Thursday, May 19, 2011

Jihadi Organizations' Reactions To Osama Bin Laden's Killing: A Review

From MEMRI:




Special Dispatch
3837
May 13, 2011



Jihad and Terrorism Studies Project


Jihadi Organizations' Reactions to Osama Bin Laden's Killing – A Review



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Following the May 1, 2011 killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden by U.S. special forces in his compound in Abbottabad Pakistan, jihadi websites were overwhelmed by the number of responses, whose main themes were the Muslim Ummah's mourning and the continuation of the jihad against the U.S.



The following is a review of reactions to bin Laden's killing by prominent jihadi organizations and leading jihadists:



AQAP Promises to Step Up Activity Against U.S., Promising "What Is Coming Is Worse and More Painful"



On May 11, 2011, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) published an obituary for Osama bin Laden, authored by Nasser Al-Wahishi, leader of AQAP. The obituary hailed bin Laden for dying while fighting his enemies and, like all true heroes of war, for being happy to face death.



AQAP also claimed that though the Americans may have killed bin Laden, they have not killed the idea of jihad which he promoted: "Do not portray the battle in such a superficial manner and believe the fools among you [who say] that if you killed Osama the matter is over. What is coming is worse and more painful, and what awaits you is harsher and more destructive. When it comes, you will feel remorse and miss the days [when] Sheikh [Osama bin Laden] was alive..."[1]


ISI Issues Statement on Bin Laden's Death, Offers Support to Al-Zawahiri




On May 9, 2011, the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) issued a statement on the death of Osama bin Laden. The statement, signed by Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, Emir of ISI, confirmed the distressing impact bin Laden's death has on the mujahideen, but urged them to remain patient and to rely on Allah. Abu Bakr said that he is confident bin Laden's death will only further unite the mujahideen.



Abu Bakr urged Muslim men to following the footsteps of bin Laden and to die for the same righteous cause for which he had died.



The statement addressed fellow brothers in Al-Qaeda organization, specifically Ayman Al-Zawahiri, saying that ISI has "men loyal" to you [i.e. Al-Zawahiri and other members of Al-Qaeda].[2]



Al-Fajr Media Center Tells American People: You Will Pay the Price for Obama's Actions; Tells Muslims No Consultation Needed For Killing Americans and Encourages Lone Wolf Attacks



On May 10, 2011, the Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Fajr media center, which publishes AQ propaganda, released an obituary for Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. In addition to the same jihadi rhetoric published by other organizations and individuals following bin Laden's death, this statement addressed Muslim scholars asking them to revive the need to implement shari'a among their people – especially in this era when rulers of Muslim countries are in a state of weakness.



Al-Fajr criticized those [organizations and individuals in the jihadi-sphere] who did not see eye-to-eye with [AQ's] mujahideen but who at the same time opted to mourn bin Laden, and asked them to [make their change in their] position [in support of the mujahideen and AQ] a permanent one.



Addressing the Muslims in general, Al-Fajr cautioned them about allowing their regime change efforts to be hijacked, and added that the solution for these nations will be achieved via genuine jihad based on supporting the mujahideen and the jihad with money, counsel, and one's own self.



To the American people, Al-Fajr said that killing bin Laden was a major mistake, which will bring many disasters upon the American people. It added that the American people will "pay the price" for Obama's mistake in killing bin Laden, because it was they who elected him.



Al-Fajr urged the mujahideen to use bin Laden's death to fuel more [actions of] sacrifice on their behalf, and said that they should die for the same cause for which bin Laden died. Al-Fajr urged the mujahideen not to be affected by the psychological war being waged against them, but to become stronger in order to prepare well for avenging bin Laden's death. It also reminded the mujahideen that they do not need to consult anyone when it comes to killing Americans and destroying the U.S. economy, and stressed the need for lone-wolf attacks.



Turning to global supporters of jihad, Al-Fajr reminded them of their significant role in promoting and defending the jihadi ideology over the Internet and on available media outlets. It added that the death of bin Laden should be leveraged to inspire the entire Ummah to follow the path of jihad and to implement shari'a.[3]



AQIM Threatens Vengeance Against U.S. for Killing Bin Laden



On May 8, 2011, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) issued a tribute to Osama bin Laden, published by its media wing, the Al-Andalus Media Company, praising him for championing the cause of jihad and promising to continue in his path and avenge his death by waging jihad against the U.S. Following are excerpts from the tribute:



"On an historic day, the knight of jihad and lion of lions, Sheikh Osama bin Laden, left us. The knight, the ascetic, the slave, the mujahid lived like a man, and Allah took him unto Himself as his sword was drawn on America, the head of unbelief, the origin of evil, the source of depravity, the apex of malice, the epitome of oppression, and the symbol of barbarism...



"He was poison to America and left a deep wound in its heart that will not heal. He is the one who attacked it in its lair and harmed it in a manner that the powerful countries were unable to, [even] after the Americans lingered [there] for a long time, believing that none of its enemies could reach it or would dare [attack] it…



"O ummah of Islam, if we cry for [bin Laden] today, we will be excused, but crying does not become the likes of us. Today, we are a nation denied vengeance, and it is a time for vengeance and anger, not for crying... America did not know what risk it took and what disaster it [would face]. By [killing bin Laden], it left no chance for reconciliation with the Muslims. It proved beyond doubt that it is lying when it claims it is not at war with Islam...



"O ummah of Islam, do not cry for Osama... Rather, rise up and walk in his path... Rise up and stand up to the evil American-Western-crusader aggression with all your groups and all your

energy, just as they fight us with all their groups and sects and parties... We shall follow [bin Laden's] path and persevere in [pursuing] the truth; we shall fight the Christians and their tails, the Jews, and their followers, the apostates, until Allah judges between us and them, for He is the best of judges."[4]




Taliban: "The Martyrdom of Sheikh Osama Bin Laden Will Give New Impetus to the Current Jihad Against the Invaders"



On May 6, 2011, the Taliban published a statement about the death of bin Laden in which they called bin Laden a mujahid whose memory will always be alive in the history of Islam.



The statement added that the death of bin Laden will not weaken the morale of the mujahideen, either in Afghanistan nor in any other occupied Islamic countries, but will only reveal their [i.e. the Americans'] lack of insight.[5]



Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Attacks U.S. For Killing Osama Bin Laden



Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the fugitive chief Hizb-e-Islami Afghanistan, has strongly denounced the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Hekmatyar said, "I believe the Americans will not achieve their targets through the assassination of jihadi personalities like Osama nor they will do so through other attacks similar to those launched against Afghanistan and Iraq."



In written answers to questions posed by The News daily, he stated, "The assassinations and attacks will not solve their internal problems nor will they solve the problems existing between them and the Islamic Ummah. The assassination of personalities will never quash the resistance, which has been started by the young generation of the Islamic Ummah for the obtainment of dignity and independence."



Hekmatyar said, "Will the young generations forget what they did to Osama bin Laden? They behaved with him like animals and beasts in contraventions of all human, religious and moral tenets and parameters. They shot him in the eyes after his killing and detention. His face was punctuated with hollows from bullets. They did not hand over his corpse to his relatives, nor did they bury him, but put him into ocean because they could not show his bullet-ridden corpse to the public of the world…



"When Obama was announcing the demise of Osama, everyone could see signs of shame on his face because of the brutal conduct of the American commandoes with the wife and son of Osama which had left a mark of shame on his heart and mind. We would like to tell the Americans: if you were obliged to continue the war for one decade, deploy 150,000 troops to conduct it, sustain more than 30,000 casualties including the dead and the wounded, spend $2 trillion in terms of war expenditure, just to kill a single person Osama bin Laden..."



Hekmatyar added, "Then what would you do if more Osamas rise up in every Islamic country? Is it not irrational if one presumes that from among the 1.5 billion Muslims of the world, more enthusiastic and honor-loving youths could not be found to come forward and become Osamas and avenge the affront and humiliation that you have caused to the Islamic Ummah?"



Addressing the U.S., Hekmatyar said: "You know well that Osama was not the architect of 9/11, neither was he the leader nor in charge of the group. The architect of 9/11 was Mohammad Atta who was martyred in the event along with his other 18 colleagues. He was the leader of the group. The only part Osama played was that he was informed by Mohammad Atta a little while before the event occurred…"[6]



Abu Mansour Al-Amriki, American Commander of Al-Qaeda-Affiliated Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen, Mourns Bin Laden, Threatens Vengeance



On May 11, 2011, American jihadist Omar Hammami, also known as Abu Mansour Al-Amriki, spoke at a rally held by the Somali jihad organization Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen commemorating Osama bin Laden. In his speech, released in an audio recording that appeared on the jihadi websites and on YouTube, Hammami stated that bin Laden's death would not derail the jihad, and called the U.S.'s efforts to combat terrorism useless. Hammami described the U.S. as an empire in decline, comparing it to ancient Rome. He also attacked "double-speaking trickster" President Obama for causing an increase in civilian casualties in the war in Afghanistan. Finally, he asserted the strength of the Muslim ummah and prayed to Allah to allow the mujahideen to avenge bin Laden's death.



Following are excerpts from the audio clip:[7]



"We have gathered here today to rejoice in the fact that our beloved Sheikh [Osama bin Laden] has attained the fate he sought for two decades. We rejoice in this, despite our tears, because we

firmly recognize that the ummah of Muhammad is a nation whose destiny is independent of its leaders, no matter how great... The Muslims have proven time and again that their pool of talent and leadership will never dry up, and that their blood will never be spilled in vain... In this light we announce today to America, and to the world, that Sheikh Osama bin Laden kindled the fire of jihad decades ago, and, in effect, resistance is now of little value...




"This, indeed, is America's dilemma. America's conundrum lies in the fact that its law-abiding narrative, while providing a false shield of legitimacy at home, has essentially tied its hands and rendered it harmless. The outcome of such a paradox is that upholding the law and affirming the nation's sovereignty merely leaves the so-called problems which America wishes to resolve, and interfering only renders these problems messier. And so, as America continues to project itself as the world's master, this power paradox turns every interest into a vital American interest, and every sound into the sound of a falling domino. America, therefore, like Rome before it, is forced to remain ever expanding and yet ever declining…



"Today, we remind Obama and the rest of his cronies that they have entered the long war, the war of hearts and minds, the war of blood, sweat, and tears, the war of will and determination. Today, we remind the world that the ummah of Muhammad... is a nation that will never perish or accept to remain in the shadow of oppression. Today, we remind the disbelievers that we are the nation of sacrifice..."



Hizb ut-Tahrir America: "America Roams Freely, Killing and Slaughtering in the Muslim Lands, As If the Lands Were Part Of the United States"



In a statement published on their website on May 7, 2011, Hizb ut-Tahrir called the U.S. raid on Osama bin Laden's compound "an open slur" against Islam, and added that the Pakistanis should work on deposing their rulers, and "hand in hand with Hizb ut-Tahrir, declare the Khilafah."



The statement also called upon Muslims everywhere to surge forward in supporting Islam, and in making it "lead the world again," while "taking it [i.e. the world] out from the injustice and oppression by America and Europe."[8]













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[1] See In Obituary for Bin Laden, AQAP Promises to Step Up Activity against U.S., May 11, 2011.





[2] See ISI Issues Statement On Bin Laden's Death, Offers Support To Al-Zawahiri, May 9, 2011.





[3] Shumukh Al-Islam, May 10, 2011.





[4] See AQIM Threatens Vengeance against U.S. for Killing Bin Laden, May 8, 2011.





[5] www.shahamat-english.com, Afghanistan, May 6, 2011.





[6] The News, Pakistan, May 12, 2011





[7] Somalimemo.net, May 12, 2011.





[8] http://www.hizb-america.org/culture/political-analysis/1772-america-roams-freely-killing-a-slaughtering-in-the-muslim-lands-as-if-the-lands-were-part-of-the-united-states, May 7, 2011, accessed May 11, 2011.

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