A
Victorious Ummah, A Broken Crusade: Nine Years After the
Start of the Crusader Campaign - Shaykh Ayman Al-Zawahiri
20 September 2010
By Al-Ikhwah Al-Mujahidun
In the name of Allah, and all praise is due to
Allah, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of
Allah, his family, his companions and his allies.
Muslim brothers everywhere, peace be upon you and the
mercy of Allah and His blessings. As for what comes
after:
To begin, I send my condolences to the Muslim Ummah
in Pakistan over the damage they have suffered as a
result of the recent floods which struck Pakistan, and
I ask Allah to have mercy on their dead and heal their
injured, and compensate their widows, orphans and
casualties. How dearly I and my brothers had wished we
could be in the midst of our people in Pakistan,
providing them all possible aid and relief. Allah
honored many of us to provide help and relief to our
people in Afghanistan during the Jihad against the
Communists, and He honored a number of us by choosing
them for Jihad and then for martyrdom in His Path on
the pure soil of Afghanistan; and some of us combined
the two honors of relief work and Jihad, such as the
martyr – as we see him – Abu Abdul Rahman al-Kanadi
(may Allah have mercy on him), who was killed at the
hands of the mercenary Pakistan army which is an agent
of the forces of the Global Crusade.
How dearly we had wished we could continue doing
what we did in Afghanistan in Kashmir and Pakistan,
but the treasonous ruling class in the Pakistani
government and army came – and continues to come –
between us and this honor, as a service to the senior
criminals in Washington, London and Tel Aviv.
I would like to remind our people in Pakistan that
the glaring governmental failure to relieve them is
the result of their keeping silent about the
deteriorating conditions and corrupt state of affairs
in Pakistan. The robber president can’t deal with his
people’s tragedy because he’s too busy repairing his
relations with the West in Paris and London, and while
there, spending huge amounts of money on luxury hotels
and the limousines which transport him and his army of
hypocrites, at a time when the Pakistani nation is in
need of every rupee in order to relieve those
affected. Meanwhile, the mercenary puppet army can’t
provide relief to Muslims in the flood-hit regions
because it’s too busy killing Muslims and razing their
villages in the tribal areas.
The silence of our people in Pakistan towards these
corrupt corrupters is the reason for this obvious
incapability and failure in relieving them; and it is
the cause of the catastrophes which have befallen
Pakistan. The primary concern of the ruling class in
the government and army of Pakistan is filling their
domestic and foreign bank accounts with dollars; and
as far as they are concerned, Pakistan and its people
can go to hell.
I would also like to advise myself and our people
in Pakistan that al-Mawla [the Guardian] –subhaanahu
wa ta’ala – is the only one capable of lifting harm
from us, and is the only one who is able to harm and
benefit. Al-Haqq [the Truth] – subhaanahu wa ta’ala –
says: “Say, ‘Who delivers you from the calamities of
the land and the sea, when you call upon Him in
humility and in secret, saying, “If He deliver us from
this, we will surely be of those who are grateful.”’
Say, ‘Allah delivers you from them and from every
distress, yet you associate partners with Him.’ Say,
‘He has the power to send punishment upon you from
above you or from beneath your feet, or to confuse you
by splitting you into sects and making you taste the
violence of one another.’ See how We expound the Signs
so that they may understand!” (6:63-65)
This is why, whenever any disaster befalls us, we
must review ourselves and take ourselves to account
for our sins and excesses. Al-Haqq – subhaanahu wa
ta’ala – says: “And indeed We sent Messengers to
peoples before you; then We afflicted them with
poverty, wars, illness and adversity so that they
might humble themselves. So when Our punishment came
upon them, why then didn’t they humble themselves?
Instead, their hearts were hardened all the more and
Satan made all that they did seem fair to them.”
(6:42-43)
So our people in Pakistan must repair their
relations with their Lord, and resolve to repent of
every excess they have committed against themselves
and every deviation they have made from ‘Aqeedah
[doctrine] and Shari’ah [law]. No one is unaware of
the extent of the spread of deviations from Islam
among many of the people of Pakistan. At the level of
‘Aqeedah, many adhere to the doctrine of secularism,
which doesn’t rule by Shari’ah and looks at Islam as
being a mere set of personal rituals which doesn’t
extend beyond the walls of the home and Masjid. And
many seek refuge in the graves and don’t devote their
prayers to al-Mawla – subhaanahu – alone, and they
perform the polytheistic acts and innovations which
accompany that, although al-Mawla – subhaanahu wa
ta’ala – is the only one who harms, benefits,
sustains, gives life, causes death, guides and sends
astray. Al-Haqq – subhaanahu wa ta’ala – says: “And
all places of worship belong to Allah; so call not on
anyone beside Allah. And when the slave of Allah
[Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam] stood up
calling on Him, they ganged up against him in
opposition. Say, ‘I pray to my Lord only, and I
associate no one with Him.’ Say, ‘I have no power to
do you either harm or good.’ Say, ‘No one can protect
me from Allah, nor can I find besides Him any place of
refuge.’” (72:18-22)
And the Prophet – sallallahu alayhi wa sallam –
says: “If you ask, then ask Allah, and if you seek
help, then seek help with Allah…” [Musnad Ahmad] As
for violation of the rules of Shari’ah, the government
of Pakistan and its army and security organs have
become deeply involved in waging war on the Mujahideen
in Afghanistan and Pakistan, whose only crime is that
they challenge, resist and perform Jihad against the
unbelieving Crusader invader trespassing on the realms
of the Muslims and their sanctities in Afghanistan and
Pakistan. Thus, the government of Pakistan and its
army and security organs have implicated themselves in
one of the greatest of sins. Al-Haqq – subhaanahu wa
ta’ala – says: “O you who believe! Take not the Jews
and the Christians as friends. They are friends of
each other. And whoso among you takes them as friends
is indeed one of them. Allah does not guide wrongdoing
people.” (5: 51)
So al-Mawla – subhaanahu – counted those who help
the Jews and Christians against the Muslims as being
from the Jews and Christians, as shown by His
statement, “And whoso among you takes them as friends
is indeed one of them.” Then al-Mawla explained that
the reason for this loyalty to the unbelievers and
helping of them against the believers is concern for
the temporary belongings of this life and fear of
losing them. He – subhaanahu – says in the following
Ayat [sign/verse]: “So you see those in whose hearts
is a disease rushing [to serve] them, saying, ‘We fear
lest a misfortune befall us.’ Perhaps Allah will bring
about victory or some other event from Himself. Then
they will regret what they hid in their souls.” (5:52)
So reflect, O you Muslim concerned for his religion
and eager to be saved from the anger of Allah in this
life and the next, on the argument made by the
apostate hypocrites and recorded by the noble Qur’an.
Isn’t it the same argument made by the government of
Pakistan and its army and security organs? Isn’t their
argument: “Out of fear for our interests and the
interests of Pakistan, we have decided to kill Muslims
in Afghanistan and Pakistan, destroy their villages,
burn their houses and expel and displace them by the
millions”? Then the noble Ayaat make clear that with
this deviance and that huge act of disobedience, the
truth about them has been revealed to the believers;
and that they are not benefited by their claims of
faith, even if they swear the solemnest of oaths; and
that their good deeds are now null and void and they
shall only harvest loss. Al-Haqq – subhaanahu wa
ta’ala – says: “And those who believe say, ‘Are these
the ones who swore by Allah their most solemn oaths
that they were with you?’ Their works are vain and
they have become the losers.” (5:53)
Then the noble Ayaat explain, in a categorical
fashion and with absolute clarity, that Allah will aid
His religion and strengthen His friends, and that al-Mawla
– subhaanahu – will quell the apostasy of these
apostates by way of His righteous soldiers and slaves
who perform Jihad for His pleasure, and who fear
neither the hostility of the hostile nor the blame of
the blamers. He says: “O you who believe! Whoso among
you turns back from his religion, then let him know
that Allah will soon bring in his stead a people whom
He will love and who will love Him and who will be
kind and humble to the believers, and hard and firm
against the disbelievers. They will perform Jihad in
the cause of Allah and will not fear the blame of a
blamer. That is Allah's grace which He bestows upon
whomsoever He pleases; and Allah is Bountiful,
All-Knowing.” (5:54)
Then al-Mawla – subhaanahu – lays down a divine
monotheistic doctrinal fundamental, which is that the
Muslims’ loyalty and aid must only be to the
religion of Allah and Sunnah [tradition] of His
Prophet – sallallahu alayhi wa sallam – and to their
brothers in Islam and Iman [faith], and that he who
does that is from the victorious and triumphant party
of Allah. He – subhaanahu – says: “Your friends are
Allah and His Messenger and the believers who observe
Prayer and pay the Zakaat and worship Allah alone. And
those who take Allah and His Messenger and the
believers for friends can rest assured that it is the
party of Allah that must triumph.” (5:55-56)
Then al-Mawla warns against providing aid to or
making alliances with the unbelievers who mock and
make fun of the religion of Islam. He – subhaanahu –
says: “O you who believe! Take not for friends those
who make a jest and sport of your religion from among
those who were given the Book before you, and from the
disbelievers. And fear Allah if you are believers.”
(5:57)
Glory be to Allah: aren’t the NATO forces which are
coming and going as they please in Pakistan and being
helped and supplied by the government of Pakistan and
its army and security organs, aren’t these forces from
the states in which the Prophet – sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam – was insulted publicly on the pages of
newspapers and in other media? And aren’t they the
forces which humiliated the noble Qur’an in Guantanamo,
Iraq and elsewhere? And aren’t the forces of the
Pakistan Army the ones who contravened the rules of
Shari’ah by destroying and burning Lal Masjid, and
killing in it hundreds of male and female martyrs in
order to get closer to America and earn its pleasure.
Isn’t Pakistan the one whose media, newspapers, books
and advertisements are full of open acts of
disobedience, displays of feminine beauty, and open
decadence? Hasn’t Pakistan seen the spread of all
types of major sins, including drinking of wine,
drugs, nudity, displaying of feminine beauty,
gambling, usury and perversions? Will you not repent?
Will you not come back to Islam? Will you not come
back to al-Mawla – subhaanahu wa ta’ala - by
correcting your beliefs, abandoning sins, and being
loyal to the believers and hostile to the unbelievers?
My brothers in Pakistan: know that Allah – subhaanahu
– doesn’t only punish those who commit acts of
disobedience, He also punishes those who were pleased
with their actions and kept silent towards them, and
didn’t command them to do good and forbid them from
evil with their hands, tongues and hearts; and He only
delivers those who forbid evil. Al-Haqq – subhaanahu –
says: “And ask them concerning the town which stood by
the sea. When they profaned the Sabbath; when their
fish came to them on their Sabbath day appearing on
the surface of the water, but on the day when they did
not keep the Sabbath, the fish would not come to them.
Thus did We try them because they were rebellious.
And when a party among them said to another party,
‘Why do you admonish a people whom Allah is going to
destroy or punish with a severe punishment?’ They
said, ‘In order to be absolved from blame before your
Lord and that they may turn to righteousness.’ So when
they forgot what they had been reminded of, We saved
those who forbade evil and We seized the transgressors
with a severe punishment because they were
rebellious.” (7:163-165)
So Allah only delivered those who forbid evil, and
took away the rest with a miserable punishment. Abu
Bakr as-Siddiq – with whom Allah was pleased – said,
“O people, you read this Ayat – ‘O you who believe!
Take care of your own selves. He who goes astray
cannot harm you if you yourselves are rightly guided’
(5:105) – and I heard the Messenger of Allah –
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam – say, ‘If the people see
the wrongdoer and don’t take him by the arm, it won’t
be long before Allah afflicts them all with His
punishment.’” [Musnad Ahmad]
My Muslim brothers in Pakistan: if the criminals of
the contemporary Crusade against Afghanistan and
Pakistan have come between us and the honor of helping
you, then let our people in Pakistan accept our
condolences and prayers for Allah to have mercy on
them, end their distress and remove their grief. He –
subhaanahu – is the One whom we worship in all
circumstances.
After sending these condolences to our people in
Pakistan, I remind our Muslim Ummah everywhere that
nine years have passed since the beginning of the
contemporary Crusade, which began with the attack on
the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan. What I want to
point to here in this talk of mine isn’t the imminent
victory – Allah permitting – of the Mujahideen under
the banner of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan led
by the Amir of the Believers, Mulla Muhammad Umar
Mujahid, may Allah protect him, for this is something
which the enemy and friend have agreed about, by the
grace of Allah, and no one doubts it will happen, not
even the American-led Crusader coalition itself.
Rather, the argument is about “when” and “how.”
I say: the imminent victory in Afghanistan – Allah
permitting – isn’t what I want to point to; rather, I
want to point to the lessons and examples found in the
experience of nine years of confronting the Crusaders
and their agents across the length and breadth of the
Islamic world, from Khorasan to the Islamic Maghreb
and even on the Westerners’ own soil.
I think that the most important thing which these
nine years have brought to the surface is that there
are two distinct orientations and currents when it
comes to dealing with the doctrinally secular – but
Crusader-leaning – Western aggression against the
realms of Islam. The first orientation is the
orientation of Jihad, Ribaat [garrisoning on the
frontlines], resolve, defense of Islam’s sanctuary and
sanctities, and adherence to the principles of
‘Aqeedah; the orientation which rejects peacemaking,
bargaining and coming to an understanding at the
expense of beliefs, principles and values;
the orientation of joining the resistance against the
Crusader invaders through relying on Allah and using
the little equipment, provisions and training
available, and through seeking to get closer to Allah
and trusting in His victory and His promise of
empowerment. This is the Mujahideen’s orientation from
Khorasan to the Maghreb of Islam and the orientation
of all those who help and support them.
As for the second orientation, it is the
orientation of surrendering, compromising,
backtracking and bargaining over the fundamentals of
‘Aqeedah, the principles of Islam, the rules of
Shari’ah and the sanctities of the Muslims.
It is an orientation which includes a number of
parties, among them defeated people, people who
contradict themselves, people with distorted creeds,
people who prefer safety, those who beg for residency
permits and citizenships, those who claim to be expert
politicians, and those who daub themselves with
secularism, the nation-state, democracy and the other
idols on which Western secular ideology is based. This
orientation also includes movements which associate
themselves with Islam even as they go ahead with
secularization and endearing themselves to the West,
and with portraying themselves as patriotic movements
which believe in “civil government”, which is a polite
term for “nonreligious government.” These movements
also give precedence to nationalisticties over other
ties, and they hold many other dilapidated ideas which
they solicit from self-contradictory materialistic
Western thought. These movements also portray
themselves as being innocent of “terrorism,” which is
how the secular
Crusader West describes Jihad, and they declare their
total readiness to join the world order which the
victorious West imposed after the Second World War and
which is based on the domination of the weak by the
powerful, whether in the Security Council or in the
Third World, especially the realms of Islam from East
Turkistan to Ceuta and Melilla.
This is why the Muslim Ummah must study in depth
this rich experience of nonstop resistance and
defense: this Jihad in Allah’s path to make Allah’s
Word supreme, a Jihad free of any patriotic,
nationalistic or secular leanings.
In this experience – by the grace of Allah – is a
practical reply to the misconceptions of the
“inability movement,” which permitted the Muslims to
fight and kill their Muslim brothers in Afghanistan in
the ranks of the Crusader Americans and under their
banner; which created a new Qadianism in the Mardin
Conference in Turkey; whose leaders – who claim to
belong to Jihad, Da’wah, and the Islamic movement –
entered Kabul and Baghdad on the backs of the
Americans’ tanks and in the shade of their bombers;
and which begs the pleasure of the governments in our
capitals, and recognizes their leaders as governors of
the Muslims' affairs though they are the allies of the
secular Crusader West against the Muslims…the
“inability movement,” which claims to strive for
change by recognizing secular constitutions, working
according to them, and participating in rigged
elections under their rules; in fact, they have even
strived for change under the leadership of the
secularist Mohamed ElBaradei, who fell on us out of
the sky of American providence so he could direct the
Egyptian opposition on behalf of America the same way
he used to direct – also on its behalf – the
International Atomic Energy Commission.
The story of Mohamed ElBaradei and Mubarak is the
same as the story of Zardari and Musharraf: it is a
old/new American game. In Pakistan, America and the
West backed Musharraf – whom they used to criticize –
when he took part with them in spilling the blood of
Muslims and destroying their countries in Afghanistan
and Pakistan; but after Musharraf was stained with a
number of crimes, and after America used him to bomb
and burn the Red Mosque in Islamabad, America sensed
that Musharraf had been exposed, and that popular
anger towards him was on the increase, and so it made
an agreement with Benazir: that it would give her an
amnesty for her crimes which it would extract from
Musharraf under duress, and that it would return her
to Pakistan and facilitate an easy win for her in the
elections; and we all know the way elections are run
in our countries. This is something which America –
with its money, bombers and tanks – has mastered in
Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.
So America made a deal with Benazir to facilitate
her coming to power in exchange for her giving America
a free hand to kill Muslims in Afghanistan and
Pakistan and her providing it services – in the name
of freedom and the people and at the hands of a
popularly elected democratic government –which
Musharraf never could have provided.
And when Benazir was killed, America made up for
the loss by propelling “Mr. 10%” Zardari – a crook
wanted internationally for crimes of theft and
corruption – into the seat of power. Thus he was
transformed from “Mr. 10%” into “Mr. 100%.” And he
gave America what it wanted, and conceded to it what
the Pakistan Army – despite its treason and
despicableness – didn’t agree to concede to it; and
all of this in the name of democracy, freedom and the
will of the masses. And on the basis of the fair and
honorable elections in Pakistan, Zardari became immune
to prosecution by the judiciary, whose attempts to
convict him A Victorious Ummah, A Broken Crusade: and
his ministers fell to pieces on the rock of
constitutional immunity and the laws which protect the
corrupt.
Now they want this same rotten story to be repeated
in Egypt, after America exhausted its uses for Mubarak
and used him as the cat’s claw in the execution of all
its dirty crimes in the region, from the campaigns of
torture against the Islamic movements, to the embargo
against Iraq and then its bombing and the bombing of
Afghanistan, to the blockade of Gaza.
So when Mubarak turned into a symbol of corruption,
criminality, thievery and treason, and when America
sensed that Mubarak’s bequeathal of power to his son
might cause problems and inconveniences, it decided to
experiment with a parallel line for achieving its
goals, by way of the emissary of American providence,
Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, or what some Egyptians call –
with their customary sarcasm – “The Awaited ElBaradei!”
So America could either propel ElBaradei to power
by way of Eastern-style elections, as occurred in
Pakistan, or it could keep him as a leader of the
opposition and a thorn in the side of Jamal Mubarak,
so that the two might compete with each other in the
provision of services and loyalty to the Caesar of
Washington, commander of the contemporary Crusade.
So Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei returned to Egypt after
spending the years of his life serving the United
Nations Organization, the organization of the
domination of oppressed nations by oppressor nations.
He returned after spending his life in inspections in
Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Libya and Syria,
sniffing around in them for any trace of nuclear
activity, although he is the same person who doesn’t
dare to utter a word about the mountains of deadly
weapons of all types in the possession of America,
Britain, France and the rest of the arrogant powers.
The employee devoted to the service of the world
order which the victorious West imposed after the
Second World War returned to Egypt; ElBaradei, with
whom the arrogant world order was pleased, and so it
gave him the Nobel Prize, to which he was beaten by
senior criminals like Begin, Sadat, Naguib Mahfouz,
and Obama. He returned to move about freely while
enjoying American protection and care, which protected
him from the wrath of Mubarak, who never neglects to
make an example of any rival to him, and who didn’t
suffice with torturing his own people, but even turned
Egypt into an international terminal for torture in
the contemporary Crusade.
Yet this torturer Mubarak stood like a tame cat in
front of the emissary of American providence, and so
Egypt awoke suddenly to find that the ex-employee of
the world order had returned to it and was touring it
from north to south, promising freedom, democracy and
– lest we forget – secularism.
Some might ask, “And why shouldn’t we support
ElBaradei if he is going to bring us change?”
This is a question which requires that the one who
posed it be woken up and alerted to the realities of
the world and its history.
The one who wants change must ask himself, “Where
to and how?” Where does he want to go? To the
establishment of an Islamic state which
rules by Shari’ah, helps the oppressed, spreads
justice and opens the door to Shura [consultation], or
to an ugly and misshapen secular monstrosity in which
decisions are made by America? And how will change be
achieved? Through peacemaking, reconciling, giving
priority to our safety, and demonstrating how good we
are at surrendering to the doctrinally secular – but
Crusader-leaning – Western world order, or through
Jihad, struggle, resistance, and enjoining good and
forbidding evil? Through the methodology of inability,
begging and benefiting, or through the methodology of
the Mujahideen and those who resolutely adhere to
their ‘Aqeedah? Theirs’ is the methodology which
forced America to announce its pullout from
Afghanistan and Iraq, and theirs’ is the methodology
which ruined for it the project on which it had
collaborated with the stars of the international
Islamic movement who rode its tanks towards Kabul and
Baghdad; with the “Fuqahaa” of the Marines and the
neo-Qadianis of Mardin; and with the Shi’ite religious
authorities in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.
Change in Egypt and other realms of Islam won’t be
achieved by joining the brigade of Zardari, Sheikh
Sharif, Karzai and ElBaradei. Change won’t be achieved
under the banner of the secularists and those who seek
help from the arrogant world order. declaring the
truth and adhering to ‘Aqeedah and striving to make it
a tangible reality through sacrifice and Jihad in
Allah’s path with wealth and self, and through
commanding of good and forbidding of evil with the
hand, tongue and heart.
And the first step on the path to change is
awareness of facts, and the clearest and most obvious
of facts is the ‘Aqeedah of Tawheed [monotheism],
which must be the ruling authority in every system,
constitution and law. The second fact is appreciation
of the nature of the conflict in which we are engaged,
and that it is a conflict between the Muslim Ummah and
its foreign enemies – the invaders – and their
domestic agents, and that our liberty, dignity and
honor and our success in this life and the next will
only be achieved through the defeat of these two
factions.
This is why this awareness must be spread among us:
awareness of the necessity of changing from the
falsehood of Shirk [polytheism], ruling by other
than Shari’ah and vassalage to the enemies of Islam,
to the truth of Tawheed, ruling by Shari’ah and
liberation from the enemies of Islam.
There must be awareness of the flimsiness of the
position which says that we might be able to achieve
our liberty, honor and dignity by rallying around
American influence and following its emissaries. All
this flimsy call will bring us is a move from one
vassalage to another vassalage and from one corruption
to another corruption.
And if this awareness spreads in the ranks of the
Muslim Ummah, it will be followed by a succession of
steps which will lead to the desired change.
This is why I call on every free and honorable person
with concern for his religion, his Islam, his honor
and his dignity to work with everything in his power
to spread this awareness: the awareness that our
corrupt condition is unacceptable, because it is a
condition of deviation from Shari’ah; vassalage to the
powers of arrogance; and intensification of political
despotism, financial corruption, social oppression and
moral dissolution…the awareness that our desired
objective is ruling by Shari’ah; liberation from the
international system of the arrogant powers;
liberation of the Muslims’ lands; spreading justice;
opening the door to Shura; and the Ummah taking its
rulers to account…and the awareness that this desired
objective can’t possibly be achieved by the methods of
begging, backtracking and accepting things as they
are, but rather, shall be achieved by Jihad, sacrifice
of self and wealth, and commanding of good and
forbidding of evil.
I call on every free and honorable person with
concern for his religion, his Islam, his honor and his
dignity to compare the two approaches for dealing with
the contemporary Crusade: the approach of Jihad,
taking pride in Allah and confronting the senior
criminals with hand and tongue, and the approach of
surrendering and begging and waiting for every
opportunity to please the Caesar of the Romans in the
White House.
The methodology of the people of honor and Jihad
has achieved what no observer who doesn’t believe in
Allah and the Last Day had imagined. By worldly and
materialistic standards, there was no match between
what they call the superpowers – led by America and
the Crusader West – and the groups of Mujahideen, who
are poor in terms of means but rich with their faith.
But worldly and materialistic standards overlooked
the fundamental laws which rule Creation and which al-Mawla
– subhaanahu – told us about in His
Quran: “How many a small party has triumphed over a
large party by Allah's command! And Allah is with the
steadfast” (2:249); “So fight in the path of Allah –
you are held responsible only for yourself – and urge
the believers to fight. Allah will restrain the might
of those who disbelieve; and Allah is stronger in
might and stronger in punishment” (4:84); “And We
wished to show favor to those who were oppressed on
earth, and to make them leaders and to make them
inheritors of our favors; and to grant them power in
the land, and to make Pharaoh and Haman and their
hosts see from them that which they had feared.”
(28:5-6)
The methodology of Jihad and taking pride in Allah
was able to inflict great harm and slaughter on the
senior criminals. Their military defeats and economic
losses came one after another, and they announced that
they are leaving Iraq and Afghanistan.
In this conflict , the Mujahideen were – and still
are – being confronted from the front by the senior
criminals led by America – with most of the world
behind it – and being harmed from the back by the
preachers of inability, the “Fuqahaa” of the Marines,
the ‘Ulama of beggary and the secularized leaderships
of movements which affiliate themselves with Islam.
But despite this complex opposition and two-pronged
battle, Allah sent down
His steadfastness on His slaves the Mujahideen, and
helped them with His aid and His support, and shook
the ranks of the Crusaders and their agents and struck
fear in their hearts.
The Crusader West, after nine years of its campaign
against first Afghanistan and then Iraq, has realized
that a military resolution isn’t possible, and so it
is resorting to ruses, machinations, bribes and buying
of loyalties, and the Crusader West has brought over
to its side a major part of what used to be called the
nationalist movement, and it has also attracted a
number of those who used to belong to the global
Islamic movement and is using them to discourage the
Ummah from performing Jihad, commanding good and
forbidding evil, and clinging to Tawheed and the rule
of Shari’ah.
Among the most prominent of those whom the West
attracted from the nationalists is the Fatah movement
which used to claim to be defending the most important
nationalist cause, but subsequently sold out its
nationalist cause and recognized the state of Israel
on most of its people’s land, or on “historical
Palestine” as they call it; and recognized the Israeli
citizenship of its people who live in the part of
Pales ne occupied in 1948. This is how the na onalists
sold out their peoples and lands: they are like the
person who made an idol out of pressed dates, then ate
it when he became hungry.
This is why I advise our people in Palestine to
distinguish between two methodologies: a secular
methodology of desertion which prostrates itself at
the
feet of the West; cooperates with Israeli security
organs; allies itself with the West and its agents in
the region; and includes the Palestinian Authority and
all Arab states without exception. I don’t exclude any
of them because there is no difference between them
except in the degree to which they declare their
subservience to America and the West. As for actual
cooperation, it is in full swing.
All of them have abandoned Palestine – which they
call “historical Palestine” – over and over again, and
the most recent of their recognitions was their Arab
initiative, in which they not only abandoned most of
Palestine, they also abandoned the right of return for
Palestinians by making it conditional on an
understanding with Israel. This abandonment of
Palestine wasn’t confined to the Palestinian National
Authority and the Arab states, but extended to all the
nationalist and leftist movements, which recognize
international legitimacy and deem as sacred the
resolutions of the United Nations which usurp the
realms of the Muslims.
And this secular orientation of desertion is
gradually attracting the political leaderships of
Palestinian movements which claim to belong to Islam,
by getting them to recognize the principle of the
nation-state – in other words, recognize the
Sykes-Picot accord; by getting them to disown the rule
of Shari’ah, by ruling according to the dictates of
the whims of the so-called majority, or what they call
“democracy”; and by getting them to recognize the
treasonous agents of the West and Israel in Palestine,
by recognizing the legitimacy of the Authority and the
presidency of Mahmoud Abbas, recognizing the necessity
of unity with the traitors in the name of “national
unity,” recognizing Mahmoud Abbas’ mandate to
negotiate in the name of the Palestinians, and
recognizing or respecting the United Nations’
resolutions to divide Palestine and hand over most of
it to Israel, through their signing of the Makkah
accord.
And facing this secular methodology of desertion is
another methodology, one which believes in the rule of
Shari’ah, the unity of the Muslim Ummah and the
brotherhood of Islam, and believes that all realms of
Islam are the equivalent of a single country, and
doesn’t disassociate itself from the Mujahideen in
Chechnya, but rather, disassociates itself from
everyone who deviates from the methodology of Islam
and abandons his religion, honor and homelands. And
this orientation has been ganged up on by the
countries of the West, foremost among them America,
and by all the governments and countries which fell in
line with them. But this orientation is our hope.
This orientation has the purer methodology and the
more correct doctrine, because it relies on the
explicit and definite proofs of the Qur’an and Sunnah
[Prophetic Way], and cites the historical and
political reality of the Muslim Ummah, and believes
neither in the fatwas of the “Fuqahaa” of the Marines
nor in the hired ‘Ulama in Riyadh, Cairo and Qatar.
So the Muslim Ummah in Palestine must define its path
and know what it wants. Does it want the
establishment of Allah’s Law on His earth and the
expulsion of the invaders from all realms of Islam,
which – according to the consensus of the Fuqahaa –
are the equivalent of a single country? Or does it
want an emaciated and paralyzed secular state which
will be manipulated by international conspiracies and
regional intrigues? The first choice, which is the
choice of establishing the Islamic state in Palestine
and expelling the invaders from it and from all realms
of Islam, won’t come to pass through coming to an
understanding with the Arab states, which were the
ones who sold out Palestine in the first place, and
are the ones who use the sheltering of Palestinian
movements on their territories as a bargaining chip.
This choice requires another technique and a
different methodology, like the one put into practice
by the Mujahideen who forced the Crusader invaders to
announce their departure from Afghanistan and Iraq.
This is why, O Muslim Ummah, the major criminals in
the West tried and are
trying to search for those who will help them – or
help their agents – among those who are affiliated
with the Islamic movements and among the ‘Ulama of the
sultan and “Fuqahaa” of salaries and positions. In
Afghanistan, those who call themselves “former
Mujahideen” jumped on the
backs of the American tanks heading towards Kabul
after it had been pounded by 7-ton bombs; but despite
that, the international organization of the Muslim
Brothers didn’t disassociate itself from them.
In Iraq, there was al-Sistani and the Shiite
religious authorities, who issued fatwas against
fighting the occupier invading the Muslims’ realms,
and there were the leaders of the Brothers who took
part in Bremer’s ruling council, and there was al-Hashemi’s
surrendering party which acts as a branch of the CIA;
but despite that, the international organization of
the Muslim Brothers didn’t disassociate itself from
them.
On the Arabian Peninsula, there were the ‘Ulama of
the sultan who went from the ‘Aqeedah of Tawheed to
“Tawheed al-‘Aqaaid” [unification of religions]; the
‘Ulama of the sultan in the Peninsula who issued
fatwas for America’s governor over the Muslims
permitting the bringing of hundreds of thousands of
invasion forces to the Arabian Peninsula; who issued
fatwas forbidding mobilization to Jihad in Iraq and
calling it “sedition”; and who issued fatwas
forbidding demonstrations in support of Gaza because
they are “smacking of lips” which distract from
remembrance of Allah. Also there in the Arabian
Peninsula were those belonging to the Islamic
movements who pledged allegiance to Ali Abdullah Saleh
as ruler of the Muslims, after America approved him as
one of its governors over the Muslims.
In Somalia, there was Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, leader
of the courts which used to be Islamic, who sought
help in the Crusader West and the occupiers from the
East and West so that they might place him in the seat
of power, but the lions of Tawheed in Somalia were
lying in wait for him, and they besieged his
government in a few kilometer-wide area, and mobilized
the Muslim people in Somalia for Jihad against the
enemies of the Ummah and their treasonous agents, and
wherever they went they established Shari’ah, spread
justice, and disseminated beneficial knowledge and the
right message; and thus they founded a fortress for
Islam and Jihad in East Africa, with Allah’s help and
guidance and despite the fewness of their numbers and
supplies in comparison with their enemies.
In Egypt, there was their “Greatest Shaykh” who
permitted the blockade of Gaza and had a long list of
errors, from his hosting the Israeli Chief Rabbi in
al-Azhar to his removal of the Niqab. And in the
Islamic Maghreb, the secular governments which steal
the peoples’wealth and abandon Palestine seek help in
the Shaykhs of the Marines and the “Fuqahaa” of
salaries and positions, so they can bless these
regimes, give them legitimacy and curse the Mujahideen.
These tragicomic plays shall continue, O our Muslim
Ummah, as long as Jihad, Ribaat, and Hijrah [migration
for Islam] continue, because this is a continuous
tradition and an invariable law. Al-Haqq – tabaaraka
wa ta’ala – says: “Thus did we make for every Prophet
an enemy from among the sinners; and sufficient is thy
Lord as a Guide and a Helper.” (25:31)
He gave a rambling fatwa and spoke deviancy And
committed an act of clear infidelity In every land you
will hear a caller
Calling to Musailamah or to
Sajaah
In every land you will witness a strife In which
the religion is sold easily for a cheap price. Giving
fatwas for the gold of al-Mu'iz and fear of his sword
And the desires of the soul and its unrelenting
hatred. This, O our Muslim Ummah, emphasizes the
importance of the awareness which I mentioned earlier.
The Muslim Ummah in general and its Mujahid vanguard
in particular must be aware of what goes on around it,
and mustn’t be deceived by appearances and names, but
rather, look at the truthfulness and correctness of
the claims. Al-Haqq – tabaaraka wa ta’ala – says: “And
when you
see them, their figures please you; and when they
speak, you listen to their speech. They are as though
they were blocks of wood propped up. They think that
every cry is against them. They are the enemy, so
beware of them. Allah's curse be upon them, how are
they being turned away from the truth.” (63:04)
My Muslim Ummah: nine years after the beginning of
the Crusade against Afghanistan and then Iraq, here is
the Crusade reeling after being weakened by the blows
of your devoted sons, the Mujahideen, and after it
lost its balance due to the severity of the
hemorrhaging of human and financial losses it is
suffering, and that’s why it is searching breathlessly
for a way out. This is the path, O our beloved Ummah,
so stick to it. Al-Haqq – subhaanahu wa ta’ala – says:
“Fight them, that Allah may punish them at your hands,
and humiliate them, and help you to victory over them,
and sooth the chests of a people who believe. And that
He may remove the anger in their hearts. And Allah
turns with mercy to whomsoever He pleases. And Allah
is All-Knowing, Wise.” (9:14-15)
O our Muslim Ummah: I congratulate you in general
and I congratulate in particular the forces of Jihad
and Ribaat on the ending of the ninth year of the
Crusade, from which the forces of Jihad and Ribaat
have emerged victorious and the forces of the Crusader
invasion have emerged weakened by their wounds and
exhausted by the hemorrhage of human and financial
losses.
And in this context, I emphasize to my brothers the
Mujahideen everywhere that true victory is in
adherence to Allah’s Shari’ah and not being negligent
in applying it. That’s why the Mujahideen must be
diligent in abiding by the sacredness of Muslim blood,
and that’s why their operations must be regulated by
the noble Shari’ah, and that’s why they must study
every operation from all sides. And the Mujahideen
must disown every operation which is falsely
attributed to them despite their innocence of it and
which is aimed at the Muslims in their markets,
mosques and gathering places. Moreover, we disown any
operation which a Jihadi group carries out in which it
doesn’t show concern for the safety of the Muslims;
for we have only left our houses, abandoned our
homelands and made our sacrifices in order to seek
Allah’s pleasure and aid His Shari’ah and the rules of
His religion.
My Muslim Ummah: among the lessons learned during
these nine years is that the Mujahideen’s resolve in
the face of the Crusade and their forcing it to pack
its bags and get ready to depart humbled and
humiliated took place at a distance from the
governments and organizations. The governments of the
Islamic countries have committed treason and
participated with the Crusaders in their assault on
the Muslims, and the organizations have deserted, and
some of them have even participated in the Crusaders’
governments. This demonstrates the strength of the
Muslim Ummah and the greatness of the energies latent
within it.
In fact, many of the Islamic peoples took a stance
opposite to that of their governments. While its
governments were sending their forces to kill Muslims
in Afghanistan, the Muslim Ummah was sending its sons
to perform Jihad against the Crusaders there. One of
the clearest examples of that is the stance taken by
the Muslim Ummah in Pakistan and Turkey. From these
two countries, one group of Mujahideen after another
set out for Afghanistan.
It was amazing to see Turkish officers commanding
the forces of the NATO Pact in Afghanistan while the
heroic Turkish Mujahideen were inflicting harm on the
same NATO forces with their attacks, ambushes and
martyrdom operations.
The Mujahideen of Turkey have revived the glories
of their forefathers who defended the sanctuary of
Islam for more than five centuries. That’s why the
Muslim Turkish people must confront the behavior of
their government, which is participating in the
Muslim-killing campaign in Afghanistan. The same
holds true for the government of Pakistan, which
participates in the Crusade as a fundamental partner
while the Pakistani Mujahideen flood into
Afghanistan.
And who can possibly forget the heroic act of the
martyr – as we see him – Abu Dujaanah al-Khorasani,
who taught the treasonous Jordanian government a
lesson it will never forget on the soil of
Afghanistan.
My Muslim Ummah: my congratulations to you once
again on this blessed harvest throughout the past nine
years, and my congratulations to you also on the
victory which is imminent with Allah’s permission.
“And on that day the believers will rejoice in Allah's
victory. He gives victory to whom He pleases; and He
is the Mighty, the Merciful.” (30:04-05)
And our final prayer is that all praise is due to
Allah, Lord of the worlds, and Allah’s prayers and
peace be on our Chief Muhammad and his family and
companions. And may peace be upon you and the mercy of
Allah and His blessings.