rssAl Qaeda Theorist Urges Ceasefire Because of Obama’s Executive Orders
Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 5:49 pm
- 8 Comments
One hesitates to say this will amount to anything, but Marc Lynch notes that Mohammed Essam Derbala, a leader of Ayman Zawahiri’s Egyptian terrorist group that merged with Al Qaeda in 1998, today urged his former confederates to declare a unilateral ceasefire to “test Barack Obama’s pledges to establish a new relationship with the Islamic world and to close Guantanamo.” Who’s Derbala?
Mohammed Essam Derbala is on the Shura Council of al-Gamaa al-Islamiya, an extremist Islamist organization at the heart of the brutal insurgency which roiled Egypt from 1992-97. He was arrested in 1981 following the assassination of Anwar Sadat. Back in 2002, while in prison, Derbala authored one of the first comprehensive critiques of al-Qaeda on behalf of the Gama’a leadership. In November 2006, Derbala was finally released after 15 years in prison, part of a larger project by the Egyptian government to rehabilitate and release old Gamaa members. He has since continued to criticize extremist ideology, has called upon al-Qaeda to renounce violence, and has frequently criticized al-Qaeda.
Let’s be clear about a few things. Derbala has no power to call for or enforce any Al Qaeda ceasefire. But consider how overwhelmingly significant it is that a former terrorist of such obvious credibility would say something like this. And why’d he say it? Because President Obama just renounced torture. He put the United States on a clear path to repudiating the detentions, interrogations and, just as important, humiliations that Muslims consider the United States to have inflicted not just on terrorists, but the entire Muslim world. Part of Al Qaeda’s entire propagandistic message is that the United States is an unchanging brutish entity determined to subjugate the Muslim world. What Obama did today severely complicates that narrative. But it’s not enough for us to consider the narrative to be complicated — it takes Muslim figures of credibility to say so. That’s what Derbala just did.
This is what Carl Levin was getting at earlier today when he said that renouncing torture would have security benefits for the United States. It’s, of course, unclear what Al Qaeda would do. But in an important sense, Al Qaeda isn’t the target audience here. It’s the pool of potential Al Qaeda recruits. In March, an Air Force colonel in Iraq briefed reporters on what motivated foreign fighters to come to Iraq instead of remaining in their home countries living a normal life. The answer was often “an image from Abu Ghraib.” That’s what Obama’s actions today have taken off the table for America’s adversaries. It’s importance shouldn’t be underestimated.
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8 Comments
Comment posted January 22, 2009 @ 7:32 pm
This is just simply amazing. So if Americans treat other people in the world like humans, maybe they won't all be so pissed at us? Blows my mind. Thank you, Obama.
Comment posted January 23, 2009 @ 9:05 am
I wish you all the luck with this theory, but I doubt it is true.
Derbala made a deal with the Egyptian government to produce such writings as part of the bargain to free him. He is only fulfilling his obligation — as several others have in this same vain. However, we see no evidence that Al Qaeda has paid any attention to them.
For those who wish to argue against my point, please explain the recent deaths of 40 Al Qaeda operatives in Algeria as they experimented with a biological or chemical weapon for a mass casualty attack.
Comment posted January 23, 2009 @ 10:30 am
For those who do not do their homework on the doctrine & history of Islamic jihad, US renunciation of harsh measures for terrorist detainees probably looks like some kind of positive development. Unfortunately, the facts are otherwise. A hudna (or ceasefire) is simply a hiatus in the course of jihad. According to the example of Muhammad, it is required to give the harbii (the enemy–that's us) notice and opportunity to capitulate to Islam. Only after repeated refusals by the kufar (the non-Muslim–us again) to do so would the hudna then end and jihad resume. Even if Derbala had the authority to make any such proffer (which he doesn't….quite apart from the issue of what are the conditions of his release from Egyptian jail), the prospects for the US and Western liberal democracy are not good if we don't wake up pretty soon. The Muslim world in fact could care less what the US does with its prisoners….the harrangues we hear in English are not at all what's spoken in Arabic to Muslim audiences. And if anyone thinks for one single moment that Muslim jihadis will cease and desist to execute prisoners, slaughter innocents, or torture whomever they will, think again….because Muslim jihadis follow the example of Muhammad, the Prophet. And because he did all these things, it is considered the highest form of honor to emulate him. Carl Levin needs to do some homework before he opines on subjects about which he clearly knows nothing.
Comment posted January 28, 2009 @ 10:29 am
Stop the process of Kurdish Genocide in Turkey
Israeli Government and Jewish lobbyist in Europe and America are helping Turks of Turkey for the Kurds Genocides in Turkey. Kurdish traders’ like Barzani, Talabani, Zebari and Barham Salah are partners of that crime against the Humanity.
We are asking President Obama to correct the wrong policy of the US government in the Middle East. The lobbyists in America are supporting Turkey to make money. They are calming that Turkey is fighting terrorist organizations of PKK only. PKK are not violent organizations any more. They are asking the Turks of Turkey for peaceful settlement of Kurdish right in Turkey.
The Turks of Turkey are insisting to continue with the wars. The Turks of Turkey are hiring Israeli Government, Europeans and American lobbyist, Traders Barzani and Talabani mafia groups to finish of the Kurdish populations in Turkey.
Since the collapse of the former Soviet Union the Turks of Turkey killed and displaced at least ten million Kurds in Kurdistan region of Turkey. We are appealing to you directly Mr. President Obama to stop this unjust practice by Turkey.
We are calling on the Kurdish people world wide to join Eraiain liberations movement to stop the Turks and Israel plans for our people’s Genocide in Kurdistan of Turkey.
Comment posted January 28, 2009 @ 6:29 pm
Stop the process of Kurdish Genocide in Turkey
Israeli Government and Jewish lobbyist in Europe and America are helping Turks of Turkey for the Kurds Genocides in Turkey. Kurdish traders’ like Barzani, Talabani, Zebari and Barham Salah are partners of that crime against the Humanity.
We are asking President Obama to correct the wrong policy of the US government in the Middle East. The lobbyists in America are supporting Turkey to make money. They are calming that Turkey is fighting terrorist organizations of PKK only. PKK are not violent organizations any more. They are asking the Turks of Turkey for peaceful settlement of Kurdish right in Turkey.
The Turks of Turkey are insisting to continue with the wars. The Turks of Turkey are hiring Israeli Government, Europeans and American lobbyist, Traders Barzani and Talabani mafia groups to finish of the Kurdish populations in Turkey.
Since the collapse of the former Soviet Union the Turks of Turkey killed and displaced at least ten million Kurds in Kurdistan region of Turkey. We are appealing to you directly Mr. President Obama to stop this unjust practice by Turkey.
We are calling on the Kurdish people world wide to join Eraiain liberations movement to stop the Turks and Israel plans for our people’s Genocide in Kurdistan of Turkey.
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