25 March 2009

The Western and Russian media reported last Thursday about the message of the leader of "Al-Qaeda" Osama bin Laden to the Mujahideen of Somalia with an appeal to dethrone a new puppet "president" Sharif Ahmad, one of the former leaders of the Union of Islamic Courts, who run Somalia for 6 months before the invasion of this country by Ethiopian troops, supported by the United States.

Western media reported that the 11-minute-long audio-appeal has been published under the title "Fight On, Champions of Somalia!", on one of the Islamic websites and has been accompanied by bin Laden's photo, against a background of Somalia's map. The speech was in Arabic with English subtitles.

Western analysts believe that bin Laden's message to the Mujahideen of "Al-Shabaab" has a political nature. They assume that bin Laden, thus, "supports "Al-Shabaab" movement against the backdrop of sympathy of Somali population to Sharif Ahmad".

We would want to remind thereupon that the "Al-Shabaab" Mujahideen were the ones who have expelled the Ethiopian invaders from Somalia and have took control over the almost all territory of this country after the leadership of Union of Islamic Courts fled Mogadishu and then declared switching to "political methods of struggle".

The "BadrCentr" publication has published the text of the message of bin Laden to "Al-Shabaab" and the reaction of the leadership of this movement to an appeal of the leader of "Al-Qaeda ".

In his appeal, bin Laden particularly says:

"...The war which has been taking place on your soil these past years is a war between Islam and the international Crusade. The NATO alliance deputized Ethiopia to carry out this mission.

And after they and those who appointed them were exhausted by your blessed Jihad, they resorted to subterfuge and deception, as is their custom in the Islamic world, and appointed over you a man who, although from your kinsfolk, follows their religion: the former president, Abdullahi Yousef. But since you weren't taken in by the old trick of "Karzais" which they have been using in the region, they replaced him and brought in a new, revised version, similar to Sayyaf, Rabbani and Ahmed Shah Massoud, who were leaders of the Afghan Mujahideen before.

He (Shareef Ahmad), like them, could not resist the tempting offers of America, changed his way and turned back. He agreed to partner infidel positive law with Islamic Sharia to set up a government of "national unity", and this partnering is greater polytheism which expels one from Islam.

How can intelligent people believe that yesterday's enemies on the basis of religion can become today's friends? This can only happen if one of the two parties abandons his religion.

So look and see which one of them is the one who has abandoned it: Shareef Ahmad or America? And reflect on the statement of Allah, the Most High:

"Surely, those who turn their backs [as apostates] after guidance has become manifest to them, Satan has seduced them and held out false hopes to them.
That is because they said to those who hate what Allah has revealed, 'We will obey you in some matters,' and Allah knows their secrets.

But how will they fare when the angels cause them to die, smiting their faces and their backs?

That is because they followed that which displeased Allah, and disliked the seeking of His pleasure. So He rendered their works vain." (47:25-28)

And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

"Two hungry wolves let loose among sheep aren't more ruinous to them than a man's desire for wealth and eminence is to his religion." Narrated by Ahmad and al-Tirmizi.

Oh, how desire for wealth, eminence and status has ruined our leaderships!

These sorts of presidents are the surrogates of our enemies and their authority is null and void in the first place, and as Shaykh Shareef is one of them, he must be dethroned and fought. The scholars of Islam have agreed that authority is not to be given to an infidel, and if a ruler becomes an infidel during his reign, his authority collapses, and he must be removed with armed force.

Qadi 'Ayyad (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

"The 'Ulama have agreed that the Imamate is not to be given to an infidel, and that if [the Imam] becomes an infidel, he must be removed."

My Muslim brothers in Somalia: you must beware of the initiatives which wear the dress of Islam and the religious institutions even as they contradict the rules of Islamic Sharia.

Like the initiative attributed to some of the ‘Ulama of Somalia which gives Shareef Ahmad six months to implement Islamic Sharia. They are asking him for something he was installed to demolish, so how can he possibly erect it?

These people either don't understand the facts or take us to be fools. This initiative of theirs is a blatant betrayal of trust. All intelligent people are aware of America's combating of Islam, and its past rejection of its establishment in Somalia, as well as in Iraq and Afghanistan; and here they are protesting its establishment in the Swat region of Pakistan.

There is another initiative from abroad, one which asks the honest Mujahideen among you to stop fighting in order to negotiate with Shareef Ahmad, pretending to be unaware of America's control of this new surrogate.

These people have clearly gone astray. The obligation is to fight the apostate government, not stop fighting it. This stance of theirs is in line with the earlier initiatives of the Arab regimes in the region which are controlled by America, like the initiative of the governor of Riyadh, when he gave his blessings to the government of the former president Abdullahi Yousef, but by the grace of Allah, that conspiracy fell apart on the rock of the Mujahideen.

So beware of every initiative which contradicts the rules of the religion, and don't be deceived by it. Its bearing the name of a religious institution is of no help to it, because many of these institutions have been infiltrated by the regimes, especially the Riyadh and Cairo regimes, and the examples are too numerous to be mentioned here.

I address my brothers the Mujahideen, the honest sons of Somalia, and call on them to continue their steps on the path of Jihad. Global Infidelity is facing predicaments and crises the likes of which it has not seen for many decades, so persevere and be resolute, for you are one of the important armies in the Mujahid Islamic battalion, and are the first line of defense for the Islamic world in its southwestern part".

Further the leader of "Al-Qaeda" has urged Umma to help the Mujahideen of Somalia because the victory of the Mujahideen in this country has "extreme importance".

"I send my appeal to the Muslim Ummah everywhere, and ask them extend a helping hand to our family in Somalia, to meet the needs of those afflicted by famine, and to also expend their energies and wealth to back the Jihad [in it] until it is liberated from the invaders and hypocrites and the state of Islam is set up in it, Allah permitting. Achieving victory there will be easy, Allah willing, if every party does his duty".

The "BardrCentr" by referring to the official website "Al-Shabaab" movement, reported that the Mujahideen of Somalia welcomed the appeal of the head of "Al-Qaeda".

The "Al-Shabaab" Movement has thanked bin Laden for his support and position, and agrees with him that the government of Ahmad Shareef is apostate.

Meanwhile, one of the formal opposition nationalist leaders of Somalia, the chairman of "the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia" Hasan Tahir Oweys has negatively commented on bin Laden's message, having told in an interview to "Al-Jazeera" that Somalis "do not like foreign interventions".

He also criticized bin Laden's statement that the "president" Shareef Ahmad is an apostate and a traitor.