Monday, January 17, 2005

Zarqawi's image problem with...fanatical Muslim fundamentalists: It has become clear that there is utter revulsion in the Muslim world, and even--or particularly--among Muslim fundamentalists in the Middle East region, with the discousre and brutal deeds of Abu Mus`ab Az-Zarqawi. His bloody record has caused revulsion in the Middle East media. But I could not believe it when I read yesterday a letter by Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi (who is a theoretical guru among many fanatical fundamentalists and his book of takfir of Saudi Arabia's royal family is the textbook for the Bin Landenite although he was of the view that hitting the enemy "here"(Middle East) is better than hitting the enemy "there (West)." Abu Muhamad met Abu Mus`ab in Pishawar and then they spent time in jail together, and they formed a group, the head of which was Abu Muhammad, and Abu Mus`ab later became its Amir. In this letter, Abu Muhammad fondly remembers Abu Mus`ab but then proceeds to gently chastise him and warns against violent acts against Shi`ites, Christians, and sternly warns against spilling the blood of fellow Muslims in Iraq, which Zarqawi has been doing with zeal. He also mentions in passing that Abu Mus`ab is not "that student who is advanced in [religious] science." He complains about "widespread chaos" in Iraq which "is intended to distort the image of Jihad, and its glowing image, from car explosions or detonating explosives in public streets or shelling mortars or the like in streets and markets, and other public gathering places for Muslims." He seems to be reminding Abu Mus`ab of the strict rules of Jihad combat, and this Abu Muhammad is no moderate. This shows, I think, that Abu Mus`ab is now despised by Muslims, as he should be.