With the Arab Spring going strong in several countries, al-Qaida (in a broad sense, so including ideologues and scholars supportive of the organisation) still finds it necessary to comment on what is happening. In a series of posts, I will deal with the advice al-Qaida is giving the people of several countries, starting with Syria. [...]
Archive for the ‘Zawahiri’ Category
Al-Qaida advises the Arab Spring: Syria
Posted: 19th November 2011 by Joas Wagemakers in AQ Central, AQ Leadership, Jihadi media, Syria, Zawahiri10
In a statement released online nine hours ago via the Fajr Media Center and dated June 2011, the General Command of al-Qaeda declared its decision to appoint Ayman al-Zawahiri the new head of al-Qaeda. This move was not unanticipated except by those with strange Awlaki/Libi fixations. Leah Farrall guessed it would be so on organizational [...]
Sayf al-’Adl and al-Qa’ida’s Historical Leadership
Posted: 18th May 2011 by Vahid Brown in AQ Central, AQ Leadership, Uncategorized, ZawahiriIn light of the widely reported news that Sayf al-‘Adl (also spelled Saif al-Adel) has taken the reins of operational leadership within al-Qa’ida in the wake of the death of Osama bin Laden, I thought it would be useful to Jihadica’s readers to provide a bit of context about this man and about the significance, [...]
Al-Qa’ida Publicy Cements Ties to the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan
Posted: 14th October 2009 by Vahid Brown in Jihadi media, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, Pakistan, ZawahiriThe official al-Qa’ida media outlet al-Sahab has released a flurry of videos in the past two weeks featuring leaders of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), both living and dead, in what amounts to a media campaign announcing their open alliance with Pakistan’s deadliest militant network. On September 28, Zawahiri’s video eulogy for the slain TTP [...]
Allow me to briefly go back to the last Zawahiri interview, put on-line through Sahab media on 5 August 2009. To my knowledge, this is the first time Bin Laden’s deputy has expressed such articulate hatred for France: “France claims secularism, while her heart pours grudge towards Islam. Napoleon Bonaparte announced his famous statement to [...]
Bin Ladin in Trouble?
Posted: 3rd June 2009 by Thomas Hegghammer in AQ Leadership, Bin Laden, ZawahiriThis morning al-Jazeera aired segments of a Bin Ladin audiotape which most international media are reading in the context of Obama’s Middle East tour, which started today. This is despite the fact that the statement seems to say nothing at all about the President’s tour, but talks instead about the Swat campaign in Pakistan. Bin [...]
Back
Posted: 26th March 2009 by Thomas Hegghammer in AQ in Iraq, Bin Laden, China, Islamic State of Iraq, Jihadi media, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, propaganda, Somalia, Yemen, ZawahiriI have been busy the past two weeks, but the jihadis have been busier. Bin Ladin has issued two audio statements, one proposing practical steps to liberate Palestine and the other about the treacherous government in Somalia. Al-Zawahiri warned against the forthcoming Crusader attack on Sudan, while Mustafa Abu al-Yazid has addressed the people of [...]
Bin Laden And Zawahiri Not Sharing Talking Points
Posted: 14th January 2009 by Will McCants in AQ Leadership, Bin Laden, Hamas, Israel, Palestinian Territories, ZawahiriIt’s interesting to compare Bin Laden’s new statement on Gaza with Zawahiri’s of last week. Of course the overarching message–jihad now!–is the same. But unlike Zawahiri, Bin Laden doesn’t mock Obama, he doesn’t echo Zawahiri’s call for demonstrations in Egypt (Bin Laden says demonstrations are useless), and he takes a slightly more conciliatory view of [...]
New Zawahiri Statement: Obama Is Killing Muslims In Gaza
Posted: 6th January 2009 by Will McCants in Egypt, Israel, Palestinian Territories, Uncategorized, ZawahiriTags: Gaza, Zawahiri
An audio statement by Zawahiri was just posted to the forums. Here’s a summary: Bin Laden swore he would keep fighting until Palestine and Muslim lands are free of foreign occupiers. The Israeli attacks are Obama’s “gift” to the Palestinians before he takes office. President Mubarak of Egypt is an accomplice in this slaughter since [...]
More On Sayyid Imam’s Effectiveness
Posted: 11th December 2008 by Will McCants in Arab media, Egypt, Uncategorized, ZawahiriTags: Sayyid Imam, Zawahiri
Monika Maslikowski has a smart take on Sayyid Imam’s communication strategy vs. that of Zawahiri (it’s part of a larger assessment of the latter’s stumbles as a communicator this year). She seconds my argument that Imam’s personal attacks on Zawahiri are effective because “Zawahiri’s success as a leader is dependent on whether or not he [...]