Sensitive Subject
Powerline thinks al-Zawahri is a little defensive about Iraq. I’ll say. Hinderaker:
He begins by talking about Iraq, and that remains the main subject although there are passing references to other fields of battle. His theme on Iraq is the need for unity. Reading between the lines, you can tell that Muslims, including relatively radical Muslims, are distancing themselves from al Qaeda in Iraq, or, as Zawahiri calls it, the Islamic State of Iraq. He criticizes clerics who say there is no duty to carry out jihad in Iraq. He contrasts al Qaeda in Iraq favorably with Hamas, and complains that while Hamas receives near-universal support, al Qaeda in Iraq suffers from “a storm of media campaigns, allegations and claims … whipped up in their face.”
If Zawa is jealous of Hamas and thinks the Gazateers are getting near universal support, he needs to get out of the cave more often. But whenever an Islamic extremist is forced to resort to the old “May Allah pluck your eyes out” thing, you know they’re desperate.*
Hinderaker, who includes a truncated version of Alza’s “Castro-length” rant to make his point, adds:
I’ve never understood the theory that Iraq is somehow unrelated to the broader war on terror. It would not be possible to read what al Qaeda’s leaders have written and listen to their tapes, and hold that view. At one point, Zawahiri exhorts his followers to “[h]urry to Afghanistan, to Iraq, hurry to Somalia, hurry to Palestine, and hurry to the towering Atlas Mountains.” If we were to abandon Iraq, can anyone doubt that the flow of jihadists to those other regions, and more, would increase?
* Readers are asked to immediately report any news of global Islamic eye-popping. It is important that we closely monitor this critical indicator of al-Qaeda power.
Topics: GWOT
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 8:07 am on Saturday, July 7, 2007
5 Responses to “Sensitive Subject”
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July 7th, 2007 at 10:31 am
I’m wondering what happened to the big Fourth of July al-Qaeda blowout we were supposed to have. It’s almost as if they’re relying on amateurs now, and so far, the amateurs aren’t very good.
July 7th, 2007 at 10:58 am
“I’ve never understood the theory that Iraq is somehow unrelated to the broader war on terror.”
Iraq and Mess-o-po-tamia in general (”the region between the 2 rivers”) is immensely important to the world plan of the guys in Waziristan.
How many times does it have to be reiterated before “the world” gets it ?
Remember Zawahiri’s attempts to control Zarqawi, his admonishments that beheadings and wanton slaughtering of shi’ites in Iraq were unseemly for Islam ?
(I’ll say)
It is certainly an argument in favor of not “abandoning” Iraq.
July 7th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
OBL said Iraq is AQ’s main arena. Why the democrats don’t want to take him at his word about that eludes me.
July 8th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
You can almost hear Zawahiri saying to the Democrats “”what part of “Yes absolutely Iraq is a critical part of the war on terror” don’t you understand?”"
July 8th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
Great point nailgun. At least he broadcast it in arabic - perhaps he trusts that Democrat congressmen don’t watch sub-titled footage.
On the eye-popping, I’m with Farouk: “a few judicious eye-pluckings of infidels might be more effective.” Just a few of thousand infidel officer and NCO eyes and the Islamic State in Iraq might be back in business - What is Allah up to ? Isn’t he listening to his dedicated jihadis? Doesn’t he care?
And how cruel of media to criticise al Qaeda in Iraq with “a storm of media campaigns, allegations and claims” when they used to so love them. Have the worms twitched their noses a little of the straight and narrow pro-al Qaeda path? May a thousand camels urinate upwind of their houses.