On February 28, 2013, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released issue X of its English-language online magazine Inspire. The latest issue contains an "Inspire Exclusive" titled "To the Governments of the Crusader West" by U.S.-born Al-Qaeda operative Adam Gadahn. In the article, he calls on the Western governments to withdraw their troops and "proxies" from all Islamic lands, and to seize the chance presented to them by the Arab spring to adopt a non-interventionist policy vis-à-vis the Muslims "before it's too late."
In the meantime, Gadahn calls on the Muslims to "make it our priority during this stage to focus on
direct engagement at home
and abroad with America and its NATO partners, particularly France and Britain." He also calls on those wishing to support Islam and jihad to "become a part of history in the making" by seizing the historic chance to engage in da'wa by utilizing and refining their use of media, both traditional and electronic, to reach as wide an audience as possible with "the message of tawheed and jihad."
According to Inspire, the text is part of a larger interview it conducted with Gadahn titled "The Arab Intifada." Inspire notes that it was unable to release the entire interview because of time constraints.
Following is the article in the original English:[1]
"To The Government Of The Crusader West:
"Today, you have an excellent opportunity to begin to prove that you are serious when you talk about turning over a new leaf and changing Western policy towards the Islamic world, by pulling out your planes, tanks, and troops, calling off your proxies, agents, 'jackals' and 'economic hit men,' and [by] leaving the Muslims alone to rule themselves by themselves, free from the 'global governance' of your supranational organizations and institutions.
"Unfortunately, your attempts to influence the outcome of the Egyptian, Tunisian, and Yemeni revolutions, and your ill-advised interference in the Libyan uprising, do not bode well for the future of relations between Muslims and the West, and do not indicate good will on your part; nor does your continued backing of the other 50+ despotic regimes in the Muslim world – not to mention your continuing interventions in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and the other Muslim countries where you have military bases and troops, or whose airspace you regularly violate with your jets, drones, helicopters, and hit squads. Even so, you still have a chance to make things right, and I urge you to avail yourselves of this chance before it's too late.
"This is your chance to follow in the footsteps of the Soviet Union, when its leaders promised they would not interfere in the political upheavals in Eastern Europe, and kept their promise. Otherwise, be forewarned that any further Western attempts at sabotaging the uprisings and molding them to your liking will result in a backlash, which will make you regret the day you put your hands where they didn't belong, and meddled in affairs which are none of your business.
"Let us make it our priority during this stage to focus on direct engagement at home and abroad with America and its NATO partners, particularly France and Britain. The enemies' economic and military hemorrhage must not stop until the day comes when the people of the West are forced to make a choice: either the continuation of the Crusade
against the Muslims and the continuation of their backing of Israel, or the continuation of viable governments and basic public services. The recent
budget cuts and austerity measures in France and Britain,
and the $16+ trillion debt
crisis in America are signs that
that day isn't far away (Allah
willing), while the Arab uprisings show that the American
empire is at an unprecedented
stage of weakness and decline, so let's continue to bleed the
head of unbelief dry, and let's beware of all attempts to divert us from our strategic objective or draw us into any battles of lower priority, particularly in light of the new realities in the region.
"Finally, To Those Calling To Islam And Jihad In General, And Those Working In Jihadi Media, [And] On The Internet In Particular:
"This is your day, so rise to the challenge and become a part of history in the making. We mustn't miss this golden opportunity to bring the message of tawheed and jihad to a region and a world emerging from under the dark shroud of dictatorships and police states, and we must make every effort to reach out to Muslims both through new media like Facebook and Twitter, as well as the traditional broadcast and print media preferred by the older generations; and we should fully acquaint ourselves with both the people to whom we are reaching out, as well as the methodology and cause to which we are inviting them, so that we are able to hone our methods, refine our techniques, and spread our message in an intelligent and educated fashion accessible to all sectors, sections, levels and factions of the ummah.
"And our final prayer is that all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds."
Endnote:
[1] The original English has been lightly edited for clarity.
