Posted on 12/20/2007 7:13:21 AM PST by jdm
The man who gave al-Qaeda its philosophical justifications for murderous jihad has repented, and wants Muslims to stop the jihad. Eli Lake at The Sun reports on the story of Sayyed Imam al-Sharif, the man who literally wrote the book on radical Islamist terrorism, and who now serves a life sentence in Egypt for his crimes. Sharif has decided that the 9/11 attacks have been a "catastrophe" for Muslims, and that the war against America has created a huge problem for Islam:
One of Al Qaeda's senior theologians is calling on his followers to end their military jihad and saying the attacks of September 11, 2001, were a "catastrophe for all Muslims."
In a serialized manifesto written from prison in Egypt, Sayyed Imam al-Sharif is blasting Osama bin Laden for deceiving the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, and for insulting the Prophet Muhammad by comparing the September 11 attacks to the early raids of the Ansar warriors. The lapsed jihadist even calls for the formation of a special Islamic court to try Osama bin Laden and his old comrade Ayman al-Zawahri.
The disclosures from Mr. Sharif, also known as Dr. Fadl and Abd al-Qadir ibn Abd al-Aziz, have already opened a rift at the highest levels of Al Qaeda. The group's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, a former associate of the defecting theologian in Egypt, personally mocked him last month in a video, remarking that he was unaware Egyptian prisons had fax machines. Meanwhile, leading Western analysts are saying the defection of Mr. Sharif indicates the beginning of the end for Al Qaeda.
The first hints of this came in July, when Sharif faxed highlights of his upcoming manifesto from the prison to journalists. At the time, I noted the potentially devastating effect this could have on AQ and its recruiting efforts. The recantation of Sharif may have pushed Ayman al-Zawahiri into his latest strategy of engagement via al-Sahab, attempting to flood the zone in terms of public relations and deny Sharif wide exposure.
The actual text of Sharif's writings may prove that a difficult task. In his memoirs, Sharif recalls serving time with Zawahiri in 1981 after the assassination of Anwar Sadat. Sharif specifically accuses Zawahiri of informing on his associates to get out of prison. He also calls Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden cowards, accusing them of running out of Afghanistan and leaving wives and children behind to die in the American invasion. He wants them tried before a shari'a court, which would be at least poetic justice for the radical Islamists.
Zawahiri could give a press conference at CENTCOM and still not live down those kind of accusations. The entire mythos of AQ relies on the personal courage of its leaders, who claim to have bested a global superpower in personally liberating Afghanistan. Leaving behind women and children while fleeing a battle doesn't quite match that mythology. If it gains resonance in the ummah, Zawahiri and Osama will discover that interviews with Western journalists won't make up the lost ground.
Critics of Sharif claim that he has been tortured into his recantation. Undoubtedly, the Egyptian authorities have applied their usual techniques to Sharif, but Rohan Gunaranta says it matches a trend in Egypt over the last few years. The author of Inside al-Qaeda believes that Muslims have begun to see the disaster that 9/11 has brought to their standing in the world, and even the radicals want a new direction. The personal revelations of Zawahiri as a snitch may make it easier for them to make that transition, and for us to then destroy what remains of AQ.
A great read, significant news. Thanks for posting!
But they hate us because of Bush.
Bushs Fault
This is not even the first imam to denounce AQ’s current path.
Ping for later...
I would modify that to:
leading Western analysts are saying the total defeat and abject humiliation of al Qaeda in Iraq coupled with the defection of Mr. Sharif indicates the beginning of the end for Al Qaeda.
"Another example of Bush policy failures..." (Reid and Pelosi)
I loved that line as well,,,”Leaving behind women and children while fleeing a battle doesn’t quite match that mythology.”
I will never understand why the minions buy into the myth of martyrdom. I mean, if martyrdom is honorable and all that, why did OBL run? Why didn’t he just blow himself up? I guess it’s all about convenience,,err,, oh, uhm, Islam. Yeh.
Talk about a big dog, this guy literally wrote the book. Oh, to have an honest press that would share this with the world...
Ya think!
Nazis are held in higher esteem than Muslims.
Continue warfare by other means. Bribing American elites. Buying finance companies. Breeding in welfare states and winning by the womb and the ballot.
And I will be instantly banned :)
100% correct.
Iraq, although the Dems will never understand it, was meant to be a “philosphy cleansing roach motel”. The Jehadi’s checked in, and were removed permanently by assuming room temperature and wholesale conversion to fertalizer. Under classic Darwinism, this has the effect of removing those with the “crazed yelling madman disease” from the gene pool.
Six years ago, based on my nation's lukewarm response to the contant poking you have given us in the last 20 years, you assumed that Americans were a bunch of big cowards with no attention span that wouldn't get off the sofa for anything.
Surprise!
That’s an excellent point, and one that I’m surprised that our military Psy-ops hasn’t exploited.
One thing that we’ve learned about these klowns over the last few years is that they are frightfully prideful. I mean that literally. They are so afraid of being seen as less than macho they willingly engage in all sorts of cowardly and dastardly deeds.
Yet, where are the stories of the acts of courage and heroism from and about these guys? You haven’t heard any because hiding behind a child or a female and shooting up a market isn’t exactly the stuff of mythic tales.
Whatever the case, I’m glad to see that they are starting to recognize the folly of their idiotic Jihad crappola...
They “ban” differently than FR does.
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