But…but…Imam Rauf and Reza Aslan assure us that Sharia is benign and completely compatible with Western understandings of human rights! Reality check: “Gaza jihadists call for ‘jihad’ against Egypt’s el Sisi,” by David Barnett in the Long War Journal, August 15:
Abu Hafs al Maqdisi, the leader of the Gaza-based Jaish al Ummah (Army of the Nation), today called on Egyptians to wage “jihad” against Egyptian army commander General Abdul Fattah el Sisi. Al Maqdisi, who was released from a Hamas prison in December, also called on Egyptians to overthrow “the tyrant” (el Sisi) and establish an Islamic state. In addition, al Maqdisi said he hoped that one of el Sisi’s bodyguards would kill him.
Al Maqdisi further stated, according to press reports, that although Jaish al Ummah does not currently coordinate with any Salafist groups in Egypt, it is prepared to work with any Muslims who are prepared to implement sharia, or Islamic law.
Al Maqdisi’s comments come a day after Egyptian authorities took action to disperse two sit-ins by supporters of former president Mohammed Morsi. The forcible measures used to disperse Morsi’s supporters quickly led to massive clashes.
Security forces carried out “a scorched-earth assault that killed hundreds” over more than 12 hours, the New York Times reported. The health ministry today announced that at least 525 people had been killed, including a number of security personnel.
The events in Egypt have elicited a number of responses from jihadists [see Threat Matrix report, Jihadists respond to violence in Egypt]. In the jihadi forum Shumukh al Islam, one user claimed, in remarks obtained and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group, that now “is the opportunity for a ‘military’ jihadi armed current to rise to defend Sunnis with the sword and spear.”
Similarly, Abdullah Muhammad Mahmoud of the jihadi Dawa’at al-Haq Foundation for Studies and Research warned Egyptian Muslims in an article posted to jihadist forums yesterday that “if you don’t do jihad today, then only blame yourselves tomorrow.”
Another prevalent jihadist theme in reaction to events in Egypt, which al Qaeda and its affiliates have pushed repeatedly since Morsi’s ouster, is the argument that the Muslim Brotherhood made a mistake by engaging in the democratic process. In an essay posted to jihadist forums in July, Abu Muhammad al Maqdisi, a global jihadi ideologue and former mentor of Abu Musab al Zarqawi, argued that the Egyptian army’s overthrow of Morsi’s government “demonstrate[d] the soundness of the jihadi project and the choice of the ammunition box over the ballot box.”
And today the Afghan Taliban released a statement condemning the crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood. The statement, obtained and translated by the SITE Intelligence Group, claimed that there had been at least “2,600 martyrs.”
The Taliban, who condemned Morsi’s ouster as a coup on July 8, today called on security forces in Egypt “to stop shedding the blood of the innocent and oppressed among the children and women, and youth and elderly.” The group’s statement reiterated a previous call on July 14 for Morsi’s reinstatement. “[I]n order for the situation not to become worse, it [the army] must pave the way for the return of the legitimate president-elect [Morsi] to power,” the Taliban said today….