ji·had·ica

More Forums Down

The mighty Hesbah has finally fallen.  The premier Jihadi forum has been down for about a week now and no one has yet posted links that work.  Of course, Hesbah has a good track record of recovery, but that was before the current wave of forum closures that began in early September.  The Shumukh forum is also down with the message, “This Account Has Been Suspended.”  That leaves only Faloja.  If it goes, all of the top- and second-tier forums will have been removed. Update: Firdaws is back up. (h/t NG)

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Will McCants November 20, 2008

The Denudation Of The Exoneration: Part 2

Here’s a paraphrastic translation of the second installment published today.  I promise, it’s worth reading to the climactic end: As I said yesterday, the testimony and hadith transmissions of a liar are not acceptable in Islamic law or in the religious sciences.  So Zawahiri’s religious pronouncement’s in the Exoneration should be rejected. [Sayyid Imam goes on to quote medieval scholars in support of his position.] Before I get into Zawahiri’s jurisprudential mistakes, I want to say that this is not merely about the errors of one man on some jurisprudential issues.  It is the attempt to establish a corrupt, wayward school (madhhab) to justify excess in shedding blood.  I will detail how this school was established, examine its fundamentals, and refute them.  This corrupt school has been called by some, “the al-Qaeda concept.” 1.  How was the school of al-Qaeda established for excess in shedding blood? The school emerged in

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Will McCants November 19, 2008

Zawahiri’s Black Day

All the usual suspects have said smart things about the Zawahiri statement (pick through them here), so I won’t summarize his message.  But I do disagree with two things I read.  First is ZS Justus’s statement that too much is being made of Zawahiri’s “house negro” epithet against Obama at the expense of his more significant statements about Afghanistan.  Second is Abu Muqawama’s claim that Zawahiri’s racial epithet won’t be effective.   Here’s my take: Zawahiri strongly believes that African-American Muslims are disaffected and thus receptive to al-Qaeda propaganda in ways that other American Muslims are not.  (One suspects that Adam Gadahn convinced him of this.)  That is why he spent the better part of an hour-long interview last year talking about Malcolm X and the oppression of blacks in the U.S.  And that is why he is bringing it up again now and using such charged language.  According to

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Will McCants November 19, 2008

The Denudation Of The Exoneration: Part 1

Al-Masry al-Youm has begun its serial publication of Sayyid Imam’s new book, The Denudation of the Exoneration.  Since Media Shack won’t be covering it in depth, I’ll be posting summaries of it here as it comes out.  I’ll also .pdf the webpage so readers of Arabic won’t have to go scratching around for it later. The first installment begins with “The Lies of Zawahiri,” so you know it’s going to be good.  Highlights are the revelation that Zawahiri was a Sudanese agent in the early ’90s and Sayyid Imam’s call to a mubahala.  As you’ll see, it’s hard not to believe that Sayyid Imam relishes the chance he’s been given to put his finger in Zawahiri’s eye.  Here is a summary: Zawahiri repeatedly says I wrote the Document [the Tarshid] under the supervision of the U.S. and the Jews.  He is a liar and I call him to a mubahala.

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Will McCants November 18, 2008

Shumukh’s Prebuttal Of Sayyid Imam

The Egyptian newspaper, Al-Masri al-Youm, announced last week that Sayyid Imam will publish a rebuttal of Zawahiri’s Tabri’a (Exoneration), which itself was a rebuttal of Sayyid Imam’s Tarshid–a text that caused a great stir last year because the author criticized his former colleague, Zawahiri, for being an unrealistic revolutionary.  Since Rob at Media Shack is probably going to cover the book’s serial publication (the release begins this Tuesday), I’ll focus on Jihadi reaction to the text as it is released.  (Incidentally, Imam’s new book is entitled, Denudation of the Exoneration.)   Today we have a prebuttal of the work posted to the Shumukh forum, followed by comments.  The author of the prebuttal, Ayman, employs several lines of attack:   Sayyid Imam’s earlier books were too extreme in their formulation of laws for jihad. He is a flip-flopper.  Why should we trust what a flip-flopper says? If he really understands Islam,

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Will McCants November 17, 2008

When Will Somalia’s Shabaab Movement Declare An Islamic State?

That’s the question asked by a member of the Faloja forum.  Here are some of the answers:   Al-Yamami: The Shabaab will soon declare its allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI); that’s why ISI’s head, `Umar al-Baghdadi, mentioned the movement recently. Muhibb al-Muqrin: It will be become an emirate and remain so until the ISI returns to full strength after the occupiers leave Iraq at the end of the coming month.  It will then give its allegiance to the ISI.  Buya`tu Allah: It is not in the Shabaab’s best interest to declare a state or to join al-Qaeda right now because it doesn’t want to face more enemies. Al-Mu`tazz bi-Din Allah: It should declare a state after the Ethiopians withdraw from Somalia. Qannas al-Dawla al-Islamiyya: It should declare an emirate soon. Khayr Jubnd Allah: The Shabaab will declare a state after the occupiers have been driven from all

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Will McCants November 16, 2008

Shia Attacking Faloja Forum

One of Faloja’s adminsitrators is claiming that the forum is under attack by the Shia.  As evidence, he cites suspicious messages that have been sent to individual members and some information gleaned from the inner workings of the forum.  He does not say why he thinks it’s Shia in particular who are involved. Document (Arabic): 11-16-08-faloja-forum-under-attack-from-shia

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Will McCants November 16, 2008

New Ingush State Website

Telnik reports that the Jihadis in Ingushetia have set up a website, Hunafa.com, to serve as an information hub for their activities.  Although not as slick as its parent site, KavkazCenter.com, it has the same function.  According to Telnik, if the new site remains online and serves its purpose, it will indicate that the Jihadis in Ingushetia are growing stronger.  

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Will McCants November 13, 2008

Divide And Conquer

The Hesbah forum’s reaction to two recent rumors is instructive. First, the claim by a Hamas official that Obama’s advisers met with members of the organization during the U.S. election is being met with derision.  The derision is directed not at Obama but at Hamas for selling out and walking down the trail blazed by Fatah.  Interestingly, the credibility of the story is not doubted.  In contrast, many Hesbah members are skeptical of a recent report that the U.S. is trying to cut a deal with Taliban ally Hekmatyar (a seriously bad dude).  Respondents doubt that someone of his stature, ideology, and ties to Bin Laden would cut a deal. Three thoughts:  First, Hesbah members believe the news about Obama’s advisers because it makes Hamas look bad; they don’t believe the news about Hekmatyar because it makes the Taliban look bad.  The Taliban is one of the Jihadis’ last, best hopes

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Will McCants November 12, 2008

Why Has al-Qaeda Succeeded In North Africa And Failed In Arabian Peninsula?

That’s the question posed by a member of the Shumukh forum.  Below are a range of answers: Abu Hajir (failure in Saudi): Clerics of beggary [i.e. they have their hand out for state money] The proximity of a theater like Iraq No suitable environment to move about or hide from the state The above only applies to Saudi Arabia; the brothers in Yemen are doing well Abu Hajir (success in N. Africa): The rulers are manifestly not Muslims in the eyes of ordinary Muslims Rulers who impoverish their countries for the sake of warlords and the French Total war on the religion of God The experience of the militant groups in Algeria The desert that connects the Islamic countries of N. Africa with the Horn of Africa.  It is unprotected. safyahh (success in N. Africa): The long experience of the Salvation Front fighting the French Difficult terrain Diffusion of weapons Islamists

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Will McCants November 11, 2008
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