The second issue of "The Voice of Jihad," the new biweekly on-line magazine identified with Al-Qa'ida has been posted. 1 The following are excerpts from the latest issue, which includes a sequel to an interview with Abd Al-'Aziz bin 'Issa bin Abd Al-Mohsen, 2 also known as Abu Hajjer, who isone of the high-ranking Al-Qa'ida members on Saudi Arabia's most-wanted list.
Lead Editorial: Combat Jews and Americans, Not Saudi Security Forces
The second issue of "The Voice of Jihad" opened with an editorial by Suleiman Al-Dosari:
"…Our war with the enemies of Allah continues everywhere… We will not let the Americans occupy the land of the two holy places [i.e. the Arabian Peninsula] [and feel] secure and safe, and we will not cease our Jihad until we liberate every inch of Muslim land.
"We draw the attention of the Mujahideen to the strategy adopted by the Sheikh of the Mujahideen, Abu Abdallah Osama bin Laden, and Sheikh Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri, and agreed to by many of the great Mujahideen, regarding combat against the enemy: Our number one enemy is the Jews and the Christians, and we must free ourselves to invest all our efforts until we annihilate them – and we are able do this if Allah allows us to do it – because they are the main obstacle to establishing the Islamic state.
"…We must take note of the ploy used by the tyrants [i.e. Arab rulers] in many countries. They attempted to stop the Jihad project in these countries by shifting the confrontation with the occupying enemy (the masters) to confrontation with his guards (slaves) [meaning Muslims], because the tyrants see the killing of one American or Westerner as more serious than the killing of a hundred of their country's soldiers; the blood of an American, in their view, is worth the blood of all Muslims. They are ready to cast hundreds to their deaths so that Americans, in exchange, will enjoy security and comfort.
"…We must guard ourselves against this ploy and avoid, as much as possible, confrontations with the armies and forces of the state, so that we can strike lethal blows to the occupiers, Allah willing. This does not mean we will surrender to those who defend the Crusaders if they attack us; on the contrary, in this case we must resist with all the strength we have, and we must punish them so that they turn their swords toward the Americans and fight among our ranks, or refrain from entering [into] a confrontation with us – or they will stand against us and wait for what lies in store for them [at our hands], thanks to Allah and His strength…"
Sheikh Nasser Al-Najdi: Jihad Must Continue Until All Infidels Convert to Islam or Pay a Poll Tax
The second issue also features an article by Sheikh Nasser Al-Najdi, who wrote: "Islam is an all-encompassing religion. It is a religion for people and for regimes… At a time when people are given the choice [of believing] in Islam or paying Jizya [a poll tax paid by non-Muslims living under Muslim rule], Islam is the only alternative for the countries [of the world.]…
"Therefore, the crime of the tyrants in infidel [i.e. non-Muslim] countries, who do not rule according to Allah's law, is an enormous sin… and we are obliged to fight them and initiate until they convert to Islam, or until Muslims rule the country and he who does not convert to Islam pays Jizya.
"That is the religious ruling with regard to infidel countries and all the more so with regard to those who rule Muslim countries by way of the cursed law [i.e. a man-made law]…"
Al-Qa'ida Leaders Praise Jihad
The latest "Voice of Jihad" also features selections from Al-Qa'ida leaders and supporters, including an excerpt of a letter by Sheikh Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi (currently imprisoned in Jordan) justifying the suicide bombing perpetrated by Anas Al-Kandari and Jasem Al-Hajeri in the early days of the war against Iraq. The excerpt contains a link to the full letter. 3
In an article titled, "Knights Under the Banner of the Prophet" (the title of Sheikh Ayman Al-Zawahiri'sbook ), Al-Qa'ida's military leader, the Egyptian Seif Al-'Adl Hamasri, told of a C-130 air attack in Afghanistan in which the wives of Al-Qa'ida members were killed.
Also included in the second issue is news coverage of the U.S. military presence in the Persian Gulf, taken from the website www.islammemo.cc/news.
One page of the issue is devoted to quotes in praise of Jihad by " the Imam of the Mujahideen, Osama bin Laden," " Sheikh Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri," and "the Mujahid Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdallah Al-Seif." The final name most likely refers to Sheikh Abu Omar Muhammad Al-Seif, who appeared recently in a film distributed by Al-Qa'ida that also included the final statements of the Riyadh suicide bombers. Al-Seif has been identified on Islamic websites as the number two leader of the Chechnyan Jihad.
The Murder of Ahmed Shah Massoud: Ordered by bin Laden
The magazine continued its biography of Sheikh Yousef Al-'Ayyiri, who served as personal bodyguard to Osama bin Laden and manager of the Al-Qa'ida website, until he was killed by Saudi security forces. The biography addresses Osama bin Laden's order for the murder of Ahmed Shah Massoud. According to the biographer, after Sheikh Al-'Ayyiri's release from a Saudi prison, he recruited youths and encouraged them to wage Jihad in Afghanistan and take part in the training camps there:
"Afterwards, the greatest event in Afghan history occurred – the assassination of the despicable commander, Ahmed Shah Massoud, and there was no describing Sheikh Al-'Ayyiri's joy. I remember asking him, 'What happened?' And he replied by saying that Sheikh Osama asked the brothers: 'Who will take it upon himself to deal with Ahmed [Shah] Massoud for me, because he harmed Allah and His sons?' A few brothers volunteered to assassinate Massoud and be rewarded by Allah, and you heard the good news.
"Afterwards, the happy events took place in America [the September 11 attacks], the bastion of disbelief, and the Sheikh was so joyous he nearly floated on air. I called the Sheikh, and he told me he was in a meeting with the religious scholars of Al-Quseim, because a few of them had been a bit critical of the events that occurred in America. He told me about the discussions and about the meetings conducted with them, which persuaded them to support the Jihad and the Mujahideen…"
The biography ends with a description of the final period of Al-'Ayyiri's life, when he was being sought by Saudi authorities and was writing several online articles in support of Jihad.
Two Options for Allah's Enemies - the Jews and Christians: Conversion to Islam or Death
This issue also includes a sequel to an interview with Abd Al-Aziz bin 'Issa bin Abd Al-Mohsen, also known as Abu Hajjer, a name high on Saudi Arabia's most wanted list. Abu Hajjer stated that his goal was "to wave the banner of monotheism… and expel the enemies of Allah – the Jews and the Crusaders – from the land of the two holy places, to conquer the Muslim nations and restore them to their previous state. And may Allah lengthen our days to allow us to infuriate the enemies of Allah, kill them, and strike them by the sword until they either join the religion of Allah or we kill every last one of them. Our model is [the Prophet] Mohammad, who said to the infidels of Qureish: 'I have brought the slaughter upon you.'"
After characterizing his relationship with Osama bin Laden as similar to that of father and son, Abu Hajjer described his reaction upon hearing that his own name was among the top 19 on the Saudi's most wanted list: "I was in a course in which we trained the brothers in one of the valleys. This was a special course, a practical urban warfare course, and after we got back [to the city]… I met with one of the brothers, who told me… they published a list and my picture was on it… I said, 'Allah be praised'… When I entered the land of the two holy places, I felt – and I also told the brothers – that the day would come when we will get exposed. We had done everything in our power to delay that day. But now that Allah had put us to this test, we needed to act patiently."
Controversy Within Al-Qa'ida Over the Bombings in Saudi Arabia and their Effect on Fundraising
Abu Hajjer described a debate within the Jihad movement over the need to attack Americans in Saudi Arabia, which could lead to a more serious entanglement with the Saudi security forces and could hamper fundraising efforts: "Jihad members and lovers of Mujahideen were split: There were those who said we must attack the invading forces that defile the land of the two holy places, and that we must turn the Americans' concerns to themselves and their bases, so they would not take off from there to crush Muslim lands and countries, one by one. There were others who said we had to preserve the security of this base and this country [i.e. Saudi Arabia], from which we recruit the armies, from which we take the youth, from which we get the [financial] backing. It must therefore remain safe.
"My opinion is midway between the two. It is true that we need to keep the enemy occupied with himself and not give him a sense of security, because as soon as he secures his bases and his supply lines, he will have an opportunity to use them to attack our brothers in different parts of countries in the Islamic world. We must therefore make the proper arrangements and prepare ourselves for this momentous event in the best possible way we can. We told them: Wait, we are preparing ourselves, and then we attacked the Americans.
"It is also true that we must use this country [Saudi Arabia] because it is the primary source of funds for most Jihad movements, and it has some degree of security and freedom of movement. However, we must strike a balance between this and the American invasion of the Islamic world and its [strangling of] the Jihad movement and even other Islamic movements…
"We must understand that the situation in the land of the two holy places is deteriorating day by day for the Mujahideen and their financial sources, as well as regarding the secularization of the country and the attempt by the treacherous rulers to lead it to moral collapse, in accordance with the dictates of the White House.
"We tell them [those opposed to the bombings in Saudi Arabia]: If only you were to see the prisons filled with Mujahideen youth and pro-Jihad preachers. We have not carried out even one attack. All operations that took place were defensive operations. On the contrary, the brothers try as much as possible to avoid confrontations with the army and security forces. Nevertheless, the government is escalating the war, and it is trying to uproot me, uproot you, and uproot all Islamists."
Abu Hajjer concluded the interview with this message to the youth he trained: "You must do something, you must fight the enemies of Allah, the Crusaders and the Jews, and become a bone in their throats and hearts…"
Following the interview was a communiqué published by the Mujahideen in the Arabian Peninsula reacting to recent statements made by the Saudi interior minister: "The communiqué is a response to the Saudi Interior Ministry announcement about the confiscation of a large quantity of weapons. The communiqué claims that many Saudis carry personal weapons, automatic rifles or hand guns, and that the confiscations were actually confiscations of goods possessed by known weapon dealers, who the Interior Ministry falsely connected to the Jihad movement."
"The Voice of Jihad"'s next issue will feature an interview with the wanted Sheikh Abdallah bin Muhammad Al-Rashuod.
