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 [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Zawahiri’
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
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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 [...]
Response To Rob At The Shack
Posted: 5th December 2008 by Will McCants in AQ Leadership, Arab media, Egypt, Uncategorized, ZawahiriTags: Sayyid Imam, Zawahiri
We’re probably now at the point of diminishing returns, but the issue of Jihadi revisions is important enough to work through the particulars until it’s clear what’s fact, what’s unproven, and what’s merely a matter of taste. It’s important not just for assessing the impact of Sayyid Imam’s work but for understanding how ideological challenges [...]
Assessing The Impact Of Jihadi Revisionists
Posted: 3rd December 2008 by Will McCants in Arab media, Egypt, Uncategorized, ZawahiriTags: Sayyid Imam, Zawahiri
Rob at Media Shack has posted a summary of a discussion on al-`Arabiyya’s “Death Industry.”  Of interest to him (and me) is Montasir Zayat’s assessment of Sayyid Imam’s latest book (Zayat only read the first one and a half chapters).  Here’s Rob’s take: In Zayat’s view, what’s being printed now in Al-Masri Al-Youm is a [...]
The Denudation Of The Exoneration: Part 13 (Final)
Posted: 2nd December 2008 by Will McCants in AQ Leadership, Bin Laden, Egypt, Hezbollah, Uncategorized, ZawahiriTags: Bin Laden, Sayyid Imam, Zawahiri
Sayyid Imam wraps up his new book today. Â Much of his final criticism is aimed at Bin Laden, whom he describes as incurious and incapable of holding himself accountable for his errors. Â Regarding the latter, Imam compares Bin Laden negatively to Hassan Nasrallah, who apologized and offered compensation to the Lebanese civilians whose homes had [...]
The Impact Of The Denudation
Posted: 1st December 2008 by Will McCants in Egypt, ZawahiriTags: Sayyid Imam, Zawahiri
When Sayyid Imam’s first book was released serially last year, CT pundits were split. Â Some, like Lawrence Wright and Peter Bergen, said it was evidence of a serious fissure in the Jihadi Movement and would further divide it. Â Others, like Michael Scheuer, said it was neither evidence of a fissure nor would it divide the [...]
The Denudation Of The Exoneration: Part 12
Posted: 1st December 2008 by Will McCants in AQ Leadership, Egypt, Iraq, ZawahiriTags: Sayyid Imam, Zawahiri
 Sayyid Imam has some surprising things to say about Sayyid Qutb and some interesting speculation on Zawahiri’s tenuous position in al-Qaeda.  He also observes that Libyan and Mauritanian students serve as Zawahiri’s primary research assistants.  I don’t know about their nationalities, but there’s no doubt Zawahiri has research assistants (as do many productive academics). [...]
The Denudation Of The Exoneration: Part 11
Posted: 30th November 2008 by Will McCants in Egypt, ZawahiriTags: Sayyid Imam, Zawahiri
In today’s installment, Sayyid Imam issues another mubahala, this time concerning the publication of his Compendium. Â You’ll have to look at Zawahiri’s Exoneration to really understand what Sayyid Imam is reacting to, but in short he believes that Zawahiri plagarized his book. Â There’s also some pointed barbs about Zawahiri’s hunger for media attention. Â Imam connects [...]
The Denudation Of The Exoneration: Part 10
Posted: 29th November 2008 by Will McCants in Afghanistan, AQ Leadership, Bin Laden, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, ZawahiriTags: Sayyid Imam, Zawahiri
 Amidst the personal attacks on Zawahiri in part 10, Sayyid Imam mentions a few more interesting historical tidbits.  First, he notes the opposition of two prominent Jihadis, Abu Mus`ab al-Suri and `Abd al-Rahman al-Kindi (died in 2003), to the attacks on the U.S.  He also discloses that Zawahiri’s imprisoned brother, Muhammad, has been trying [...]
The Denudation Of The Exoneration: Part 9
Posted: 28th November 2008 by Will McCants in AQ Leadership, Egypt, Uncategorized, ZawahiriTags: Sayyid Imam, Zawahiri
Today, Sayyid Imam treats the issue of Palestine, arguing that a peace treaty with Israel is Islamically legitimate. Â Although Imam also indicates that he wants it to be under Muslim control again, he argues that it won’t happen until the caliphate is reestablished. Â In addition to the Palestinian issue, Sayyid Imam also explains more [...]