CAIRO: Those who seek the truth and secrets of the mujahideen should read the document published a few days ago by Sayed Imam Al-Sharif, previously known as Dr. Fadl. I will not get into too much detail about the document, but I would like to highlight some points that shape their main gist. Sayed Imam is one of the leaders of the first jihadist generation and a co-founder of Islamic Jihad in the late 1970s, which he led from 1987. He has published two important books, "Al-'Umda fi I'dad Al-'Udda (The Essentials of Preparing for Jihad) in 1988, considered to be the constitution for jihadist groups around the world. The second is "Al-Jami' fi Talab Al-Ilm Al-Sharif (A Compendium for the Pursuit of Divine Knowledge) in 1993. It is said that Ayman Al-Zawahri edited the book before publishing it in episodes in the Mujahideen Review, which was released in London at the time. This led Sayed Imam to leave the organization and migrate to Yemen. It was then that Al-Zawahri took over the leadership of the Jihad Organization. In November 2007, Sayed Imam issued a document called "Wathiqat Tarshid Al-'Amal Al-Jihadi fi Misr wal-'Alam (Guidance Document for Jihad Activity in Egypt and the World). In it, he backtracked on many of his takfiri and jihadist ideas that had led to the massacre of thousands in both in the Arab world and beyond. Some observers regarded it as an unprecedented document, while others went as far as claiming that it will end the use of violence worldwide, which certainly did not happen. Last March, Al-Zawahri issued a letter titled "Al-Tabri'ah (Disavowing) in which he mocked the reviews of Sayed Imam, interpreting them as the results of pressure imposed by Egyptian security bodies and the CIA. He accused Sayed Imam of trying to discourage the mujahideen for personal gain to secure a release from prison. A few months later, Sayed Imam drafted a reply to Al-Zawahri entitled "Al-Ta'riyah Likitab Al-Tabri'ah (Exposing the 'Disavowing' Book) which runs in parts in Asharq Alawsat daily newspaper. In this book, Sayed Imam not only responded to Al-Zawahri from a "jurisprudential point of view, but insulted and accused him explicitly of collaboration. The most important thing Sayed Imam said was that Al-Zawahri is an "international liar and accused him of plotting with the Sudanese in the early 1990s to carry out ten operations in Egypt in exchange for $100,000. He further accused Al-Zawahri of distorting the various interpretations concerning jihad for profligate bloodshed, killing thousands of innocent civilians, adding that Bin Laden and Al-Zawahri have turned the war with the United States into a personal issue not a public one that must mobilize the whole Islamic nation to defend it. Sayed Imam's new documents are not simply a review of previous ideas and views, but rather "a list charges against Al-Zawahri. We should not be surprised if the latter issues another letter leveling new charges against Imam. It must also be said that the recent publications by Sayed Imam reveal the amount of ignorance and backwardness that characterizes our societies, our culture and our youth, who are easily impressed by fictitious heroes, who are no more than a handful of reckless and misguided souls. Hopefully our satellite channels and their commentators will stop glorifying these jihadists or exaggerating their letters, especially after they have been exposed to the public. Khalil Al-Ananiis an Egyptian expert on political Islam and democratization in the Middle East and is a senior fellow at Al-Ahram Foundation. E-mail: [email protected]
