From AFP: Islam permits killing of 'infidel' civilians: Zarqawi tape (via Jihad Watch).
DUBAI -- Al Qaeda frontman in Iraq Abu Musab Al Zarqawi has said Islam permits the killing of "infidel" civilians, according to an audiotape broadcast on the Internet early Saturday."In Islam, making the difference is not based on civilians and military, but on the basis of Muslims and infidels," said the voice attributed to the fugitive leader who has a 25-million-dollar price on his head.
"The Muslim's blood cannot be spilled whatever his work or place, while spilling the blood of the infidel, whatever his work or place, is authorized if he is not trustworthy," said the tape, whose veracity could not be determined.
The recording comes a day after US officials claimed to have seized a letter allegedly sent to Zarqawi by Al Qaeda number two Ayman Zawahiri, in which he raised concerns over the impact on Arab opinion of videotaped executions.
Zarqawi, a Jordanian-born Islamist extremist, is Iraq's most wanted man.
His Al Qaeda Group of Jihad in the Land of Two Rivers has claimed responsibility for some of the most gruesome attacks in Iraq, including the beheadings of foreign hostages and Iraqis.
UPDATE I -- Oct. 10: Regarding President Bush's speech last week, I'm happy to note that he finally -- four years after 9/11 -- came out and explicitly named the enemy: "Some call this evil Islamic radicalism; others, militant Jihadism; still others, Islamo-fascism." For this, we applaud the President. Unfortunately, in the very next sentence he quickly added: "Whatever it's called, this ideology is very different from the religion of Islam." "Very different"? There may be many secularized, moderate Muslims today. But to say what motivates the terrorists is somehow foreign to Islam is ridiculous. Apparently Bush is still disarmed by the some sort of multicultural/religious sensitivity. Investor's Business Daily had an excellent editorial detailing the shortcomings of President Bush's speech: Defining The Enemy.
Continuing to pretend that terrorism is a distortion of Islam's supposedly "peaceful" and "tolerant" nature — and not a predictable outcome of jihad, its 6th pillar — may soothe the savage beast of political correctness. But it's no way to win a war against real savages. That can only come from frank national discourse over what is motivating them, where they are getting that motivation, and how to implement effective methods to disrupt it.
UPDATE II: The first article above mentions a letter seized by the U.S. military, which indicated "concerns over the impact on Arab opinion of videotaped executions." There was even more to the letter than that. From CNN: Pentagon: Bin Laden deputy complains about money, Iraq tactics.
An intercepted letter from Osama bin Laden's deputy to the al Qaeda leader in Iraq complains that the terrorist network is short of cash and faces defeat in Afghanistan, a Pentagon spokesman says. [Emphasis added]
UPDATE III -- Oct. 11: The seized letter has now been fully released and has made the main story on CNN's site: Al Qaeda letter called 'chilling'.
The letter outlines a four-stage plan to expand the war in Iraq: Expel U.S. forces, establish an Islamic authority, take the fight to Iraq's secular neighbors and battle with Israel -- "because Israel was established only to challenge any new Islamic entity."Posted by Forkum at October 9, 2005 05:19 PM
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