What? These terrorists use “doctrinal arguments” to recruit? Why, does Rich Lowry know about this attempt to discredit Muhammad and Islam? “Jihad’s latest ‘rag’ hits the Internet,” from the Asia Times:
BANGALORE – A new jihadi magazine made its appearance on the Internet this month. [1] Named Dhurwat al-Sanam, Arabic for “the highest or most virtuous belief/insight”, the magazine has been posted by the official spokesman of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Dhurwat al-Sanam is the latest of several online publications produced by jihadi organizations.
The 43-page inaugural issue of Dhurwat al-Sanam appears to be aimed at motivating jihadis in Iraq and is replete with the usual tedious and bellicose rhetoric and doctrinal arguments. There are messages from Osama bin Laden commending Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s fighters in Iraq and accepting the allegiance of al-Zarqawi to al-Qaeda. The letters refer to al-Zarqawi as the “emir” of al-Qaeda in Iraq and call on people to obey him. There are letters in turn from al-Zarqawi expressing loyalty to bin Laden. Much of this appears to have been rehashed from text already published on the Internet.
There are comments by the “edicts committee” on the recent elections in Iraq. Democracy and elections are condemned as “Western” and “un-Islamic“. “Democracy and parliaments, my brothers, are from the religion and desires of the infidels … Democracy means the rule of the people … which means that who is to be obeyed and worshipped is man, not God.”…
Dhurwat al-Sanam appears to be a successor of the now-defunct Sawat al-Jihad (Voice of Jihad), a bi-weekly publication published by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Like many other online jihadi publications, the Sawat al-Jihad was aimed at motivating jihadis and indoctrinating those interested in becoming jihadis. More important, it seemed preoccupied with justifying violent acts through ideological and doctrinal arguments….
Another jihadi online publication, this one with motivational material interwoven with military training input, was Maaskar al-Battar (al-Bataar Training Camp), which also ceased publication a few months ago. It was aimed at building a jihad culture among Muslim youth and to equip them to fight against those who have “invaded the Islamic world”.
With Maaskar al-Battar, training to be a jihad was available at the click of the mouse. An aspiring jihadi did not have to go to Afghanistan for training, he could learn how to fight from the comfort of his home. The first issue of Maaskar al-Battar drew attention to the convenience of online training it provided. “Oh Mujahid [holy warrior] brother, in order to join the great training camps you don’t have to travel to other lands … Alone, in your home or with a group of your brothers, you too can begin to execute the training program. You can all join the al-Battar Training Camp.”
Subsequent issues provided operational guides for using automatic weapons, physical fitness programs, do-it-yourself assassination kits, propaganda techniques and other tips on terrorism.
Jihadi online publications cater to women, too, with articles and advice on how women can bring up their children to become good jihadis, why they must have more sons, what books they should read to their children and how they should support fighters by providing food and shelter. In August last year, jihadi online publishing broke new ground. Al-Khansa, a magazine aimed exclusively at women, hit cyber newsstands. The magazine, which is named after a female Arab poet who was a close associate of Prophet Mohammed, aimed at motivating women to participate more actively in the jihad.
The magazine sought to convince women that they could be both a jihadi and a good woman. Women are not neglecting their role as mothers by joining the jihad. There was no contradiction between their roles as woman/mother and as jihadi. The editorial in the inaugural issue of al-Khansa said, “We will stand covered by our veils and wrapped in our robes, weapons in hand, our children in our laps, with the Koran and the Sunna of the Prophet of Allah directing and guiding us. The blood of our husbands and the body parts of our children are the sacrifice by means of which we draw closer to Allah, so that through us, Allah will cause the martyrdom for His sake to succeed.”…
Well, move over Good Housekeeping!