We knew this was coming, didn’t we?
Al-Qaida’s No. 2 leader called Thursday for Muslims to unite in a holy war against Israel and to join the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza until Islam reigns from “Spain to Iraq.”
It’s an attempt to unite Muslims under its banner to go after Israel and basically non-Muslim governments everywhere. MORE:
Ayman al-Zawahri’s taped message, the first from al-Qaida since Israel began offensives against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, was a sweeping recruiting effort that even called on non-Muslims to join the Islamic cause.
But there’s a new twist in this, as well: it’s an attempt to expand its constituency by becoming the vehicle for those who hate the United States and the West:
Addressing the world’s “downtrodden,” al-Zawahri said non-Muslims should join Islamic militants in the battle against “tyrannical Western civilization and its leader, America.”
“Stand with Muslims in confronting this unprecedented oppression and tyranny. Stand with us as we stand with you against this injustice that was forbidden by God in his book (the Quran),” al-Zawahri said.
Kamal Habib, a former member of Egypt’s Islamic Jihad militant group who was jailed from 1981-1991 along with al-Zawahri, said the appeal to non-Muslims was unprecedented and reflected a change in tactics.
“This is a transformation in the vision of al-Qaida and its struggle with the United States. It is now trying to unite Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims and calling for non-Muslims to join the fight,” he said.
An expected twist — but taking it a step even further. Is this a call to arms, an attempt to recruit more militants or a harbinger of terrorists activities expanded in the scope, waiting in the pipeline?
A CROSS SECTION OF OTHER VIEWS ON THIS DEVELOPMENT:
—Jihad Watch: “As if the jihad against Israel hasn’t been being waged for decades. It began long before 1948, with attacks on Jewish immigrants to the area that later became Israel.”
—Counterterrorism Blog: “A message of support by Al Qaeda leadership for the Shiite Hezbollah is an unexpected and troubling development.”
Get in line, moron. There are more Jihads against Israel than there are terrorists in Islam. And, by the way, if I hear one more liberal talk about the expansionist tendencies of Israel, I’ll strap on a few bombs myself, hunt the lib down, and probably chicken out at the last minute. But the message will still get across. Seriously . . . Iraq to Spain? The only link between Iraq and Spain will be the trail of terrorist blood that Western forces leave behind.
—Dr. Sanity: “So, what should civilization’s response be? Should we pretend we don’t hear him? That he doesn’t really mean it? Even if you hate the idea of violence and death –and what sane and rational person doesn’t?– isn’t it time to get really serious about this threat and stop pussyfooting around pretending it doesn’t exist?”
—The American Thinker: “I have never understood the Spanish nonchalance toward the threatened reconquista. Like Israel, Spain is a nation which is a target for Islamists, not for any deeds, but for its existence as a non-Muslim land.”
Heck, if they just want to proselytize, the Mormon model is a lot less offensive–no one gets blown up or anything. I can see it now: two guys from al Qaeda riding bikes around the neighborhood in white short-sleeved shirts and ties, turbans and long beards handing out brochures. That would certainly be better than waging a terror campaign.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.