modern day’s immigration to Western societies, it appears that even Sunnis have applied a Shi’i-like use of taqiyya to avoid different problems with their new societies.
Rules as to when taqiyya is permitted and not, has been set down. A Muslim facing corporal punishment or imprisonment may not perform taqiyya to avoid this. A male with family responsibilities may perform taqiyya if his wife(s) and children are in danger.
In recent years, taqiyya has often been used by militant Islamists, who usually are Sunnis. In preparation for terrorist attacks, using taqiyya has been part of covering their tracks. The world saw a very illustrative example of taqiyya with the 911 (September 11, 2005) attack on USA, when the local al-Qaida leaders went to bars and drank alcohol shortly before initiating their suicide attacks.
Facing persecution from Muslims, some religions of the Middle East have accepted to be labelled as belonging to Islam. For more, see Taqiyya religions, which involves about 22 million people.
_______________________________________
“Taqiyya is a Shi`i concept for self-preservation and is not an all-purpose justification of falsehood.”
Daniel Pipes
http://www.danielpipes.org/comments/3518
Not funny at all...just a matter of allying with the “Biggest Gun.” The tribalism of the ME has used this philosophy for millenia.
Don't see any condenmation here about killing based on religion (i.e. not being Muslim).......scannell
What is Arabic for:
Alright, we'll call it a draw.
Perhaps the “Martin Luther” of this Islamic generation is most likely to be a violent jihadist who made his bones and then saw the light.
From your lips to Gods ear.
Like my tagline says. Stop calling them “holy warriors”. It’s not insulting and only serves to reinforce their beliefs.
“There is no jihad. We are just instruments of death”
They’re starting to get it.
Great post/comments. Thanks to all. A defector from the jihad is the start of a process of a repudiation of the greatest anti-truth, anti-freedom, anti-individual, anti-life collective in the history of civilization by the individual. Potential. Examine each individual. A defector from the collective has greater credibility.
More commentary here...
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/017561.php#comments
Thanks to Hugh Fitzgerald and all of the great posters at jihadwatch.
I place very little stock in this. This guy is one out of a 1,000,000. The other 999,999 who haven’t defected from Jihad are total savages and will continue on their path to death.
There was also a denunciation of the train bombings in London this week by the wife of one of the suicide bombers...she said she was ashamed of her husband’s actions...maybe more Muslims will begin to speak out and the glamour of martyrdom will begin to subside.
Until Muslims stop the practice of polygamy, there will always be too many young bachelors needing to be eliminated. One day, maybe the jihadis will realize they are being duped into suicide so other men may have multiple wives.
It is too bad for them that, to satisfy his lust, Mohammed tossed aside the wisdom of the Jews, who knew that polygamy ruined future generations.
Let’s pray this man’s book is widely read and respected.
Something I’ve noticed for a while now, the terrorist get quite a bit of support in the Islamic world...when they’er “over there”. But it’s another kettle of fish when they show up close to home.
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