Gap opens between Al Qaeda and allies (A backlash builds over the network's tactics)

Los Angeles Times ^ | April 24, 2008l | Josh Meyer, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Mazhar Ali Khan / Courtesy Paladin InVision/WETA
Ayman Zawahiri, left, Al Qaeda’s chief strategist, seen here with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in 1998, recently responded on tape to questions, many angry.

WASHINGTON -- Al Qaeda increasingly faces sharp criticism from once-loyal sympathizers who openly question its ideology and tactics, including attacks that kill innocent Muslims, according to U.S. intelligence officials, counter-terrorism experts and the group's own communications.

A litany of complaints target Osama bin Laden's network and its affiliates for their actions in Iraq and North Africa, emphasis on suicide bombings instead of political action and tepid support for, or outright antagonism toward, militant groups pressing the Palestinian cause.

The criticism apparently has grown serious enough that Al Qaeda's chief strategist, Ayman Zawahiri, felt compelled to solicit online questions. He responded in an audio message released this month. For more than 90 minutes, Bin Laden's second-in-command tried to defuse the anger.

In March, Zawahiri released a 188-page Internet book to rebut complaints, particularly those of an influential former Islamic militant who said Zawahiri and Bin Laden should be held accountable for violence against Muslims.

Sayyed Imam Sharif, an Egyptian physician who once was a senior theologian for Al Qaeda, was one of Zawahiri's oldest associates. The author of violent manifestoes over the last two decades, Sharif did an about-face while incarcerated in Egypt. Several other prominent Muslim clerics and former militants have similarly condemned Al Qaeda.

Such rifts have been emerging for several years, but they have become increasingly contentious lately, in cyberspace and on the streets of some Arab countries. In addition to Zawahiri, Al Qaeda leaders, including Bin Laden himself, have gone on a public relations offensive.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

HIghlight:

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In October, Bin Laden asked followers for forgiveness for the deaths of civilians in Iraq.

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Of course the Suicide Bombers are still working...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Background reading on al-Qaeda in Iraq:

Al Qaeda, Ansar Al Islam and Zarqawi?

[goldstategop]

Its the kind of forgiveness that's worthless without change of deeds. Its the kind of thing Al Qaeda will never do.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This is a good move:

In London this week, former extremists launched the Quilliam Foundation, an organization dedicated to discrediting Al Qaeda and other Islamic extremists.

[Paige]

Muslims are catching a lot of negative response, and rightly so, considering the time they took to speak out. Hmmm,where should the time-line begin? 911? or Further back? 1993 WTC bombing? Where should the time-line begin?

Still in all, I do not trust Muslims, because there is not anyway of knowing, out of the 1.6 billion, who is the peaceful Muslim, or the one that would detonate a bomb once they received their orders.

[elhombrelibre]

If suicide bombing is such a great idea, so pure to Islam and so honorable, why do bin Laden and his pet pig companion, Mr. Ayman Zawahiri, fail to live by example?

[50sDad]

Still in all, I do not trust Muslims, because there is not anyway of knowing, out of the 1.6 billion, who is the peaceful Muslim, or the one that would detonate a bomb once they received their orders.

I will have no dealings with anyone who claims to be Muslim. My Bible says I should lie to no one. Their Koran says they are blessed to lie to me. End of story, turn the page.

[Tut]

I believe that for the very reason the Al Qaeda are what they are, our troops are winning in Iraq. The tactics of the Al Qaeda and their leadership are their worse enemy.

If they worked with the Sunnis in Iraq rather than killing them, imposing such strict rules of then... basically ticking a lot of the Sunnis off by treating them like dog poop... there would be no groups like awakening and such.

Now... the whole world have seen just who the terrorist groups really are and the length they will go to force their will on the very people they are suppose to represent.

I feel that if they did not choose Iraq as their battle field and if our troops left Iraq when the liberal left wanted them to, the world will not see the Al Qaeda and like minded groups as they are.

If the liberal left had their way, the terrorists could declare success and they can forever duplicate that success where ever and when ever they like. All they have to do is kill a bunch of people, fill some U.S. body bags and they will have their way soon enough. This formula would be easy to duplicate.

This was talked about in detail by Bin Laden himself. The liberal left have done everything in their power to fulfill that tactic of the terrorist. It’s almost like they’ve been in collusion all along. It is really hard for me to see it any differently.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

It’s almost like they’ve been in collusion all along. It is really hard for me to see it any differently.

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It’s difficult to imagine they are so blatantly antiAmerican!

See this :

Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left

And a review:

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By	Kat Bakhu (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left (Hardcover)

I had long wondered why people on the Left had the propensity to speak more positively about people who would slit their throats than they do about their own country, which affords them more freedom and opportunity than anywhere else. David Horowitz has answered that question thoroughly and convincingly in his Unholy Alliance. Where I felt bewildered and confused, I now feel crystal clear. Unholy Alliance is such a great book.

It begins with the leftist movements at the beginning of the 20th Century, and works its way up to the present day, exploring the anti-American attitude of these movements in detail. Horowitz shows that the enemies of the US back then are largely the same group today, operating under the same misperceptions, making the same mistakes, and pursuing the same impossible utopia.

Individual chapters are included on the Patriot Act (I was persuaded that it is a GOOD thing); the democratic flip-flop on Iraq once G.W. Bush implemented what they agreed with Clinton needed to be done; the driving components of the current anti-war movement; as well as chapters on individual personalities who are major spokespeople of the Left. Horowitz covers a lot of ground, and he covers it concisely and clearly. Unholy Alliance is richly informative without ever being boring or plodding.

This book is so illuminating that I simply cannot do justice to it here. I love people who reason so clearly that they help me get my own reasoning clear. Horowitz is just that type of person! In the terrain of mindless clichés (no-blood-for-oil, etc.), he is a breath of real fresh air.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From the Blogosphere( Strata Sphere):

al-Qaeda Becoming The Enemy Of Islam, Not the Future Of Islam

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We have seen a Muslim backlash against al-Qaeda building for over a year now. It began in the Anbar Province of Iraq, where Iraq Sunnis made the fatal decision to ally with the Islamo Fascists of al-Qaeda. The resulting atrocities and brutality inflicted by al-Qaeda to cow the Iraqis created such a backlash the Sunnis decided to ally with their one time enemy America to rid them of the pestilence they had let in their midst. This was no small change of heart but an indication of how violent and oppressive al-Qaeda is at its core, which meant if al-Qaeda did not change its ways it was going to be seeing the same reaction amongst any Muslim community that had not tasted its blood lust and evil desires.

And as The Awakening spread across Iraq it was clear that this was not an isolated event but a sea change in attitudes in spreading in the Muslim Street. We have seen the same response to al-Qaeda and their Taliban cousins show up in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where the general populations have revolted against the terrorists. We have even seen well-established extremist leaders denounce al-Qaeda’s atrocities against Muslims.

I have said for over a year this backlash against al-Qaeda would grow and expand as the horror stories from Iraq spread out into the Muslim community, and as more and more martyrs were coming from the ranks of those who had stood up to fight off al-Qaeda. This is a phenomena that was going to spread natively through the communities and was out of sight and control of Western news media to influence or deflect.

This phenomena is still growing as the Muslim street is rising up in anger - against al-Qaeda!

I have said for months the Muslim street really doesn’t want Jihad - especially when it is raging within its neighborhoods. Fighting the evil West used to have a romantic appeal as the violence was confined to NY city and Washington DC, Africa, etc. But when the fighting came to the heartland of Islam, and Muslims suffered under the Islamo Fascist jackboot (which tortured and killed families as example to others) the reality of al-Qaeda was a shocking wake up call.

This all proves why George Bush was right to take the battle to the heartland of Islam while not attacking Muslim indiscriminately. While America and al-Qaeda squared off, America became the protectors and al-Qaeda the butchers. The decision on which future was best for the Muslim Street became glaringly obvious. It was just a question of how much time would it require for the world views once held to be thrown off in order to face the brutal reality playing out in front of everyone’s eyes.

Increasingly the Muslim Street has decided al-Qaeda is the enemy of Islam, not the future of Islam. The community understands it is better to co-exist with America than be brutalized under the whip of the Islamo Fascists. Ironically, the last people on the planet who will finally grasp what is going on will be the radical left in the West - the liberal/progressive (what oxymoronic monikers) Surrendercrats and SurrenderMedia. They were too vested in the now defunct conventional wisdom where America was the source of evil in the world. They have become so adept at ignoring the reality they in fact may never wake up from their delusional denial.

Which in the end means they will become marginal lost causes as the world wakens to a new world view. A world view where Bin Laden’s Islamo Fascists where thankfully destroyed before they could destroy Islam and brutalize muslims for their sick and twisted pleasures.

That is what history will probably write - that mankind was infected with another pestilence of power run amok and rose up under the leadership of America to destroy the human cancer that is al-Qaeda. It makes sense when you take the long view. America led the fight against Communism, but hesitated in stopping the Nazis until pushed into the fight. This time we stood up first and led the charge, in no small part due to the fact we were violently attacked on our homeland for the first time in decades.

Addendum: And don’t think Sadr’s Mahdi Militia will fair any better than al-Qaeda did. The indications from Basra are there is a palatable sense of relief that the Mahdi Islamo Fascists have been tossed out there as well:

[april15Bendovr]

Thank you for linking my post

The original Townhall URL has changed and can be found here

Al Qaeda, Ansar Al Islam and Zarqawi?
Posted by april15bendovr on Friday, March 28, 2008 11:56:22 PM

http://cdonohoe.blogtownhall.com/2008/03/28/al_qaeda,_ansar_al_islam_and_zarqawi.thtml

[SueRae]

That was a good and refreshing read. The Awakening movement is gathering momentum. If only the Left were to have a revelation of their own. But they won’t ever acknowledge that things are improving and they will NEVER give President Bush one iota of credit for anything good that may come.

[SunkenCiv]

thanks E.

Groups With Iran’s Backing Blamed for Baghdad Attacks
NY Times | April 24, 2008
Posted on 04/24/2008 6:00:37 AM PDT by nuconvert
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006248/posts

[SunkenCiv]

Sayyed Imam Sharif
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayyed_Imam_Al-Sharif

[SunkenCiv]

Sayyed Imam Sharif site:freerepublic.com

Google

[Marine_Uncle]

Yet another good reference post people should bookmark for future use in arguments regarding pre Iraqi war ties between various radical Islamic groups and Iraq.

[Marine_Uncle]

Of course I should have commended the honesty the LAT writer did on this subject. At least the paper deemed it reasonable for print. Pelosi, Reid and their hack squads must be squirming about this point. But they will not give in since their pre-mature Neanderthal minds are not capable of dealing with obvious facts, if it gets between their bid for power among the masses of the ill informed.