Commander of Fath Al-Islam in Palestine: Palestinians' War with the Jews is Part of Global Jihad
An audio recording posted February 12, 2008 on the Islamist website Al-Hesba (hosted by NOC4Hosts Inc. in Florida, USA) featured a 21-minute address by Abu 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Ghazzawi, who, according to the accompanying message, is the commander of Fath Al-Islam in Palestine.
In his address, Al-Ghazzawi (whose name means "from Gaza") urges the Palestinians to participate in the war against "the unbelievers, headed by the U.S., Europe and Iran" who are attacking Islam. He stresses that they must begin by fighting the Jews, who are their nearest enemies.
It should be noted that Al-Ghazzawi refers to the commander of Fath Al-Islam in Lebanon, Shaker Al-'Absi, as "our sheikh," which suggests that the organization in Gaza is connected to Fath Al-Islam in Lebanon.
The following are excerpts from the address:
"We do not follow [the dictates] of the Shi'ite state [i.e. Iran] or the 'Alawi state [i.e. Syria]. We reject tyrants... like those who adhere to democracy, socialism and secularism. Hence, we will begin our battle in Palestine, [with the help of both] the muhajirun [foreign fighters] and the ansar [the local fighters]... uniting our ranks and our opinions... in a war of faith... against the Jews. The war against the nearest enemy [i.e. the Jews] is the most urgent [one]...
"We say to our sheikh, Shaker [Al-'Absi], as well as to Osama [bin Laden], Ayman [Al-Zawahiri] and Abu Omar [Al-Baghdadi]: 'Set forth with Allah's blessing and fight – and we shall fight at your side. Oh Muslims [worldwide] and people of Gaza......
Posted at:
February 14, 2008
