Al Qaeda chief compares Muslim Brotherhood to chicken, calls on Muslims to behave like “lions

Share:

zawahiri, al Qaeda
As Sahab, al Qaeda’s propaganda arm, released a new message from Ayman al Zawahiri yesterday. Zawahiri’s speech is apparently the first of a series titled, “Brief Messages to a Victorious Ummah [worldwide community of Muslims].” In the inaugural episode, Zawahiri asks: “Who Will Defend the Koran?”

Osama bin Laden’s successor offers a blistering critique of Islamists who compromise with rulers. Zawahiri even compares members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to chickens, according to a translation obtained by The Long War Journal. He likens the Brotherhood to a “poultry farm,” which raises “chickens” to be pleased “with what they are given,” but leaves them “ignorant” of the predatory threats that surround them.

Zawahiri says the Arab Spring has “failed” in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen, while the fate of Libya remains uncertain. His assessment of Yemen is curious as al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) continues to wage a prolific insurgency and also ruled over a large swath of territory in the southern part of the country for approximately one year. AQAP withdrew from the port city of Mukalla and other areas earlier this year, but still maintains control of some areas. In Libya, as well, the jihadists continue to fight on. However, al Qaeda-affiliated groups such as Ansar al Sharia, which is backed by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, have suffered setbacks.

Only in the Levant does Zawahiri see success. He believes that “victory” is within reach in Syria. Zawahiri makes no mention of Al Nusrah Front’s recent relaunch as Jabhat Fath Al Sham (“Conquest of the Levant Front”). This move was widely reported as Nusra’s “split” or “break” from al Qaeda, but that assessment is inaccurate for many reasons. For instance, Zawahiri’s own deputy helped orchestrate the move.

Zawahiri’s native Egypt dominates his thinking in his latest message. He claims to trace the Muslim Brotherhood’s faults back to Hassan al Banna, who founded the organization in the late 1920s. Although Zawahiri respects Banna, referring to him as a martyr and a brilliant preacher, he critiques Banna’s “errors.” Specifically, Zawahiri claims that Banna was too submissive to King Fuad of Egypt, who ruled until 1936, as well as his son and successor, King Farouk, who reigned until 1952. Farouk was overthrown in a military coup by Gamal Abdel Nasser and other members of the Free Officers movement, with Nasser later serving as Egypt’s president.

The al Qaeda leader says that both Fuad and Farouk served the British “occupiers” and ruled according to a “secular constitution.”

According to Zawahiri, Banna pledged allegiance to Farouk on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood and even referred to Farouk as “Amir ul Mumineen,” or the Commander of the Faithful, a title usually reserved for the Muslim caliph. The Brotherhood’s members allegedly promised to serve as Farouk’s “soldiers.” Zawahiri goes on to criticize Banna and his Brotherhood for initially pretending that Egypt’s secular constitution was consistent with Islamic rule and participating in parliamentary elections. Only late in life did Banna understand the error of his ways, Zawahiri claims. The al Qaeda leader cites an article Banna wrote in which he explained that Egyptian law was not consistent with sharia and, therefore, Egypt was not an Islamic state.

Even after Banna’s death, Zawahiri says, the Muslim Brotherhood acted like hypocrites in their dealings with Farouk. They then allied with Nasser against Farouk, but Nasser “turned against them.” Regardless, the Brothers then “allied” themselves with Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and his successor, Hosni Mubarak.

Zawahiri accuses the modern Brotherhood of surpassing Banna’s errors. He says that Mohamed Morsi won the Egyptian presidency in 2012 only after the Brotherhood promised it would abide by existing agreements with America and Israel and wouldn’t implement sharia without the electorate’s consent. Zawahiri accuses the Muslim Brotherhood of adopting secularism, saying Morsi was nothing more than a “secular leader” because the Brotherhood supposedly did nothing to sweep away the Egyptian government’s corrupt system, which is run by “foxes and wolves.” Zawahiri then compares the Brotherhood to a chicken farm.

Of course, Zawahiri offers a selective reading of history. He has long been critical of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists who do not adopt al Qaeda’s methodology for waging jihad. His message is al Qaeda’s latest broadside against these Islamists. In addition to the Brotherhood, Zawahiri asks viewers what they think will come of the Ennahda party in Tunisia and the Salafis sponsored by the Saudi monarchy, implying that they are doomed to fail as well.

Interestingly, Zawahiri does not criticize Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, or his party. Perhaps Zawahiri knows that some of his most trusted compatriots enjoy a safe haven in Turkey, which has also supported Al Nusrah and like-minded groups in the war against Bashar al Assad’s regime.

Zawahiri calls on Muslims to behave like “lions,” who are willing to wage battle according to Islamic texts. The Muslim youth should be raised like lion “cubs,” not “lambs,” al Qaeda’s leader says.

LWJ

Share:

Comments

22 responses to “Al Qaeda chief compares Muslim Brotherhood to chicken, calls on Muslims to behave like “lions”

  1. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    Ehhh Man … Nice revisioning and ‘UpDating’.

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar
        5thDrawer

        Semi-Gregorian Chants as backgrounders to propaganda is a little old. Doesn’t even allow the ‘music’ to be appreciated. 😉 A poor video ‘production’.
        But we can assume they REALLY HATE being shot by the Kurdish Ladies. :-)))

        1. Hind Abyad Avatar
          Hind Abyad

          No wonder Saudi army has to pay foreigners to help..hah..hah..

          1. That is fvcking hilarious.

  2. A Western dog encouraging Muslims to be more violent – great.

    No wonder keeping the Muslim World backwards was always one of the UK’s top priority since the late 1800s.

    1. Muslim do not need any help in being more violent, it seems to come very naturally.

      1. Look at the Brits and the Americans before pointing a finger, master bigot.

          1. I respect everyone’s religious beliefs (Christian, Judaic, Muslim, etc). To me, Hezbollah is like the IRA (Irish Republican Army), one can support them without any religious affiliations. Hezbollah and Shias in Lebanon have been far more closer to Christians than Sunnis: (http://thesaker.is/a-very-telling-picture-of-a-hezbollah-fighter/) Putting words in my mouth in telling me what I support and who my masters are is laughable. I don’t support religious extremism regardless of what the religion is. For the record, I was born and raised Maronite Christian.

            About your link: Al Arabiya is a Saudi-owned pan-Arab television news channel broadcast in Modern Standard Arabic. — A Saudi Arabia news site pointing the finger at Iran about capital punishment? Really?

            Lastly, how many millions has the West killed since WWI? What about capital punishment in the USA where 30+ states still allow it?

          2. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            You read Wahhabi rags? Here is what you support.. immoral sordid secrets..

            “In 2008, Cook published Israel and the Clash of Civilizations: Iraq, Iran and the plan to remake the Middle East, published by Pluto Press.[11] Of the book, Antony Loewenstein wrote that, “Cook bravely skewers the mainstream narrative of a Jewish state constantly striving for peace with the Palestinians.” According to Lowenstein, Cook argues that Israel “pursues policies that lead to civil war and partition,” and that this idea of dissolving many of the nations of the Middle East, shared by the neocons and the Bush administration, was developed by Israel’s security establishment in the – 1980s [12] Cook discusses an essay authored by Oded Yinon and published by the World Zionist Organisation in 1982 which advocated for Israel’s transformation into a regional imperial power via the fragmentation of the Arab world, “into a mosaic of ethnic and confessional groupings that could be more easily manipulated” (p. 107)

            http://mondoweiss.net/2016/08/secret-israels-stolen/

  3. Another useless bearded wonder speaks the intolerance that keeps the ME in a constant state of war. Religion needs to take a backseat and remain separate from government. If it isn’t the lying sack of shiite Nasrallah, it is Bagdaddy or whichever muslim radical extremist group spouting hate and intolerance. What a sick religion Islam has exposed itself to be.

    1. Hind Abyad Avatar
      Hind Abyad

      Well they are fighting them on the ground not on the internet.
      ‘Aleppo, Syria (1:00 P.M.) – The Syrian Armed Forces and Hezbollah launched a counter-attack at the 1070 Al-Hamdaniyah Housing Project tonight, targeting the remaining buildings that are under the control of Jaysh Al-Fateh (Army of Conquest) inside Aleppo City.’

      1. I certainly hope they martyr each other in great numbers, they never seem to tier of killing in the endless war. Killing two birds with one stone. This seems like just another give and take battle, take some land, lose some land and kill as many people as possible, and repeat. The whole country is full of foreign fighters from all sides. Syrian Sunnis have them and Iran is the most obvious foreign fighter with their horde of random shea Afghans, Pakis, Leb Hezb, the list goes on. We can also add Russia, USA, Britain, random European countries, and the list goes on. And from those you also have people fighting on opposite sides from the same country.
        This is certainly a contained World War.

        1. Hind Abyad Avatar
          Hind Abyad

          I think you’re mix up..Afghans, ‘Pakis’, don’t fight in Syrian army but in Al Qaeda multiples. Iran got in when Israel’s American lapdogs, and Wahhabi, financed Saddam invasion of Iran. Rashcall.

          1. It is ok, Iran already admitted great numbers of Afghan recruits, they have lost many, but it’s a job. We won’t even count martyred Lebanese chapter of Hezbollah.
            Is it worth all the dead IRGC generals and troops in able to occupy Syria?

          2. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            I don’t care what Iran admitted.. nobody has the right to Occupy Syria or Lebanon.
            No Body. Just last week Israel soldiers tried to kidnap Lebanese goats, goats can run haha, it was not mentioned
            That’s why Hezbollah is fighting for Lebanon borders against ISnogood

        2. Hind Abyad Avatar
          Hind Abyad

          You know nothing i can relate to.. vive la difference
          Israeli extremist settlers digging Palestinian graves breaking in near al Aksa Mosque, even the dead can’t have peace how ethical is that? Can a moral Government allow this. It’s all over the world when Jewish graves are desecrated but in Israel it’s free for all,

          1. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            S’amusant, n’est pas?

  4. You can stuff your sharia where the sun don’t shine, and along with all the man made religious books as well. You’re man made gods are just that, fictional figures manifested to control and oppress.
    Funny how all the profits are men, and how convenient is that for men!

  5. PatienceTew Avatar
    PatienceTew

    Yah… didn’t some guy in Africa just shoot a lion with a bow and arrow?? Well, maybe a little diversity would be good?? Help clean up the ME at the same time, too!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *