An Internet Jihad Aims at U.S. Viewers – New York Times

The following article in the NYT is about Samir Khan, the writer of the weblog Inshallahshaheed that (among other things) features many videos and messages from Bin Laden and others and has gained some popularity and authority among Dutch audiences. One of the reasons for their interest is of course these political messages but also the fact that sometimes it is combined with ethical and spiritual issues, thereby covering a wide range of issues and showing the multi-layered and multiple modalities of so called ‘radical islam’. First blogging at WordPress (like me) he has now moved to Muslimpad. Samir Khan has announced that he will respond to the NYT article; a response that I will post on this blog as well in due course.[UPDATE: Done that, see below the article]

An Internet Jihad Aims at U.S. Viewers – New York Times

Michael Moss/The New York Times

Samir Khan, 21, silhouetted in a video, spreads the message of Osama bin Laden in the blog he writes from his parents’ house in North Carolina.

When Osama bin Laden issued his videotaped message to the American people last month, a young jihad enthusiast went online to help spread the word.

“America needs to listen to Shaykh Usaamah very carefully and take his message with great seriousness,” he wrote on his blog. “America is known to be a people of arrogance.”

Unlike Mr. bin Laden, the blogger was not operating from a remote location. It turns out he is a 21-year-old American named Samir Khan who produces his blog from his parents’ home in North Carolina, where he serves as a kind of Western relay station for the multimedia productions of violent Islamic groups.

In recent days, he has featured “glad tidings” from a North African militant leader whose group killed 31 Algerian troops. He posted a scholarly treatise arguing for violent jihad, translated into English. He listed hundreds of links to secret sites from which his readers could obtain the latest blood-drenched insurgent videos from Iraq.

His neatly organized site also includes a file called “United States of Losers,” which showcased a recent news broadcast about a firefight in Afghanistan with this added commentary from Mr. Khan: “You can even see an American soldier hiding during the ambush like a baby!! AllahuAkbar! AllahuAkbar!”

Mr. Khan, who was born in Saudi Arabia and grew up in Queens, is an unlikely foot soldier in what Al Qaeda calls the “Islamic jihadi media.” He has grown up in middle-class America and wrestles with his worried parents about his religious fervor. Yet he is stubborn. “I will do my best to speak the truth, and even if it annoys the disbelievers, the truth must be preached,” Mr. Khan said in an interview.

While there is nothing to suggest that Mr. Khan is operating in concert with militant leaders, or breaking any laws, he is part of a growing constellation of apparently independent media operators who are broadcasting the message of Al Qaeda and other groups, a message that is increasingly devised, translated and aimed for a Western audience.

Terrorism experts at West Point say there are as many as 100 English language sites offering militant Islamic views, with Mr. Khan’s — which claims 500 regular readers — among the more active. While their reach is difficult to assess, it is clear from a review of extremist material and interviews that militants are seeking to appeal to young American and European Muslims by playing on their anger over the war in Iraq and the image of Islam under attack.

Tedious Arabic screeds are reworked into flashy English productions. Recruitment tracts are issued in multiple languages, like a 39-page, electronic, English version of a booklet urging women to join the fight against the West.

There are even online novellas like “Rakan bin Williams,” about a band of Christian European converts who embraced Al Qaeda and “promised God that they will carry the flag of their distant brothers and seek vengeance on the evil doers.”

Militant Islamists are turning grainy car-bombing tapes into slick hip-hop videos and montage movies, all readily available on Western sites like YouTube, the online video smorgasbord.

“It is as if you would watch a Hollywood movie,” said Abu Saleh, a 21-year-old German devotee of Al Qaeda videos who visits Internet cafes in Berlin twice a week to get the latest releases. “The Internet has totally changed my view on things.”

An Internet Strategy

Al Qaeda and its followers have used the Internet to communicate and rally support for years, but in the past several months the Western tilt of the message and the sophistication of the media have accelerated. So has the output. Since the beginning of the year, Al Qaeda’s media operation, Al Sahab, has issued new videotapes as often as every three days. Even more come from Iraq, where insurgents are pumping them out daily.

That production line is the legacy of one man: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former leader of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia who was killed in June 2006 by American bombs.

Mr. Zarqawi learned the power of the Internet in prison, according to a former associate who was imprisoned with him in Jordan a decade ago. Mr. Zarqawi’s jailhouse group of 32 Islamists sought to recruit other prisoners by handwriting a newsletter, Al Tawheed, when it discovered a larger audience.

“We sent them outside, to brothers in Europe and England,” who posted the newsletters on militant Web sites, the associate said, asking not be identified because he said he is involved with Islamist activities.

In Iraq, Mr. Zarqawi embraced the video camera as a weapon of war. “He made the decision that every group should have a video camera with them, and every operation should be taped,” said a Palestinian militant who went to Iraq in 2005 to teach foreign fighters from Morocco and parts of Europe how to build bombs and stage roadside attacks.

Two Lebanese intelligence officials confirmed that the Palestinian, who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Omar, had worked with Mr. Zarqawi in Iraq, and he played a video of foreign fighters in Iraq for reporters of The New York Times.

Abu Omar, 37, a muscular man who carried a Glock 21 pistol tucked into the belt of his camouflage pants during an interview at his home in Lebanon, said Mr. Zarqawi also had him tape his bombmaking classes so his expertise would not be lost if he were killed.

“We had two cameramen, people who learned how to do this before they came to Iraq,” Abu Omar said. “And after filming, we had different houses in the area where we made the videos.”

Dahia al-Maqdassi, 26, a Palestinian who said he produced insurgent videos in Iraq two years ago, said, “In every city in Iraq they had a little office where someone did film operations.” He described his “media section” as a house near Falluja where 6 to 10 people worked. “We finished the film and then sent it to jihadi Web sites,” Mr. Maqdassi said.

Propaganda Rap Video

One of the most influential sites is Tajdeed, which is based in London and run by Dr. Muhammad Massari, a Saudi physicist and dissident. Over lunch at a McDonald’s near his home, Dr. Massari said Mr. Zarqawi’s insurgent videos from Iraq inspired local productions like “Dirty Kuffar,” the Arabic word for nonbeliever. The 2004 rap music video mixed images of Western leaders with others purporting to show American troops cheer as they shot injured Iraqi civilians.

Dr. Massari, who helped promote the video, said similar crossover productions soon followed and made their way to his Web site.

“I never touch the videos that are on my forums,” said Dr. Massari, who wears a long white Arabic robe. “Someone with Al Qaeda uploads them, probably at Internet cafes, to password-protected sites. Then they call a friend, say, in Australia or Brasília, and say, ‘Hi Johnny, your mom is traveling today.’ That is the code to download the video. It goes up and down like that a few times, with no trace, until someone posts a link on my site.”

Last spring, Al Qaeda made what analysts say was a bold attempt to tap potential supporters in the United States. In a videotaped interview, Ayman al-Zawahri, a bin Laden lieutenant, praised Malcolm X and urged American blacks and other minorities to see that “we are waging jihad to lift oppression from all of mankind.”

The tape quickly found an audience. Mr. Zawahri “cares about black people,” wrote a blogger with Vibe, the American hip-hop and urban culture magazine, which claims 1.6 million visits a month. “At least, I think that’s why he’s quoting Malcolm X in his latest mix tape, which dropped last weekend.”

Umar Lee, a 32-year-old Muslim convert from St. Louis, offered a stinging critique of Mr. Zawahri on his blog for Muslim Americans, criticizing “the second-class status many blacks live in right in the Arab World.” Soon, Mr. Lee’s blog churned with commentary on the parallels between Arab and black American radicals.(See also his exchange with Samir Khan, MdK)

A four-minute version of the hourlong Qaeda video, entitled “To Black Americans,” has logged more than 1,800 views on YouTube in the four months since it was posted.

Among those who posted a link to the YouTube version was Mr. Khan, the North Carolina blogger who said he was struck by the simplicity in the messages of both Al Qaeda and Malcolm X. “They are geniuses for having the ability to mold their ideology into simple yet influential messages that can reach the grass-roots level,” he said.Mr. Khan produces his blog anonymously, but was identified by The Times through the e-mail account he used in previous online discussions. (Pictures he had posted online helped The Times distinguish him from another, unrelated North Carolina resident, about 10 years older, who has the same name.)In an interview at a local mosque, where he sat on a prayer rug wearing a traditional Arabic robe, Mr. Khan traced his increasing militancy.

His blog has attracted enough notoriety that vigilante groups opposed to jihadi sites have gotten him shut down a few times in recent months. He said he was somewhat surprised he had not been confronted by government authorities, although, he said, “I’ve never told anybody to build bombs.”

His early postings, beginning in 2003, promoted strengthening Islam in North America through nonviolent confrontations. But with the escalating war in Iraq, bloodshed became a recurrent theme.

He described his favorite video from Iraq: a fiery suicide-bomber attack on an American outpost.

“It was something that brought great happiness to me,” he said. “Because this is something America would never want to admit, that they are being crushed.”

Asked how he felt living among people who had sent soldiers to Iraq, Mr. Khan said: “Whatever happens to their sons and daughters is none of my concern. They are people of hellfire and I have no concern for them.”

A Teenage Transformation

Born in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, Mr. Khan was 7 when his family moved to New York City and settled into the Queens neighborhood of Maspeth.

He mirrored his teenage peers, from their slang to their baggy pants, until August 2001 when, at age 15, he said, he attended a weeklong summer camp at a mosque in Queens, which was sponsored by a fundamentalist but nonviolent group now known as the Islamic Organization of North America (IONA).

“They were teaching things about religion and brotherhood that captivated me,” Mr. Khan said. He said he went back to school knowing “what I wanted to do with my life: be a firm Muslim, a strong Muslim, a practicing Muslim.”

He prayed more regularly. He dressed more modestly. He stopped listening to music except for Soldiers of Allah, a Los Angeles hip-hop group, now defunct, whose tunes like “Bring Islam Back” continue to have worldwide appeal among militant youths.

He also befriended members of the Islamic Thinkers Society, a tiny group that promotes radical, nonviolent Islam by leafleting in Times Square and Jackson Heights, Queens.(Read their statement about this article, MdK)

After moving with his family to North Carolina in 2004, Mr. Khan said, he attended a community college for three years and earned money selling various products, including kitchen knives.

But he began spending chunks of his days on the blog he created in late 2005, “Inshallahshaheed,” which translates as “a martyr soon if God wills.” The Internet traffic counter Alexa.com, which rarely is able to measure the popularity of blogs because they do not have enough readers, ranked his among the top one percent of one hundred million Internet sites in the world.

If Mr. Khan’s extreme rhetoric has won him a wider audience, it has caused him problems at home. Last year, his father tried to pull him back to the family’s more moderate views by asking an imam to intervene.

“I tried to bring arguments from the Koran and scholars, and said, ‘Whatever you are thinking it is not true,’” said Mustapha Elturk, a family friend and the leader of IONA, the Islamic organization that first inspired Mr. Khan. But Mr. Khan did not budge, he said.

Mr. Khan said he separated from IONA over one matter: the organization would not support violent jihad without the endorsement of a Muslim nation’s leader, which Mr. Khan argues is unnecessary.

Mr. Elturk said, “His father and family are really scared that he might do something.”

Attempts to Shut Down Blog

From time to time, Mr. Khan said, his father also cut off his Internet access and, to placate him, Mr. Khan recently added a disclaimer to his blog disavowing responsibility for the views expressed on the site.

He has also been fending off citizen watchdogs who are working to knock sites likes his off the Internet. Twice in September his blog went dark when his service provider shut him down, citing complaints about the nature of his postings.

Mr. Khan has now moved his blog to a site called Muslimpad, whose American operators recently moved from Texas to Amman, Jordan. Their larger forum, Islamic Network, is the host of discussions among English-speaking Muslims. One of their former employees, Daniel Maldonado, was convicted this year in federal court of associating with terrorists at their training camps in Somalia.

Mr. Khan said that he had dreams about meeting Mr. bin Laden and that he would not rule out picking up a weapon himself one day. In a recent essay, he argued that jihad was mandatory for all Muslims, and he cited three ways to fulfill this obligation: join fighters in Iraq, Afghanistan or Algeria; send them money; or promote militant videos as part of the jihad media.

For now, he said, he is fulfilling his obligations by helping other Muslims understand their religion. Recently he posted a video of a news report from Somalia showing a grenade-wielding American who had joined the Islamists.

“He is an example of a Muslim who follows the Religion of Islaam,” Mr. Khan wrote.

Michael Moss reported from Jordan, Lebanon, Germany, London and North Carolina; and Souad Mekhennet from Jordan, Lebanon and Germany. Margot Williams and Hoda Osman contributed from New York.

The comments from Inshallahshaheed:

After watching the video and reading the article from The New York Times, we felt the need to clarify some of the things mentioned. These clarifications are directed to both the Muslims and disbelievers.

1. In the video, our member says he doesn’t care for the disbelievers since they are the people of hellfire. To clarify upon this point, he is speaking in context of the Kaafir Asliyoon (original disbelievers). Of course, every Muslim should have concern to save the disbelievers from the hellfire since Rasoolullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wassallam) had that desire as has been expressed in his words and actions. But our brother was not rejecting this; rather, he was simply stating that he is not worried of their cries and that their deaths are not going to make a difference in his mentality since they are the people of the fire. And anyone who rejects the notion that the disbelievers are the people of the hellfire, then we say to them:

???????? ??? ????????? ??????? ??????????????

Will not in hell be the abode of the disbelievers? [Al-Ankaboot: 68]

And He, Ta’aala, says,

?????? ??????? ??????????????? ????????????????? ????????????? ????? ????????? ?????????? ?????? ???? ?????????? ???????????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ???????

Allah has promised the hypocrites; men and women, and the disbelievers, the Fire of Hell, therein shall they abide. It will suffice them. Allah has cursed them and for them is the lasting torment. [At-Taubah: 68]

So if this is what Allah has promised, then who can dare put their opinions forth? And Allah ‘Azza wa Jall made it crystal clear when He said,

??????? ???? ???????? ????????? ?????? ??????? ??????? ???????? ?????????? ??????????? ???????? ????? ?????????????? ???? ?????????

Verily, Whosoever sets up partners In Worship with Allah, Then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrong­doers) there are no helpers. [Al-Maa’idah: 72]

And every non-Muslim is a Kaafir; for example, regarding the Christians, Allah says,

?????? ?????? ????????? ??????? ????? ??????? ??????? ???????? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ?????? ??????? ?????? ???? ?????????? ?????? ?????????? ???????????? ????????? ???????? ???????? ??????? ???????

They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the third of three; when there is no Allah save the One Allah. If they desist not from saying so, a painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve. [Al-Maai’dah: 73]

And Allah says regarding the disbelievers in general,

???? ??????? ?????????? ?????????? ??????? ?????????? ???????? ????????? ????? ??????????? ???????

He it is who created you, then some of you are disbelievers (Kaafir) and some of you are believers (Mu’min). And Allah is All-Seer of what you do. [At-Taghaabun: 2]

The Shaykh, Abu ‘Aasim Muhammad al-Maqdisi said, “For that reason, we believe that everyone who adheres to a deen other than the deen of Islaam is a Kaafir, this being the case whether the message reached him or not. Whoever the message reached, then they are the Kaafir that is persistent (upon their Kufr) or a Kaafir that has turned away. Whoever it did not reach, then he is an ignorant Kaafir. This is because kufr is of various levels just as Imaan is of various levels.” [This is our ‘Aqeedah – 2^nd Edition/54]

We don’t assume bad about a Muslim unless if there are apparent signs of Nifaaq (hypocrisy) such as supporting the enemies of Allah; otherwise, we treat them as Mu’min. At the same time, every non-Muslim is treated like a disbeliever (Kaafir), and this treatment has elements of harshness and this harshness – which is a Religious obligation in order to polarize the society between truth and falsehood – is to be used as a tool for the believers against the disbelievers when they see appropriate. And the evidence for this is in the statement of Allah, ‘Azza wa Jall,

????????? ??????? ??????? ??????????? ?????? ?????????? ????? ??????????? ????????? ??????????

Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are harsh against the disbelievers, and Merciful among themselves… [Al-Fath: 29]

A very interesting analysis of this subject can be found in many treatises such as, “Ma’aalim Asaasiyyah Fil-Jihaad” (Fundamental Concepts Regarding al-Jihaad) by the Shaykh, ‘Abdul Qaadir ibn ‘Abdil ‘Azeez [under sections 2 & 3], the book, “‘Aqeedatul Taa’ifah al-Mansoorah” (Creed of the Victorious Group) by the Shaykh, ‘Abdul Majeed Bin Muhammad Al-Munee’ and the book, “Ad-Dalaa’il fee Hukm Muwaalaat Ahl al-Ishraak” (The Evidences for the Ruling Regarding the Alliance with the Infidels And Matters Related to it) by Imaam Sulaymaan ibn ‘Abdillah ibn Shaykh al-Islaam Muhammad ibn ‘Abdil Wahhaab.

And there are those who will say,

What kind of Da’wah is this? You are showing this harshness by telling the disbelievers that they will go to hellfire?!

We say to them,

??? ???????? ????????? ??????? ????????? ????????? ??????????? ???? ??????????? ???????????? ??????? ????????

O you who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you harshness… [At-Taubah: 123]

And these Kuffaar are fighting us in our lands, so the least we can do is to show them harshness by displaying the religion of Allah Ta’aala.

2. Michael Moss quotes our brother as saying,

“I will do my best to speak the truth, and even if it annoys the disbelievers, the truth must be preached.”

Michael mentioned this quote in the context of the rift between him and his family. So just in case this needs clarification, our brother is not calling his family disbelievers whatsoever.

Furthermore, the statement of our brother is in reference to the aayah,

??? ????? ?????? ???????????? ?????? ?????????? ???? ?????????? ???? ????????????? ???? ??????? ??????? ???? ?????????? ?????????????? ???? ???????? ?????? ??????????? ?? ??????????? ?????? ???? ?????? ???? ?????????? ??? ??????? ??????? ???? ????????? ????????? ??????? ??????????? ???? ?????????? ???? ??????? ?????? ???? ?????? ?????? ???? ?????? ??????? ????? ??????? ?? ??????? ?????? ??????????????

It was not becoming of the people of Al-Madinah and the Bedouins of the neighborhood to remain behind Allah’s Messenger (when fighting in Allah’s Cause) and (it was not becoming of them) to prefer their own lives to his life. That is because they suffer neither thirst nor fatigue, nor hunger in the Cause of Allah, nor they take any step to raise the anger of disbelievers, nor inflict any injury upon an enemy but is written to their credit as a deed of righteousness. Surely, Allah wastes not the reward of the Muhsinoon (Good doers). [At-Taubah: 120]

Therefore, angering the Kuffaar is a righteous deed since they are the people of Shirk and Kufr; and they must be shown this anger until they believe in Allah alone:

???? ??????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ??? ???????????? ??????????? ?????? ???? ??????? ???????????? ?????? ??????? ???????? ???????? ??????????? ???? ????? ??????? ????????? ?????? ??????? ????????? ???????????? ???????????? ?????????????? ??????? ?????? ?????????? ????????? ????????

Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibraaheem (Abraham) and those with him, when they said to their people: “Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides Allah, we have rejected you, and there has started between us and you, hostility and hatred forever, until you believe in Allah Alone…” [Al-Mumtahinah: 4]

And Allah Ta’aala hates Shirk the most out of all the sins and will never forgive the one who commits Shirk whilst dying upon it. For more detailed evidences, please refer to the book, “Millat Ibraaheem,” (The Way/Religion of Abraham) by Shaykh Abu ‘Aasim Muhammad al-Maqdisi and the 3 volume book “Al-Wala’ wal Baraa’ah according to the ‘Aqeedah of the Salaf,” by Shaykh Sa’eed al-Qahtaanee.

The inshallahshaheed blog has two goals; one for the disbelievers and the other for the Muslims:

a) For the disbelievers, the goal is to make them aware of the current reality on the ground, as well as the reality of Islaam and its enemies. Our goal to them is not simply to do da’wah; but our goal is to have them question their Religion(s) and the authenticity of the reports coming from Washington as well as infuriate the disbelievers who are fighting us and the disbelievers in general (because of their Shirk and Kufr).

b) For the Muslims, the goal goes beyond making them aware of the reality. The goal is to make them understand the world today through the lens of the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and to create discourse amongst the Muslim community regarding Jihaad and its obligation. Sadly, there is absolutely no discourse in the North American Muslim Community regarding the subject of Jihaad in Islaam; the closest it comes to is the condemnations of Terrorism. There is never a discourse on the evidences brought forth by – for example – Shaykh ‘Abdullah Yusuf ‘Azzam, who is considered to be the reviver of Jihaad in this century. Nor is there a discourse on the evidences of those Islaamic Scholars that support acts which the government wants us to believe as “terrorism.” So the discourses on Jihaad have either been silenced due to ignorance of the subject or fear of the governments.

3. Michael wrote,

While their reach is difficult to assess, it is clear from a review of extremist material and interviews that militants are seeking to appeal to young American and European Muslims by playing on their anger over the war in Iraq and the image of Islam under attack.

Well our book is quite clear on the issue of warfare. Our preaching is derived solely from the Qur’aan and Sunnah. So if the Qur’aan tells us that we should have some emotions regarding the ‘Iraaq war, then we must have those emotions. And if the Qur’aan and Sunnah define what it means for Islaam to be “under attack,” then we will preach it as such.

Allah says,

?????? ???????? ????????????? ???? ?????? ?????????? ?????????? ??? ????????? ??????????? ????????? ????????? ????????? ?? ????????? ?????? ??????????? ???????????

But if they violate their oaths after their covenant, and attack your Religion with disapproval and criticism, then fight the leaders of disbelief – for surely their oaths are nothing to them – so that they may stop (evil actions). [9:12]

And it is clear that the West attacks Islaamic concepts – such as the Shari’ah, the person of Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alayhi wassallam), selected verses from the Qur’aan, the concept of the Caliphate etc. – and it is also clear that they didn’t even have an oath with us in the first place, so it is as Allah has said.

Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alayhi wassallam) said that Allah said,

Whosoever shows enmity to someone devoted to Me, I shall be at war with him. [Hadeeth Qudsi 25: al-Bukhari]

So the West fights and kill the Mujaahideen – who are the servants of Allah Ta’aala – therefore, our war is in actuality, Allah’s war. Allah says,

??? ???????? ????????? ??????? ?? ??????????? ???????? ????????????? ??????????? ????????? ?????????? ??????????????

O You who believe! Do not take My enemies and your enemies as Awliyaa’ (friends, protectors, helpers), showing affection towards them… [60:1]

The one who takes the Kuffaar as ones Awliyaa’ (friends, helpers, and protectors) are the enemies of the Ummah, and therefore the enemies of Allah.

4. Michael wrote,

His early postings, beginning in 2003, promoted strengthening Islam in North America through nonviolent confrontations. But with the escalating war in Iraq, bloodshed became a recurrent theme.

Just to clarify, the views of the brother did not change because of the bloodshed in ‘Iraaq. Rather, his views changed because he studied Jihaad at a more in-depth level than ever before. During this period he picked up on many of the books and articles of Shaykh ‘Abdullah Yusuf ‘Azzam, Shaykh ‘Abdul Qaadir ibn ‘Abdil ‘Azeez, Shaykh Yusuf bin Saalih al-’Uyayree, Shaykh Abu Muhammad ‘Aasim al-Maqdisi, Imaam Ibn Katheer, Shaykh Naasir al-‘Ulwaan, Shaykh Naasir bin Hamaad al-Fahd (and more) as well as the lecture series on Jihaad by Imaam Anwar al-’Awlaki. His understanding of Jihaad became concrete after studying the texts of these Scholars [and others].

5. Michael wrote,

He described his favorite video from Iraq: a fiery suicide-bomber attack on an American outpost.

“It was something that brought great happiness to me,” he said. “Because this is something America would never want to admit, that they are being crushed.”

And this type of crushing defeat that the Americans are receiving from the hands of the Mujaahideen, by the will of Allah Ta’aala, is something which has never occurred in the history of America. We want the American public to realize that never in American history has such a war sucked their economy so badly, threw their soldiers into depression and suicide, and cursed the lives of the soldiers with recurrent nightmares and very little medical attention back home etc. as much as the war in ‘Iraaq [and Afghanistan]. Never in the history of America have we seen its public in massive numbers come out and protest against the war, including those living outside of the West from non-Muslim lands, proclaiming their rejection and hatred of the invasion of ‘Iraaq; never has the American government been at such odds with humanity before. In reality, America is being crushed both on and off the battlefield.

The second reason why the brother mentioned this was because these videos are a healing to the breast of the believers and a dagger in the throat of the disbelievers and hypocrites. It gives a sense of Allah’s power and at the same time, his wrath upon the Kuffaar. It also exposes the arguments of the hypocrites which we will mention next.

The third reason why the brother mentioned this was because of the claims of the hypocrites. The hypocrites say, “The Mujaahideen today have no power against America and her allies…” and “They hardly have any weapons…” and “They are wasting their time and lives by committing suicide in this fight against the greatest superpower on earth who have huge numbers and advanced weaponry…” and “They wouldn’t have received losses had they stayed back with us.”

And all of these arguments have been refuted in the Qur’aan, walhamdullilaah. So we are glad that Michael Moss showed a few clips of the Mujaahideen of the Islaamic State of ‘Iraaq blowing up the bases of the Crusaders and Apostates with their martyrdom operations. These videos and more are a testimony against these hypocrites who make such claims. So we say to these wretched hypocrites:

?????? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ??????? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ???????? ??????????? ?????? ????? ????????? ??????????

“Allah suffices for me: there is no god but He: On Him is my trust! He the Lord of the Throne (of Glory) Supreme!” [At-Taubah: 129]

6. Michael said,

He stopped listening to music except for Soldiers of Allah, a Los Angeles hip-hop group, now defunct, whose tunes like “Bring Islam Back” continue to have worldwide appeal among militant youths.

Actually, he only briefly listened to them for a while until he studied the issue of musical instruments in Islaam more carefully and realized its prohibition.

7. Michael wrote,

Mr. Khan said he separated from IONA over one matter: the organization would not support violent jihad without the endorsement of a Muslim nation’s leader, which Mr. Khan argues is unnecessary.

Actually, to clarify this, the brother left the organization because they didn’t see Jihaad as individually obligatory (fard ‘ayn). The issue of having a Khaleefah (Caliph) for Defensive Jihaad was not the central issue, although it is a major point of disagreement. One of the refutations for it is that during Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah’s (rahimahullah) time, the Tartars invaded the Muslim world. They killed the Khaleefah and the Muslims were without a Khaleefah for 3 years. So the Muslims got together, and waged Jihaad against the Tartars, defeated them, and re-established the institution of the Khaleefah; and Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah) called this group of Mujaahideen, “at-Taa’ifah al-Mansoorah” or “The Victorious Group” which the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alayhi wassalam) prophesied [in every time period]. And as it is apparent from his texts, Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah was not one of those who were ignorant on the issue of at-Taa’ifah al-Mansoorah.

Furthermore, Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisi said,

??? ??? ????? ??????? ?? ?????? (8/353): ??? ?????? ?????? ?? ???? ??????? ??? ?????? ???? ???????? ??? ???? ????? ????? ????? ??? ???? ?????

“The absence of the Muslim ruler should not [be used as an excuse] to put off Jihaad, otherwise its exigency and advantages will be lost by so doing; and if the Muslims happen to take some booty (from the war] they should distribute it in accordance with the laws of Shari’ah.” [Al-Mughni (8/353)]

8. Michael said,

…and that he would not rule out picking up a weapon himself one day.

The dreams mentioned here are literal dreams [and not wishes] which our brother has had on quite a few occassions. Regarding the last part, our brother doesn’t remember saying this at all and considers this a major fabrication. In fact, he was asked, “If you received a call from the Jihadists to go and fight, would you go?” And our brother responded, “May Allah forgive me, I don’t have the ability.” And then he explained how his focus will just be on the propagation efforts to the Muslim and non-Muslim societies.

9. Michael quoted the brother,

“America needs to listen to Shaykh Usaamah very carefully and take his message with great seriousness,” he wrote on his blog. “America is known to be a people of arrogance.”

The American Government has succeeded to a great extent in brainwashing the American public regarding Usaamah bin Laadin. They want us to believe that whatever comes out of his mouth is not true, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, he’s just a ruthless barbarian who has no logic, and he has absolutely no evidences in Islaam for what he did and what he’s doing.

The recent bin Laadin tape entitled “The Solution” expels three of these myths. Any American with an ounce of wisdom would be able to see that bin Laadin is fully aware of what is going on in America and her evident downfall. His message to the public is simple and makes sense (as if it’s saying): “If you attack us, then we will continue to attack you. So it’s better for the American public to convert to Islaam in order to be effective in stopping their tyrannical regime from corrupting the earth…” As for his evidences in Islaam, then there have been quite a few Scholarly treatises (other than his own) that have appeared in support of him and his acts which have never been critically analyzed by any Muslim intellectual/Scholar that is against him. Some of these works include:

1. The Clarification of What Occurred in America by Shaykh Hamood bin ‘Uqla ash-Shu’aybee

2. Haqeeqat al-Harb As-Salibiyyah al-Jadeedah (The Reality of the New Crusader War) by Shaykh Yoosuf bin Saalih al-‘Uyayree.

10. Michael wrote,

He also befriended members of the Islamic Thinkers Society, a tiny group that promotes radical, nonviolent Islam by leafleting in Times Square and Jackson Heights, Queens.

The brothers of the Islaamic Thinkers Society have clarified this statement on their website which can be read here. Although our brother hasn’t joined the Islaamic Thinkers Society nor has he done any activities with them, he has certainly a great amount of respect and love [for Allah’s sake] for these brothers. He wishes for all of their members’ success in the afterlife.

11. Michael wrote,

Mr. Elturk said, “His father and family are really scared that he might do something.”

It was told to us that Mustapha Elturk did not say this statement; rather he said that he’s worried about our brother getting hurt.

12. Michael wrote,

One of their former employees, Daniel Maldonado, was convicted this year in federal court of associating with terrorists at their training camps in Somalia.

For the sake of clarification, the Mujaahid brother, Daniel Maldonado – may Allah free him – did not have a Jihaadee blog; the material on his blog was mostly related to his daily life events and Arabic studies.

13. Michael wrote,

In a recent essay, he argued that jihad was mandatory for all Muslims, and he cited three ways to fulfill this obligation: join fighters in Iraq, Afghanistan or Algeria; send them money; or promote militant videos as part of the jihad media.

Actually, to clarify this, the basis of this essay was upon the hadeeth of Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alayhi wassallam), “Make Jihaad against the Mushrikeen (polytheists) with your wealth, selves, and tongues.” [Ahmad & An-Nasaa’i; Al-Haakim graded it Saheeh] So in order to set the limits of each of these three categories, we mentioned that Jihaad by the wealth is through using financial means to help bring the victory of Islaam. Jihaad by the self is to go to the battlefields. And Jihad by the tongue has a very wide implication that can mean anything from speaking the truth in front of a tyrant to writing articles/books that opposes the falsehood of the disbelievers, hypocrites, and deviants; and this last category was the focus of that article.

14. Michael wrote,

Recently he posted a video of a news report from Somalia showing a grenade-wielding American who had joined the Islamists.

“He is an example of a Muslim who follows the Religion of Islaam,” Mr. Khan wrote.

Our brother said this because Allah says,

??????????? ??????? ??????????? ??????????? ??? ??????? ??????? ??????????? ?????? ?????????? ????????? ???? ?????????????? ?????? ?????? ?????????? ???????? ???????

And those who believed, and emigrated and made Jihaad in the cause of Allah, as well as those who gave (them) asylum and aid; these are the believers in truth, for them is forgiveness and Rizqun Kareem (a generous provision i.e., Paradise). [Al-Anfaal: 74]

And Allah Ta’aala says,

????????? ??????? ??????????? ??????????? ??? ??????? ??????? ??????????????? ?????????????? ???????? ???????? ?????? ??????? ??????????? ???? ????????????? -????????????? ????????? ?????????? ?????? ??????????? ?????????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ??????? – ?????????? ?????? ??????? ????? ??????? ???????? ?????? ???????

Those who believed and emigrated and made Jihaad in Allah’s Cause with their wealth and their lives are far higher in degree with Allah. They are the successful ones. Their Lord gives them glad tidings of a Mercy from Him, and that He is pleased (with them), and of Gardens (Paradise) for them wherein are everlasting delights. They will dwell therein forever. Verily, with Allah is a great reward. [At-Taubah: 20-2]

And Allah Ta’aala says,

?? ????????? ????????????? ???? ?????????????? ?????? ?????? ????????? ????????????????? ??? ??????? ??????? ??????????????? ?????????????? ??????? ??????? ??????????????? ??????????????? ?????????????? ????? ????????????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?????????? ????????? ??????? ??????????????? ????? ????????????? ??????? ???????? –????????? ?????? ???????????? ?????????? ??????? ??????? ???????? ????????

Not equal are those of the believers who sit (at home) – except those who are disabled (by injury or are blind or lame, etc.) – and those who make Jihaad in the Cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives. Allah has preferred in grades the Mujaahideen that strive with their wealth and their lives above those who sit (at home). Unto each, Allah has promised good (Paradise), but Allah has preferred the Mujaahideen above those who sit (at home) by a huge reward; Degrees of (higher) grades from Him, and Forgiveness and Mercy. And Allah is Ever Oft­-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [An-Nisaa’: 95-6]

And Allah Ta’aala says,

????? ??????? ??????? ????????? ???????????? ??? ????????? ?????? ??????????? ????????? ?????????

Verily, Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in rows (ranks) as if they were a solid structure. [As-Saff: 4]

We mention these verses from Qur’aan because there will be those who will be disgusted by the actions of this brother who went to Somalia. So if they are disgusted with him, then let them be disgusted with the Lord of the Worlds. We love what our Lord loves, and we hate what our Lord hates, and to Allah alone is the Reckoning and we seek His protection from the evil of such people. If the disbelievers are angered by our words regarding the brother who went to Somalia, then let them know that our words are derived from these verses (and others).

Before I get emails why I do not post the adress of Inshallahshaheed: After the article of NYT was posted here, I received two emails in which people said they wanted the address so they could ban or hack the site. Sorry, but for these kind of practices you are talking to the wrong person here. I do not support hacking or banning those websites and since I don’t want my blog to be used for that, I choose not to publish the address.

My template (?) does not seem to support Arabic, so the Arab sentences are shown here as ???. My apologies for that, I will try to fix it.