Don't attack
Hindus in Muslim lands, al-Qaida chief Zawahiri says
LONDON: Al-Qaida leader
Ayman al-Zawahri has issued his first specific guidelines for jihad, urging
restraint in attacking other Muslim sects and non-Muslims and in starting
conflicts in countries where jihadis might find a safe base to promote their
ideas. The document, published by the
SITE monitoring service, provides a rare look at al-Qaida's strategy 12 years
after the September 11 attacks on the United
States and the nature of its global ambitions from North
Africa to the Caucasus to Kashmir.
While
al-Qaida's military aim remained to weaken the United
States and Israel, Zawahri stressed the
importance of "dawa", or missionary work, to spread its ideas. "As
far as targeting the proxies of America
is concerned, it differs from place to place. The basic principle is to avoid
entering into any conflict with them, except in the countries where confronting
them becomes inevitable," he said.
Those
comments are particularly relevant for North Africa,
where many analysts believe al-Qaida is using the less restrictive environment
which followed the 2011 Arab uprisings to seek new followers, often through
local alliances, while avoiding drawing attention to itself by eschewing
attacks. "... our struggle is a long one, and
jihad is in need of safe bases," Zawahri said in his "general
guidelines for jihad" posted on jihadi forums.
Zawahri
spelled out where conflict was inevitable, including Afghanistan,
Iraq, Syria, Yemen
and Somalia.
In Pakistan, where
intelligence sources believe Zawahri is hiding, he said fighting "aims at
creating a safe haven for the mujahideen in Pakistan,
which can then be used as a launching pad for the struggle of establishing an
Islamic system in Pakistan."
Al-Qaida has a strong support network inside Pakistan — its founder Osama bin
Laden lived there until his death in May 2011. It also has close ties to the
Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan,
with which the Pakistan
government has said it will hold peace talks.
Zawahri
cited the need to weaken Algeria
— which crushed Islamist militants in a civil war in the 1990s — and spread
jihadi influence throughout the Maghreb and West Africa.
And, in an apparent nod to those who say al-Qaida's
focus on the United States
weakens their battle against governments at home, he endorsed the right of
militants to fight Russians in the Caucasus, Indians in Kashmir
and Chinese in Xinjiang.
Avoid attacking
other sects
Founded in 1988
during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan,
al-Qaida has adapted to the Western onslaught against it which followed the
September 11 attacks by building a network of alliances and affiliates in
Muslim countries around the world. Adept at exploiting conflicts like Afghanistan and Iraq,
the Arab uprisings have given al-Qaida a new lease of life — in Syria,
for example, fighters loyal to al-Qaida play a powerful role in the opposition
to President Bashar al-Assad.
But
its indiscriminate violence, including suicide bombings and targeting of Shia
Muslims, has made it unpopular among many Muslims. Zawahri called on his mainly
Salafist followers to avoid attacking other Muslim sects, and said if they were
attacked, they should limit their response to those involved in fighting. They should also leave alone Christians, Hindus and Sikhs
living in Muslim lands, respect the lives of women and children and refrain
from targeting enemies in mosques, markets and gatherings where they mix with
Muslims they were not fighting.
But
while affiliates subscribe to al-Qaida's ideology, they are largely autonomous
in day-to-day operations, making it hard for Zawahri to control the behaviour
of their fighters. "The biggest
theme in Zawahri's document is restraint," Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a
expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said on Twitter.
"This seems to acknowledge the excesses that have tarnished AQ's
brand." The document was posted on September 13, according to SITE,
although it was unclear when the guidelines were written by Zawahri, whose
messages — based on their content — appear to take weeks to be smuggled out
from where he is in hiding. Zawahri, an Egyptian, made no specific reference to
Egypt, though he said that
"in the environs of Jerusalem,
the foremost and primary battle is against the Jews."
He
had previously been critical of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood for
participating in democracy, and the overthrow of president Mohamed Morsi by the
Egyptian army has raised fears al-Qaida would exploit this to encourage
conflict in Egypt.
However, noting that al-Qaida would
cooperate with other Islamic groups on areas of agreement, he said "our
differences with other Islamic groups should not distract us from confronting
the enemies of Islam ..."
Zawahiri
endorses war in Kashmir but says don't hit
Hindus in 'Muslim lands'
http://www.indianexpress.com/
