February 12, 2007

Yet Another New Zawahiri Ranting

Laura Mansfield has the general outline of Zawahiri's latest speech here.

(click the pic for video: Update, 14 meg release version no watermark)

Interesting, in the tape Zawahiri pledges his loyalty to Mullah Omar of the Taliban.

And we – by the grace of Allah and His guidance – have pledged allegiance to the Commander of the Believers, Mulla Muhammad Umar, who is an Afghan.

That's why I ask my Muslim brothers in general and the callers and Mujahideen and their media organizations in particular to highlight the concept of Islamic brotherhood and disown all partisanship, loyalties and animosities based on nationalism, and I ask them not to allow the wrongdoing of a faction or entity motivate them to speak evil of that party's entire people or race.

Update: as-Sahab's full transcipt, courtesy of Laura, below the fold. Video here.

Update II: as-Sahab has released the message. Boy, it sure screws with the Jihadi's heads that Laura gets these messages before they do.

Tremendous Lessons and Events

In the Year 1427 AH

Shaykh Ayman al-Zawahiri

As-Sahab Media

Muharram 1428 AH / February 2007 CE

In the name of Allah, and all praise is due to Allah, and may peace and prayers be on the Messenger of Allah and on his family, companions and allies .

Muslim brothers everywhere: peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings .

A year has passed and a new year has arrived in the emigration of the Chosen One (peace be upon him), and I ask Allah, the Most High, the One who Decrees, to make it a year of conquest and victory, with His help.

The past year has witnessed tremendous lessons and events, and the Muslim Ummah's awareness has increased due to the realities which have been revealed to it and the masks which have fallen away before its eyes. And perhaps the beginning of the new year provides an opportunity for us to focus on some of the important events of the past 12 months.

Among the most important of these events is Bush being forced to admit his failure in Iraq and admit the escalation and growth of the Students' Jihadi resistance in Afghanistan, after continuing to be stubborn as usual and repeating the lie which he became addicted to, that he is winning in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bush suffers from an addictive personality, and was an alcoholic. I don't know his present condition (Americans know best about that, as they are experts in alcohol and addiction to it), but the one who examines his personality finds that he is addicted to two other faults: lying and gambling. As regards lying, his record is well known, and he has gone down in history as one of its most notorious liars. As for his addiction to gambling, it motivates him to continue to place losing bets until he goes completely bankrupt, which is the obvious psychological motivation behind his Iraq policy. And were the Americans to leave him alone, he would continue to send their forces to Iraq until the Mujahideen kill the last one of their soldiers.

And if Bush is addicted to drinking, lying and gambling, then the American people are the ones who chose him twice, out of greed for the Muslims' treasures and in animosity to them. That's why the intelligent person does not absolve them, the British people and all peoples of the Crusader Alliance from responsibility, for they are the ones who elected Bush, Blair and their allies, and supported them in their aggression against Afghanistan and Iraq. However, I call their attention - if they are paying attention - to two critical matters which have imposed their presence on the ground, by the Grace of God.

The first matter is that you are not facing individuals or organizations, but are facing the Jihadi Intifada of the angry, alert Muslim Ummah. Therefore, you are just wasting your time and effort by claiming to seek to eliminate this person or that or such-and-such group or organization.

And the second matter is that the era of your allies has passed, and the era of Jihad and the Mujahideen has dawned. And if you continue with your current policies, you shall - God willing - be defeated in Afghanistan and Iraq in the near future, which will alert the Mujahid Muslim forces to escalate their confrontation of you. And with every delay you make in resorting to wise and realistic policies, your losses will increase and you will continue to place the losing bets which will lead - God willing - to total bankruptcy and failure. And you will then resemble the stubborn patient who, stricken with cancer, refuses to heed the advice of the surgeon, and with every day he delays, his chances for recovery decrease. And who knows? Perhaps this stubbornness and insistence on losing gambles is God's punishment of you for your crimes against humanity. The Truth, Exalted is He, says, "If Allah decrees misguidance and punishment for someone, you can be of no help to him with Allah." (5:41)

So pay attention before it's too late, and beware of Bush's losing gambler's lie which claims that he, with the corpses of your killed and limbs of your wounded, is spreading democracy around the world. I and millions like me are witnesses to the atrocities of America and its agents, witnesses to the torture, political and financial corruption, rigging of elections, moral degeneration, theft of resources, and indeed, combating of Islam which America's democracy is spreading in our countries.

As for the Democrats in America, I tell them:

The people chose you due to your opposition to Bush's policy in Iraq, but it appears that you are marching with him to the same abyss, and it appears that you will take part with him in the defeat and certain failure, with God's permission. And the American people shall discover that you are all one side of the same coin of tyranny, criminality and failure; that failure which - by the grace of God - has neutralized the endeavors of the traitors who entered Kabul and Baghdad on the backs of American tanks, and has dashed their hopes as they see the Mujahideen come closer and closer to victory, which has led them to urgently appeal to America for help and implore it to continue to occupy their lands and raise the banners of the Cross over their heads.

These traitors in Iraq and Afghanistan must face their inevitable fate, and face up to the inescapable facts. America - which was transformed from the "Great Satan" into the "Closest Ally" - is about to depart and abandon them, just as it abandoned their like in Vietnam.

If the Mujahideen have - by the grace of God - broken the back of America, will its agents hold their own against them in the absence of America? And if tanks and planes were of no help to America, what, for the traitors, will take the place of the foreign aid and backing?

As for the states which colluded with the Crusaders in their invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, they must reap their bitter harvest, as it has become clear to the Muslim Ummah the extent of the hypocrisy and deceit which they repeated and the extent of the treachery they committed as they stabbed the Muslim Ummah in its back in pursuit of cheap booty and illegitimate earnings, and so incurred Divine punishment. The Exalted says, "Verily, Allah does not allow the deeds of those who make mischief to prosper." (10:81)

And these countries must know that America doesn't thank anyone for serving it, and there is a lesson for them in the fate of the Shah and final days of Arafat.

Everyone who participated with the Americans in their Crusade, whether hirelings, religion-traders or rulers, must be aware that they won't be facing the lions of Jihad in Afghanistan and Iraq only, but are about to face - with Allah's permission - a Muslim Ummah revitalized by Jihad, and a Muslim Ummah angry and flaming with rage after it was shown their betrayals and crimes.

The long beards, huge turbans, majestic titles, purported lineages and popular myths are no substitute for the truth and cannot conceal the crimes of cooperation with the Crusaders, loyalty to the infidel invaders and killing of the Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan; those crimes which the Muslim Ummah knows who committed and which shall detonate a volcano of Islamic rage against the charlatans who claim to defend Islam.

And as part of their charlatanism in the name of Islam - and out of desire for illegitimate earnings from America - some have tried to differentiate between the crimes of America in one region and those in another. Thus, in one place, America is called the "Great Satan", while elsewhere, they consider it to be the "Great Ally" and beg it not to withdraw its troops. As for the people of faith and Jihad, the people of steadfastness and Ribat, and the people of sincerity and loyalty, they are confronting America's Crusade in every corner of the Islamic world, with Allah's help and power. They are confronting it in Chechnya, the Philippines, Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Somalia, Algeria, and everywhere the Crusaders and Zionists have desecrated the lands of Islam with their feet. And they are following the statement of the Truth, Glory to Him, "And fight the polytheists all together as they fight you all together. And know that Allah is with the God-fearing." (9:36)

And they are acting on His statement, "You shall not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day loving those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they be their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their clan. For such He has written faith in their hearts and strengthened them with a spirit from Himself. And He will admit them to Gardens beneath which rivers flow, to dwell therein for eternity. Allah will be well pleased with them, and they with Him. They are the party of Allah. Truly, it is the party of Allah that will achieve success."(58:22)

The American project in Lebanon is the same as the American project in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the Gulf states, Algeria and Somalia. There is no difference. And those who cooperate with the Zionist Crusade in Lebanon is a traitor to Allah, His Prophet (peace be upon him) and his righteous companions and purified family (with whom Allah was pleased). And the same goes for those who cooperate with them in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, the Peninsula and elsewhere. There is no difference between treason here and treason there, except in the minds of those who seek to deceive the Ummah and demand it to surrender to America and Israel, to comply with dubious deals and acquire sinful earnings.

And the ones who claim that confronting the Zionist Crusade in Lebanon is Jihad whereas confronting it in Iraq is strife and foolishness are the real instigators of strife: "Verily, they have fallen into sin." (9:49). The ones who stirred up strife in Iraq are those who colluded with, agreed with, plotted with and cooperated with the Americans before, during and after the invasion; waged war in defense of them; fought the Mujahideen under their cross; and killed the Muslims to please them. These are the instigators of strife in Iraq and other Islamic lands, who have for so long done business in Islam and shed crocodile tears for it and wept, wailed and lamented, until, when the Crusader/Zionist enemies of Islam attacked their sons and lands, we find them under their banners and in the first ranks with them, attacking, fighting and killing the sons of Abu Bakr, Umar, Ali, Hasan and Husayn (Allah was pleased with them all).

He who claims that the fighting in Iraq is an American plot to create warring sectarian mini-states fools no one with such claims. The entire world knows who it is who cooperated with the Americans in their Crusade, before, during and after the invasion. And everyone knows that the traitorous religion-traders and secular Kurdish parties are the ones who are implementing America's project to divide the lands of Islam, and that the Mujahideen are the ones who spoiled this plot with Allah's help, and that the Mujahideen's Jihad and fighting for Allah's Word to be supreme is what has defeated America, with Allah's power and strength, and thwarted the efforts of those who beg it to stay.

My Muslim Ummah: there are doctrinal and legal taboos which, if committed, call into question the legitimacy of any group claiming to belong to Islam. Agreeing to the rule of something other than Shari'ah; helping the invading enemies of Islam and participating in the entities they create to protect their interests; fighting the Muslims under their banner and in defense of them; accepting the resolutions and accords which tear away parts of the Islamic lands, or prohibit Jihad and allow the presence of foreign forces in the lands of Islam: any one of these crimes calls into question the legitimacy of any group which commits it.

We, as a Muslim Ummah, must be aware of these pitfalls and beware of those who call to or approve them. And we must confront the international resolutions which are meant to impose on us the will of the Zionist/Crusader West. We must reject all of those resolutions which cut off parts of the lands of Islam and hand them over to its enemies, starting with the resolution to partition Palestine, continuing with Resolution 244, the Camp David, Wadi Arabah, and Oslo accords, and the resolutions to occupy Afghanistan and Iraq, and finishing with Resolution 1701 and the Security Council resolutions for the intrusion of trespasser forces into Darfur and Somalia. All of these resolutions are null and void, and we must confront them and disown those who agree to or approve them.

That's why I ask my brothers in Islam and Jihad in Lebanon not to give in to Resolution 1701, nor accept the pushing back of the Lebanese border 30 kilometers, nor accept the presence of the international Crusader forces in the south as a barrier between them and Occupied Palestine, even if that resolution is agreed to by all official political forces licensed by the Lebanese government, on the basis of international balances and foreign connections.

The Muslim Ummah and its Mujahid vanguard in Lebanon must be aware that they are standing alone in confronting the Zionist/Crusader project, and they must work to reject Resolution 1701 in word and practice. I know that everyone will stand in their way, because all the official, licensed forces have their foreign connections which steer them as they wish. But the Mujahideen remain by themselves, and they only have Allah. "And Allah is sufficient as a protector, and Allah is sufficient as a helper." (4:45) I know that the path ahead of them is long, and the mission difficult, but they must begin working now. We can't possibly accept a resolution which pushes back the Lebanese borders 30 kilometers, imposes the international Crusader presence in Lebanon, outlaws Jihad against the Jews in Palestine and isolates the Mujahideen in Palestine from the Mujahideen outside it.

And as part of the charlatanism in the name of Islam - and out of desire for illegitimate earnings from America - some have claimed that the governments of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan are protectors of the people of the Sunnah [Prophetic way]. Allah suffices us and He is the best of protectors. Since when are those who helped America to blockade Iraq and kill a million of its children protectors of the people of the Sunnah? Since when are those who supplied the American forces with provisions and materiel, and provided them with bases, airports and storerooms to help them in their attack on Afghanistan and Iraq helpers of the people of the Sunnah? From where did the planes which bombed Afghanistan and Iraq take off? From where did the forces which invaded Iraq set off? Who was it who agreed to the international resolutions to occupy Afghanistan and Iraq? Who was it who recognized the puppet regimes of apostasy and treason in Afghanistan and Iraq? Who was it who pursued and combated everyone who wanted Jihad in Afghanistan and Iraq? Who was it who recognized Israel and approved its usurpation of Palestine? Who is it who tortures and punishes the Mujahideen and sets up secret prisons for America? And who, and who, and who? Yes, they are protectors of the American way, Crusader way and Zionist way. As for the way of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), they are its enemies and the ones who combat it.

The Truth, Blessed and Exalted is He, says, "Let not the believers take for allies unbelievers instead of believers: and whoever does that has no relation with Allah except [if done verbally only] as a precaution to guard yourselves from them. But Allah cautions you [to fear] Him; and the return is to Allah." (3:28)

And Allah, the Exalted, says, "Let the Hypocrites know that there is for them a grievous chastisement; those who take for friends unbelievers rather than believers. Is it honor they seek from them? Nay, all honor is with Allah." (4:138-139)

And Allah, the Exalted, says, "O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them [for friendship] is of them. Verily Allah guides not a people unjust. You see how those in whose hearts is a disease run about among them, saying, 'We fear lest a change of fortune bring us disaster.' But it may be that Allah will give you victory, or a decision from Him, then they will regret the thoughts which they secretly harbored in their hearts.And those who believe will say, 'Are these the men who swore their strongest oaths by Allah that they were with you?' All that they do will be in vain, and they will become losers. O you who believe! If any from among you turn back from his faith, Allah will soon produce a people whom He will love as they will love Him; humble with the believers, mighty against the rejecters, fighting in the way of Allah, and never fearing the blame of a blamer. That is the grace of Allah, which He bestows on whom He pleases. And Allah is greatly possessing of grace, All-Knowing. Your allies are Allah, His Messenger, and the believers, those who establish regular prayers and pay Zakat and bow [in worship]. As to those who ally themselves to Allah, His Messenger and the believers, then it is the party of Allah that is triumphant." (5:51-56)

Among the positions promoted by some is that the Arab states must rush to help the Arabs in Iraq. This is a position which is contradictory for two reasons. The first is that these states have helped no one, Arab or otherwise. And if they really wanted to help the Arabs of Iraq, they would have helped them before the invasion and during it, but instead, they helped the Americans against all peoples of Iraq, Arab and non-Arab, each in his own way. The state from which forces and aircraft didn't set off had missile launchers set up on his land, while he whom the Americans didn't honor with that provided their fleets with fuel. And whoever wasn't honored with this nor with that approved the resolution for the occupation of Iraq and recognized the governments of apostate hirelings there. And their Arab League became a museum for mummified Arab dignity and a home for special occasions whose secretariat exhausts itself merely by trying to bring together their leaders in one room for picture-taking and distribution of smiles.

This is as far as the condition of those states is concerned. As for the point of view of doctrine and Islam, the Muslim Ummah and its Mujahid vanguard do not make alliances and hold animosities on the basis of tribalism and nationalism, nor to help the Arabs against the Persians, or the Kurds against the Arabs, or the Amazight against the Arabs. Rather, Islam commands us to fight for Allah's Word to be supreme. We ally ourselves to the helpers of Islam, even if be they Afghans, Persians, Turks or Kurds, and we are hostile to its enemies who collude with the Crusaders and Jews, even if they be pure-blooded Hashemite, Qurayshite Arabs. These are the scales of Islam.

The Truth, Blessed and Exalted is He, says, "O mankind! We created you from a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily, the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is he who is the most righteous of you. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware." (49:13)

And the Truth, Blessed and Exalted is He, says, "O you who believe! Take not for allies your fathers and your brothers if they prefer infidelity to faith; and whoever of you take them as allies, they are the wrongdoers.Say, 'If it be that your fathers, your sons, your

brothers, your mates, or your kindred; the wealth that you have gained; the commerce in which you fear a decline; or the dwellings in which you delight, are dearer to you than Allah, His Messenger, or Jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah brings about His decision. And Allah guides not the rebellious.'" (9:23-24)

And the Prophet (peace be upon him) says, "Allah, the Glorious and Great, has removed from you the arrogance of the Time of Ignorance and its pride in forefathers. [Now there is either] a pious believer or a wretched evildoer. The people are sons of Adam and Adam is from earth. Those peoples who take pride in men must abandon it or they will be worth less to Allah than the same number of scarabs which push the dung with their noses." (Ahmad #8381)

And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "O people, verily, your Lord is One and your father is one. Verily, there is no superiority to an Arab over a non-Arab, nor to a non-Arab over an Arab, nor to a red over a black, nor to a black over a red, except through piety." (Ahmad #22391)

And Jabir, with whom Allah was pleased, said, "We went on an expedition with the Prophet (peace be upon him), and with him came many of the Emigrants. Among them was a very playful man. He slapped the behind of one of the Helpers, and that Helper became very angry, to the extent that they summoned one another. The Helper called out, 'O Helpers,' and the Emigrant called out, 'O Emigrants.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) came out and said, 'What is with these calls of the people of the Time of Ignorance?' Then he inquired, 'What is the matter with them?' He was informed of the slapping of the Helper by the Emigrant, then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Abandon [these calls], for they are evil.'" (Bukhari #3257)

And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "O people, fear Allah, and if a mutilated Abyssinian slave is appointed as emir over you, listen to him and obey him, as long as he applies for you the Book of Allah." (Tirmidhi #1628)

The Muslims espoused allegiance to the Ottoman state, which was Turkish, and before that, they espoused allegiance to Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, who was Kurdish, and before him, Nur ad-Din bin Zanki, who was Turkish. And the Muslims in the Maghreb espoused allegiance to Yusuf ibn Tashfin, who was a Berber.

And we - by the grace of Allah and His guidance - have pledged allegiance to the Commander of the Believers, Mulla Muhammad Umar, who is an Afghan.

That's why I ask my Muslim brothers in general and the callers and Mujahideen and their media organizations in particular to highlight the concept of Islamic brotherhood and disown all partisanship, loyalties and animosities based on nationalism, and I ask them not to allow the wrongdoing of a faction or entity motivate them to speak evil of that party's entire people or race.

The Truth, Blessed and Exalted is He, says,

"And let not the hatred and animosity of a people to you make you transgress and abandon justice. Be just, for that is closer to piety." (5:8)

The one who takes a look at the condition of the Arab nationalist and leftist movements finds that most of them - if not all - have sunk to extreme lows. They have given up Palestine, the most important nationalist cause, and agreed to relinquish most of it and recognize Israel's usurpation of it for the sake of an imaginary peace. And they agreed to appease the Arab governments and seek protection in the shade of international legitimacy.

It is enough that the nationalist movement in the most important Arab cause is dominated by a clique made up of the likes of Mahmoud Abbas and Muhammad Dahlan. If this is the state of the nationalist movement in the most important nationalist cause, then what about the rest?

Mahmoud Abbas and Muhammad Dahlan aren't merely two corrupt individuals in a virtuous and upright organization, but rather, hold the reins of leadership and don't just represent themselves: no, they represent a class of corrupt secularists who cooperate with America, sell Palestine, surrender to Israel and make war on Islam.

For this reason, I call on all who fight under the leadership of Fatah to ask themselves, "In the path of what are we fighting?" If they want fighting in Allah's path, then Fatah began as a secular national liberation movement fighting not for the establishment of an Islamic state, but rather, for the establishment of a secular state in Palestine, and Islam has forbidden us from fighting unless it is for the supremacy of Allah's Word. It is related that Abu Musa (with whom Allah was pleased) said, "A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, what is fighting in Allah's path? Some of us fight out of anger, and others out of partisanship.' Upon this, he raised his head to him, because the man was standing, and said, "The one who fights for the supremacy of Allah's Word is in Allah's path." (Bukhari #120)

And in the same way, Islam forbids us to fight out of patriotic bias. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "He who is killed under an ambiguous banner calling to partisanship or aiding partisanship has died the death of the Time of Ignorance." (Muslim #3440)

And if they want to fight for the liberation of the homeland, then the leadership of Fatah has surrendered the homeland, for whose liberation it used to claim that it was fighting Israel, and has relinquished 80% of it and now calls it "Historic Palestine": i.e. the Palestine which has been frozen in the museum of oblivion.

I'm not asking them to join HAMAS, Islamic Jihad or al-Qaida, but rather, I'm asking them to return to Islam, in order to fight for the establishment of an Islamic state over all of Palestine, and not for the establishment of a secularist state which will please America on crumbs of Palestine.

It is regrettable that some of the brothers in Palestine consider Mahmoud Abbas to be a brother of theirs', even as this "brother" Abbas sends his thugs to kill the Mujahideen and invade the mosques and kill their Imams. This "brother" Abbas unleashes "brother" Dahlan to arrest the Mujahideen and torture them in order to find out where the Israeli captive is and tell Israel that he will find him and that there is no need to negotiate with the Palestinians to exchange prisoners.

My brothers in Palestine, the demonstrations which were held in Gaza to shout, "Oh Haniya, trample on the spy Dahlan," would have better been used to disown the government of the secularist Palestine-selling "brothers" and declare animosity to them for Allah's sake, because on the scales of Islam, they are criminals, not brothers.

Brothers in Jihad, martyrdom-seeking, and Ribat in Palestine: how have you benefited from agreeing to rule by the constitution and secular laws? Here you are: placed under embargo, all sorts of pressures applied against you, your leaders targeted for killing, and the blood of your Shaykhs spilled in the mosques by the secular, Palestine-selling spies and "brothers."

For the sake of what have you abandoned ruling by Shari'ah? For the sake of a government whose president cannot come in until he is searched at the Rafah crossing, prevented from entering and made to sit on the pavement in the winter cold as he awaits the mediation of the Egyptians (also "brothers") with the Israeli defense minister so he can be permitted to enter? Is it for the sake of this farcical government that you abandoned the rule of Shari'ah and killed the Islamic doctrine of loyalty and disloyalty?

Brothers in Jihad, Ribat and martyrdom-seeking, freedom and a sovereign government will only be achieved if you liberate Palestine from the Jews and their agents, and only if you set up a government which rules by Shari'ah. Otherwise, the soap opera of embargoes and pursuits and killings and denunciations will just go on and on.

Because I hope that the nationalists and leftists will return to the truth, I call on all of them to ask themselves: who is today confronting America and Israel? Who spoiled their criminal plans in Afghanistan and Iraq? Isn't it the Mujahideen? And because I am eager for them to avoid losing out in this world and the next, I call on all of them to return to Islam and join the march of Jihad in Allah's path against the fiercest Crusade in history. And I emphasize to them that they will only find honor in Islam and Jihad.

My Muslim Ummah, the duty of each one of us today is to fight in Allah's path and bear arms. And the one who is unable to bear arms must serve those who bear arms, fulfill their requests, and deafen his ears to the sayings of the promoters of demoralization and desertion, who enjoy official protection.

And on the basis of the facts I know, I call on my Muslim brothers to go forth to Afghanistan, Iraq, Algeria and Somalia, because your brothers the Mujahideen are in need of men, money, materiel, opinion, expertise and information.

Is it right that the people of the Cross summon each other from all corners to combine their forces and funds in Iraq and Afghanistan, while there emerges from us those who seek to come between the Muslims and their going to help their Mujahid brothers? Haven't they heard that Bush is determined to send 20,000 more troops to Iraq, even if Congress opposes him? So what is our reply to him? Allah suffices us and He is the best of protectors.

Regrettably, when these demoralizers found it easy to be silent about the presence of Crusader forces in their lands, and found it easy for these forces to set out from their lands to strike the Muslims without them moving a finger, and indeed, found it easy to justify their presence and daub it with legitimacy, they found it even easier to prevent their people from going to help their neighbors.

So O Muslim brothers, go forth, and don't be of those who stay behind. Go forth, and don't be of those who refrain. Go forth, and don't be of those who tarry. The Truth, Blessed and Exalted is He, says, " O you who believe! What is the matter with you, that , when you are asked to go forth in the cause of Allah , you cling heavily to the earth ? Do you prefer the life of this world to the hereafter ? But little is the comfort of this life as compared with the hereafter . Unless you go forth, He will punish you with a painful punishment , and put others in your place . But Him you would not harm in the least , for Allah has power over all things." (9:38-39)

And the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said on the day of the Conquest of Makkah, "There is no emigration [from Makkah] after the Conquest, but rather Jihad and intention, so if you are called up, then go forth." (Tirmidhi #1516)

As I close my talk, I ask Allah to bless the lions of Iraq who broke America's back and spoiled its plans, and are today confronting the Crusaders and their aides, the religion-traders and secularist collaborators of the Jews and callers to partisanship who deceive their Kurdish brothers by telling them that the Mujahideen are their Arab enemies. Allah suffices us against them and their slander. And I ask Allah to unite the Mujahideen - Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen - on the word of Tawheed and on Jihad in Allah's path against their enemies, the Crusaders and Zionists. And I ask Him to bring together the hearts of the Mujahideen in Iraq on the heart of one man, lest they fail and their strength depart. And I ask Him to aid with His help and guidance the fledgling Islamic State of Iraq, and to guide its Mujahid Amir, Abu Umar al-Baghdadi (may Allah protect him), to what He loves and is pleased with, and to consolidate this state so that it unites all our Mujahid and Muslim brothers in Iraq and so that it sets up over Iraq of the Caliphate a Mujahid Islamic state which will proceed to liberate Jerusalem and take steps towards the reestablishment of the Caliphate state which the Crusaders and their helpers toppled.

I also send my greetings to the lions of Islam in Somalia, and I ask Allah to strengthen their hearts, bestow on them tranquility and resolve, and grant them victory and conquest. And I congratulate them on the appearance of the good omens of victory, for here are the Ethiopian forces - slaves of America - beginning their flight from Somalia, the den of the lions of Islam. And I call on them to be resolute on the truth, and not to concern themselves with the propaganda of the Crusaders and their lackeys, and to consider what was attributed to our honorable brother Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed (may Allah free him) as mere propaganda meant to discourage them from Jihad. These statements, even if confirmed, have no legal validity, for the captive is considered to be under duress and lacking choice and competence. We ask Allah to free him and all Muslim captives soon.

I also send greetings and a message of support to our brothers, the lions of Islam in the western garrisons of Islam, who stand - with their resolve, sacrifice and constant giving, by the grace of Allah - as an impregnable dam in the face of the treasonous sons of France who are trying to spread Crusader domination to Algeria of Islam, Jihad and Ribat, and who are trying in vain to exonerate France's hunting dogs who bit the flesh of the Muslims with their plan to make peace with the Mujahideen. I ask Allah to make firm your feet, to guide you to obey Him and to bestow on you His aid and victory, so that you liberate the Maghreb of Islam and raise the banner of Jihad and Islam to flutter in victory over its land, and so that Allah favors you to stand with your washed feet on stolen Spain - soon, Allah willing.

I also call on our Muslim Ummah in the Maghreb of Islam to stand with its righteous sons who are defending its religion and sacred things, and I call on it to confront with everything in its power the treasonous rulers who sold us out for seats of power. And I call in particular on our people in Mauritania of Ribat and Jihad, Mauritania of knowledge and faith, and Mauritania of Arabism and Islam, to make a sincere Jihadi stand in the face of the treasonous rulers who recognized Israel and betrayed the Ummah in one of its most holy places and most serious issues. I call on every sincere and jealous Mauritanian, young or old, man or woman, scholar or thinker, inviter or Mujahid, to aid Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him). I call on them by the right of La Ilaha Illa Allah and love of the Messenger of Allah to hurry to aid Islam in their land, and to expel from it the embassy of the trespasser Jews, and to apply in it the laws of the Noble Shari'ah and suppress in it every enemy of Islam and Muslims.

I send to dearest Mauritania

A Salaam like a fragrant perfume

A greeting of a loving advisor of yours

Who sees that his advice is sound

So don't lay down your weapon, for in it

Your people of religion play a part

By your defending his dear ones from disaster

When they find no one to reply to them

And don't keep for Zion an ambassador

In Shinqeet, as a bad neighbor and a wolf

And heed a call from the land of al-Aqsa

A call of one long sad, suffering and distressed

And treat from its pulpits a bleeding

Which covers the earth in a bloody cascade

So will help be found in your sense of honor?

And will a reply be found in your bravery?

I also greet the lions of Islam, the Murabiteen in the garrisons in Chechnya, the Philippines, Indonesia, Kashmir and all frontlines of Islam in defense of Islam and Muslims.

I also greet my brothers in shackles everywhere, chief among them our perseverant, reward-seeking Shaykh Umar Abd al-Rahman and all our patient brothers in Guantanamo, America's secret prisons, and the dungeons of its agents in our countries, and I call on them to be patient, because liberty is at hand, Allah willing. And I ask Allah to protect them and steady and strengthen them in the face of the carrot-and-stick policy of America's slaves, who want them to join the caravan of the lost and misguided backsliders. I ask Allah to steady us and all our Mujahid and captive brothers and all Muslims on the truth which He is pleased with, so that we meet Him unchanged.

I also send my greetings and those of my brothers to the Murabit lion of Islam, our Amir and Amir-ul-Mumineen Mulla Muhammad Umar, may Allah protect him and aid him against His enemies, the Crusaders and their aides, the CIA employee Karzai and the killer of Muslims and destroyer of mosques in Islamabad, Musharraf.

I also call on the Muslims in Afghanistan and its neighbors, especially in Pakistan, to discharge their duty towards the Mujahideen and come to their aid with money, manpower, opinion and expertise, to confront the Crusaders' assault on the Muslims, and to obey their Lord, the Glorious and Exalted, who commanded them thus: "Go forth , [whether equipped] lightly or heavily , and strive and struggle with your goods and your persons in the cause of Allah. That is best for you, if you but knew." (9:41)

I also thank my brothers working in Islamic Jihadi media for their blessed efforts which have deprived the Crusaders, Zionists and their aides of sleep. And I call on them to continue their blessed giving with Allah's help, and to combine their efforts and concentrate on the critical issues, especially the issue of the treasonous religion-traders who sell the lands of Islam to the Crusaders in the name of Islam and in pursuit of illegitimate wealth. I also call on them to encourage the Ummah to go forth with men and money to the fields of Jihad, and to reveal to their Ummah just how ugly the crimes of the corruptive rulers really are; those rulers who neither respect in us kinship nor covenants in order to please their masters in Washington and Tel Aviv. And I ask Allah to protect our brothers in media, take care of them and guide them, and to give victory through them to His religion, Book and believing slaves.

And our final prayer is that all praise is due to Allah , Lord of the worlds, and may peace and prayers be on our master Muhammad and upon his family and companions