This address from Abu Musab al-Barnawi to his predecessor as the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, is a carefully reasoned argument from the Qur’an: Shekau, according to al-Barnawi, has transgressed against the Qur’an’s prohibition on Muslims killing other Muslims (4:92). In the course of his discourse he notes that Shekau contends that the Muslims he killed were infidels, and explains why that is not the case.
What is noteworthy is that both al-Barnawi and Shekau would agree that Muslims must wage war against unbelievers. They would also agree that Muslims should not kill fellow Muslims. They would even agree that under certain circumstances some Muslims may render themselves infidels. They only disagree on whether or not that was the case regarding the Muslims Shekau had killed.
So they agree on principles of Islam about jihad warfare that non-Muslim authorities in the West routinely insist do not exist at all. They would have us believe that neither al-Barnawi nor Shekau know anything about Islam, and that both are practicing it incorrectly. Exactly how and why this is so, however, they have never bothered to explain.
“The Mission Was To Kill ‘Only Christians’, You Blew Your Chances, B/Haram’s New Leader Slams Shekau,” The Whistler, August 5, 2016:
The newly appointed leader of the Boko Haram terrorist group, Abu Musab al-Barnawi, has chided Abubakar Shekau for reacting to his emergence as the new leader of the group, stating that he (Shekau) blew up his chances while he was leader.
Recall that following the announcement of a new leader by Islamic States (ISIS) terror group, Boko Haram’s ally, Shekau who was assumed dead broke his silence saying that he remained the group’s leader.
In a swift response, al-Barnawi released an audio tape in which he reiterated that Shekau had deviated from the path they had chosen and had been engaged in systematic killing of Boko Haram fighters.
He also accused Shekau of living a life of luxury, while women and children died of starvation.
According to him, Shekau starved the Boko Haram fighters of food, and that caused them to be defeated by the Nigerian armed forces.
Al-Barnawi said Shekau had violated Islamic doctrines by killing fellow Muslims, instead of killing the Christians.
The transcript of the audio obtained by Sahara Reporters reads below:
“[Shekau] was boasting that if we attempt to escape from his empire his men will kill us. He is a liar. I am not the only one that left, but eight of us left, all kitchen cabinet members. And right now two other top members are on the way to join us. We are all here. The issue of Islam is not personal, there is no sentiment in Islam, and that is why we are here. Nobody can dare us or stop us from it, no matter how he brags. Here we are on our own. Can’t you see how we left your empire? We left women and everything and just left with guns on our shoulders. We would have crushed anyone that stood on our way.
“We said we would not touch anyone but just go on our way to our religion. We will fight for the cause of Allah and work against personalizing Jihad and against unjustifiable killings and shedding of blood. We are out because you came out with your own cassette. We want our people to know proper Islam because Allah in the Quran forbids killings without justification. Just like Allah gave us power to kill infidels, there are those he said we shouldn’t kill without reason.
“In the Quran, Allah forbade Muslims from killing one another…and he also taught against killing in secret. If it is serious punishment, it must be public for people to know and witness it. But once you see killings in secret, there is something fishy and this is what we noticed with Shekau. What he is doing is not Islam. He said we should follow him and we agreed, but we later realized it is another thing and we said no. We have to stick to the Quran and what Allah said, not [follow] someone’s waywardness.
“We have vowed to say the truth. If we will be killed, let us be killed. If we will be eaten, let us be eaten up and if we will be roasted, let us be roasted. We will not leave our fellow brothers in the dark; this message of mine will get to Sambisa Forest. It will get into Shekau’s house. We have agents that will convey the message no matter how he dislikes it.
“Almighty Allah is against killings of Muslims. Allah is saying better heaven and earth fall than innocent soul of a Muslim, but you have Shekau who likes killing our own people. He is always boasting that he will kill, he will kill. Okay, continue to kill, you will also be killed. Who will dwell here forever? Everybody will die. You will also die someday. And there is no one that will die without reaching his day of death. You can see we are here alive, all of us here sitting. Anyone that Allah did not kill you cannot kill him. The same way, you cannot stop anyone Allah willed his death.
“That is why when someone boasts to kill a man, the man asks him, ‘Why are you in a haste?’ The man says, ‘If my time has come, you will not stop me from going.’ There are several verses that forbid killing of a fellow Muslim unjustifiably. Our vow that we will practice Islam is real. That is why we left our parents, homes, our cars and everything and came to this forest. How can we then agree to see you bringing strange ideologies?
“In one of our Shura meetings, someone asked Shekau how he felt about Muslims running away from their own land to the land of the infidels for their own safety. Shekau said [the Muslims] are also infidels and should be killed like the infidels. These people are not infidels, they are Muslims running for their lives, and he insisted that they are infidels and should be killed. Shekau is ignorant of the fact that it is forbidden for a Muslim to be killed after being chased out of Islamic Caliphate to a strange land and [when the Muslim] has not taken part in any conspiracy against Muslims. [Shekau] is ignorant and needs to be taught the rudiments of Islam. Islam is not his creation. Only Allah defines who is a Muslim and who is an infidel. Even if you travel to a foreign land, you have no jurisdiction to say who is who until you have a basis. Anywhere you go you can’t say who is who. You can’t kill and take away people’s properties….