The Doctor Is In (Yet Again): Ayman al-Zawahiri’s Latest Communiqué

Over the weekend another tape from the al-Qa`idah second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, hit the airwaves. A point-by-point analysis follows: 1

al-Zawahiri opens by praising Allah for the “Crusader” defeats of the last four years, which portend that “the Empire of Evil is about to come to an end” and “a new dawn is about to rise…over a mankind liberated from the Caesars of the White House, Europe and the Zionists.”  His only quibble with the Democrat-controlled Congress’s recent attempts to force President Bush to withdraw American troops from Iraq is “that they only get out after losing two hundred to three hundred thousand killed….”  al-Zawahiri echoes Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), Majority Leader, in stating that  “this bill reflects American failure….” 

Continuing on, Dr. al-Zawahiri steadfastly maintains that “the Jihad in Iraq today…is moving…to the stage of consolidating a Mujahid Islamic Emirate which will liberate the homelands of Islam…and raise the banner of Jihad…towards the environs of Jerusalem….”  Rather than a surge containing jihadists, al-Qa`idah envisions a surge out of Iraq all the way to al-Quds (the Arabic name for Jerusalem).  However, one might question the confidence about jihadist prospects for defeating the Americans in Iraq, considering that al-Zawahiri decries the “ones who joined their ranks and formed the [Iraqi] security forces, special forces and army units which the Americans have sicced on the Mujahideen and the rest of the Muslims….”  As Max Boot points out, based on evidence gathered during his most recent trip to Iraq “the ISOF [Iraqi Special Operations Forces] soldiers are already the most experienced and probably the most skilled special operators in the entire Arab world.”2   If the Iraqi government forces weren’t a concern to al-Qa`idah in Iraq, why moan about them?

One of the most fascinating aspects of this missive is al-Zawahiri’s appeal to pan-Islamic unity by invoking Ali—Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law—and his sons Hasan and Husayn; all are beloved of Shi`is and not normally lionized by Sunnis. Of course, this is done in such as way to vilify the majority Shi`a in Iraq who are cooperating with the Americans to construct a functioning government and society: “would they [Ali, Hasan, Husayn] have been sympathetic to the Crusader invaders, become part of their…policy and army, and begged for the continuation of their occupation? Or would they have declared Jihad against them?”  al-Zawahiri reminds that the Qur’an itself says “O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors….”3   And, echoing the American Left, there’s this: “I warn everyone…that the Crusaders are departing by their own admission—and soon.”

Also echoing (and exploiting) the American Left, al-Zawahiri alleges that the new Bush security plan for Iraq “bears its fruits in his pockets and the pockets of Halliburton.”

al-Zawahiri spends several pages excoriating the Palestinian leadership for the recent Mecca negotiations, saying that Hamas, in league with Mahmud Abbas, has sold its territory “for a third of the cabinet with a fourth of sovereignty on a tenth of a homeland.” And he continues condemning all negotiations with the Israelis: “My brother: fie on moderation, politics, the [Palestinian?] presidency and the cabinet, and I thank Allah for the bounty of extremism, militancy and terrorism and everything else we are labeled with….” And he adds “I ask the leadership of Hamas…not to turn away from the rule of Shari`ah [Islamic law], and to only agree to participate in elections on the basis of an Islamic constitution…. “ He also ridicules “the culture of concession and methodology of backtracking” exemplified by stooges like Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and King `Abd Allah of Jordan.

A novel salient herein is an attempt to play the race card against the United States.  al-Zawahiri appeals to, and quotes, Malcolm X a number of times--even adding “May Allah have mercy on him,” a phrase usually reserved for prophets and martyrs. The doctor of jihad claims that “I am hurt when I find a black American fighting the Muslims under the American flag. Why is he fighting us when the racist Crusader regime in America is persecuting him like it persecutes us….?”  al-Zawahiri seems not to have heard of the Civil War, Emancipation Proclamation or Voting Rights Act—or perhaps, like some in America, he finds it convenient to ignore their existence and undeniable positive effects.  And lest any Republicans try to hold out Colin Powell, “the liar of the Security Council,” and Condoleezza Rice as examples of black Americans’ progress—well, as has been said before by some in this country, those two are simply “house slaves.” 

Also novel, yet even more brazen (and ridiculous) than al-Zawahiri’s attempt to play Jesse Jackson is his trying on the Che Guevara mantle.  “I want blacks in America, people of color, American Indians, Hispanics, and all the weak and oppressed in North and South America, in Africa and Asia, and all over the world, to know that when we wage Jihad in Allah’s path, we aren’t waging Jihad to lift oppression from the Muslims only, we are waging Jihad to lift oppression from all of mankind….”  I wasn’t sure whether to break into a chorus of “Love Train” by the O’Jays, or “Peace Train” by the former Cat Stevens.  Since the latter is now of course Yusuf Islam, his tune would be more appropriate—except that what he meant by “peace” back in the 1970s is not exactly what the Dr. al-Zawahiri means today—which is Islamic rule over the Middle East and, eventually, the entire planet.  As ridiculous as it may seem for the chief operating officer of the world’s foremost terrorist organization to claim he’s fighting for non-Muslims, this is an idea that may, unfortunately, be gaining traction.  Recall that Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Mahmud Ahmadinezhad of Iran have been spending a lot of time together, creating a united anti-American front that may very well have room in it for al-Zawahiri—and thus for Usama bin Ladin.  And no doubt several, if not all, of those men harbor fantasies about becoming Brutus to the American Caesar.