TERRORISM: SAUDI AL-QAEDA NOT INCLINED TO SUPPORT HEZBOLLAH
Riyadh, 31 July (AKI) - Al-Qaeda representatives in Saudi Arabia are refusing to toe the line with the group's leadership in supporting the Lebanese Shiite group, Hezbollah, judging by the views expressed by an on-line publication purportedly expressing the views of Saudi Sunni jihadists. "Support for Hezbollah, and its eventual victory would cause enormous problems for our relationship with the people," according to the latest issue of "The Voice of Jihad".
Such views appear sharply at odds with those expressed by al-Qaeda's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, who in an appeal televised by Arab satellite television station al-Jazeera last week, called on Sunni Muslims to help their Shiite brother from Hezbollah fight the Israelis.
The anti-Hezbollah stance in the Voice of Jihad article, which is signed by someone identifying himself as Attah Najed, is in line with that taken by the Wahabi current of Saudi Islam whose leaders last week issued a Fatwa, or religious edict, forbidding any support for Hezbollah.
"If the Shiite ardour in the fight against the Jews were to increase to the point where they are able to defeat them, then the supporters of Hezbollah will increase and perhaps many will join them (Hezbollah) and this should never happen," Najed wrote in the article which has been posted on a number of extremist Islamist sites on the Internet.
The article also describes "Hezbollah's war" as one that represents Iran which "when our brothers left Afghanistan following the American invasion [in 2001] and sought refuge there, they were arrested by the Iranian secret services and held in custody".
"We musn't enter the war but we should rather let the conflict damage both sides (Hezbollah and Israel). In the meantime the Jihadi cells must prepare the next phase of the conflict by collecting weapons, money, maps and also support Lebanon's Sunni community," said the article.
Such views appear sharply at odds with those expressed by al-Qaeda's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, who in an appeal televised by Arab satellite television station al-Jazeera last week, called on Sunni Muslims to help their Shiite brother from Hezbollah fight the Israelis.
The anti-Hezbollah stance in the Voice of Jihad article, which is signed by someone identifying himself as Attah Najed, is in line with that taken by the Wahabi current of Saudi Islam whose leaders last week issued a Fatwa, or religious edict, forbidding any support for Hezbollah.
"If the Shiite ardour in the fight against the Jews were to increase to the point where they are able to defeat them, then the supporters of Hezbollah will increase and perhaps many will join them (Hezbollah) and this should never happen," Najed wrote in the article which has been posted on a number of extremist Islamist sites on the Internet.
The article also describes "Hezbollah's war" as one that represents Iran which "when our brothers left Afghanistan following the American invasion [in 2001] and sought refuge there, they were arrested by the Iranian secret services and held in custody".
"We musn't enter the war but we should rather let the conflict damage both sides (Hezbollah and Israel). In the meantime the Jihadi cells must prepare the next phase of the conflict by collecting weapons, money, maps and also support Lebanon's Sunni community," said the article.
posted by Marko at 7/31/2006 10:18:00 AM
<< Home