Al-Qaida Calls For Holy War Against Isreal

[Micha]

I highlighted what i found to be the most important.....

Updated: 09:52 AM EDT

Al-Qaida Calls for Holy War Against Israel
Terrorist Group Releases New Tape, Vows Attacks
By WILLA THAYER, AP

CAIRO, Egypt (July 27) - Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader issued a worldwide call in a new videotape released Thursday for Muslims to rise up in a holy war against Israel and join the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza until Islam reigns from "Spain to Iraq."

In the message broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, Ayman al-Zawahri, second in command to Osama bin Laden, said that al-Qaida now views "all the world as a battlefield open in front of us."

The Egyptian-born physician said that the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and Palestinian militants would not be ended with "cease-fires or agreements."

"It is a Jihad for the sake of God and will last until (our) religion prevails ... from Spain to Iraq," al-Zawahri said. "We will attack everywhere." Spain was controlled by Arab Muslims until they were driven from power at the turn of the 16th century.

He also said that Arab regimes were complicit in Israeli fighting against Hezbollah and the Palestinians. "My fellow Muslims, it is obvious that Arab and Islamic governments are not only impotent but also complicit ... and you are alone on the battlefield. Rely on God and fight your enemies ... make yourselves martyrs."


Who Is Ayman al-Zawahri?


Background: Al-Zawahri is a physician and the founder of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which aims to overthrow Egypt's government. He is believed to be Osama bin Laden's adviser and doctor.

Criminal Charges: He has been indicted for his alleged role in the Aug. 7, 1998, bombings of the U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya.

Reward: The State Department is offering a reward of up to $25 million for information leading to Al-Zawahri's capture.
Source: fbi.gov

Al-Zawahri wore a gray robe and white turban in the video. A picture of the burning World Trade Center was on the wall behind him along with photos of two other militants. One appeared to be a bearded Mohammed Atta, the Egyptian ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks. The other was Mohammed Atef, also known as Abu Hafs al-Masri, a former top lieutenant of bin Laden who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan in November 2001.

The Arab satellite station did not transmit the entire tape, using instead selected quotes interspersed with commentary from an anchor.

An Al-Jazeera official speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters said the full tape was about eight mintues long. The satellite channel aired only about half the message. It would not say how it received the tape.

"The shells and rockets ripping apart Muslim bodies in Gaza and Lebanon are not only Israeli (weapons), but are supplied by all the countries of the crusader coalition. Therefore, every participant in the crime will pay the price," al-Zawahri said.

"We cannot just watch these shells as they burn our brothers in Gaza and Lebanon and stand by idly, humiliated," he added.

The message was al-Zawahri's tenth this year. Bin Laden has issued five messages in a particularly active year of messages from the top al-Qaida leadership.

Al-Zawahri last appeared in a video posted on an Islamic Web site on the one-year anniversary of the train bombings in London. In the July 7 tape, he said two of the four suicide bombers in London had spent time in an al-Qaida training camp, preparing themselves for a suicide mission.

The two top al-Qaida leaders also paid tribute in June to the slain leader of their Iraq network, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, in separate recordings. Many of their messages this year have dealt with current events in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia.

Another new audio or video message from bin Laden had also expected in the past week on the fighting in Gaza and Lebanon, according to IntelCenter, a U.S.-based independent group that provides counterterrorism information to the U.S. government and media. However, no messages have appeared on Islamic Web sites to announce the release.

Al-Qaida's media production wing, Al-Sahab, had announced the al-Zawahri tape would be ready soon in a message earlier Thursday on an Islamic Web site.

Al-Zawahri said Muslims everywhere must rise up to attack "crusaders and Zionists" and support jihad (holy war) "until American troops are chased from Afghanistan and Iraq, paralyzed and impotent ... having paid the price for aggression against Muslims and support for Israel."

Israel began an offensive on Gaza days after Palestinian militants captured an Israeli soldier on June 25. It opened a second front in Lebanon after Hezbollah guerillas killed eight Israeli soldiers and captured two others on July 12.

Since fighting began between Israel and Hezbollah, at least 424 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to figures compiled from the Lebanese Health Ministry, the military and Hezbollah. Fifty-one Israelis have been killed, including 33 members of the military, according to Israeli authorities.

(Once again, no one is saying that these terrorists are not evil or that they do not hate us....)

[Bekim...]

more reason for Israel to keep pounding away

[Micha]

And more reason for another 9/11 to happen....but keep thinking one way..

[TheHipHopBillGates]

And this is exactly what I was afraid was going to happen.

[Micha]

ME too omg we agreed on something

[JayDiddy]

I rather they take their fight there then attack us for our alliance with them.

[JayDiddy]

Crazy how the priests back in the day used the same rhetoric to fire up fighters to join the crusade. Damn extremists.

[Defekted]

yea man, nothing worse than religious extremists....

[TheHipHopBillGates]

yea man, nothing worse than religious extremists....

exactly.

[Micha]

Doesnt the term "holy war" sound like an oxymoron (sp?)

[hightide85]

yea man, nothing worse than religious extremists....

nothing worse than religion in general..what a waste of time...

people are so stupid..they really are...

[Defekted]

nothing worse than religion in general..what a waste of time...

people are so stupid..they really are...

I personally am an atheist, but religion by in large can teach very important morals and fundamental principles in society, which is important....

but the truth is, there has been more killing in god's name than any other thing in this world, combined.

when religion is used by lunatics that makes for a very combustible situation

[Micha]

when religion is used by lunatics that makes for a very combustible situation

true and thats my beef with Bill Oreilly and his kind. They are way too quick to blame the muslim religion for what is going on. Meanwhile there are lunatics of all religions. Its not the religion that is the problem it is persons INTERPRETATION of their religion. And further, In my social psychology class we learned that their is a whole formula involved in cults. And i if you compare cult members to the religious fanatics, it could be that there is something within these people that makes them more likely to become religious fanatics in the first place NOT THE RELIGION. If that makes sense...

[Bekim...]

I love Allah

[Studz]

You know at times like this i swear i think alqeada is somewhere in the US waiting to see when puplic opinion poles are low in regards to our president and assist him in getting some well needed support by coming out and scaring the rest of the world to be in line with this adminstration.

Happened during the nov elections, when everyone thought it was over for bush. And now that the public opinion regarding what was going down in lebanon and in iraq was low. Here comes Alqaeda to the rescue.

[Bekim...]

You know at times like this i swear i think alqeada is somewhere in the US waiting to see when puplic opinion poles are low in regards to our president and assist him in getting some well needed support by coming out and scaring the rest of the world to be in line with this adminstration.

Happened during the nov elections, when everyone thought it was over for bush. And now that the public opinion regarding what was going down in lebanon and in iraq was low. Here comes Alqaeda to the rescue.

i hope alqaeda doesnt read ncc, then we are really fucked

[drumaboy]

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader issued a worldwide call Thursday for Muslims to rise up in a holy war against Israel and join the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza until Islam reigns from "Spain to Iraq."

In a taped message broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, Ayman al-Zawahiri said the terrorist organization would not stand idly by while "these (Israeli) shells burn our brothers.

"All the world is a battlefield open in front of us," said the Egyptian-born al-Zawahiri, second-in-command to Osama bin Laden.

"The war with Israel does not depend on cease-fires ... . It is a Jihad for the sake of God and will last until (our) religion prevails ... from Spain to Iraq," al-Zawahiri said. "We will attack everywhere." Spain was controlled by Arab Muslims until they were driven from the country at the turn of the 16th century.

Al-Zawahiri declared that Arab regimes were complicit in Israeli fighting against Hezbollah and the Palestinians.

"My fellow Muslims, it is obvious that Arab and Islamic governments are not only impotent but also complicit...and you are alone on the battlefield. Rely on God and fight your enemies...make yourselves martyrs."

Al-Zawahiri wore a gray robe and white turban. A picture of the burning World Trade Center was on the wall behind him along with photos of two other militants. One appeared to be a bearded Mohammed Atta, the Egyptian ringleader of the September 11, 2001, attacks. The other was Mohammed Atef, also known as Abu Hafs al-Masri, a former top lieutenant of bin Laden who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan in November 2001.

Al Qaeda broadcasts are thought to contain coded messages to members. Three of images on the screen -- that of al-Zawahiri and the pictures of al-Masri and what was believed to be Atta -- were Egyptian.

The Arab satellite broadcaster did not transmit the entire tape, using instead selected quotes interspersed with commentary from an anchor.

"The shells and rockets ripping apart Muslim bodies in Gaza and Lebanon are not only Israeli (weapons), but are supplied by all the countries of the crusader coalition. Therefore, every participant in the crime will pay the price," al-Zawahiri said.

The message was al-Zawahiri's tenth this year. Bin Laden has issued five messages in a particularly active year of messages from the top al Qaeda leadership.

"We cannot just watch these shells as they burn our brothers in Gaza and Lebanon and stand by idly, humiliated," al-Zawahiri said.

Al-Zawahiri last appeared in a video posted on an Islamic Web site on the one-year anniversary of the train bombings in London. In the July 7 tape, he said two of the four suicide bombers in London spent time in an al Qaeda training camp, preparing themselves for a suicide mission.

Top al Qaeda leaders paid tribute in June to the slain leader of their Iraq network, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, in separate video recordings. Many of their messages this year have dealt with current events in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia.
Bin Laden message expected

Another new audio or video message from bin Laden was also expected in the coming days and was planned to deal with Gaza and Lebanon, according to IntelCenter. The U.S.-based independent group provides counterterrorism information to the U.S. government and media.

Al Qaeda's media production wing, Al-Sahab, announced the al-Zawahiri tape would be ready soon in a message Thursday on and Islamic Web site.

Al-Zawahiri said Muslims everywhere must rise up to attack "crusaders and Zionists ... and support jihad (holy war) everywhere...until American troops are chased from Afghanistan and Iraq, paralyzed and impotent...having paid the price for aggression against Muslims and support for Israel."

Israel began an offensive on Gaza days after Palestinian militants captured an Israeli soldier on June 25. It opened a second front in Lebanon after Hezbollah guerrillas abducted two Israeli soldiers on July 12.

Since fighting began between Israel and Hezbollah, at least 424 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to figures compiled from the Health Ministry, military and Hezbollah. Fifty-one Israelis have been killed, including 33 members of the military, according to Israeli authorities.

[darius]

anyone else get the feeling they don't conduct any operations outside of the realm of "jihad"? i wonder if bird flu goes rampant in the middle east they will declare jihad on the avian population.

[Eleni]

anyone else get the feeling they don't conduct any operations outside of the realm of "jihad"? i wonder if bird flu goes rampant in the middle east they will declare jihad on the avian population.

The funniest part about that is that the word itself does NOT mean holy war, jihad is actually the broad concept of a personal struggle to improve the quality of life within yourself as a Muslim...but of course its been twisted to this new "holy war" business. "holy war" IS spoken of in the Qur'an, but again, this religion preaches a DEFENSIVE war, Islam DOES NOT justify aggressive war. The religion is also against killing non-combatants, torturing of prisoners, the destruction of crops, animals and homes.

This war is between Israel and Hezbollah...it is NOT a war that Israel has waged upon the entire Muslim religion and anyone with a brain can see this...unfortunately the bloodthirsty animals are just looking for an excuse, the sheep need direction and leadership so they will buy anything their leaders feed them, and there are alot of hard feelings there...but if they do call an all out war its going against everything their religion preaches, if they dont see that there is no "heaven" for them when they die...

[ShaE]

It's amazing my high school history teacher taught me more about the true meaning of jihad than half this "fundamentalist" wackjobs will ever know in their "intensive" study of their faith.

Goes to show you, when people get SO DEEP into something they often get it RETARDEDLY twisted. This goes for christian fundamentalists too..the jackasses who think the earth was made in exactly 7 days w/ a snake, an apple, and two half naked people runnin around