Friday Sermon in Baghdad

The Friday sermon delivered by Sheik Abd Al-Ghafour Al-Qaysi at Abd Al-Qadr Al-Gaylani Mosque in Baghdad was aired on Al-Arabia TV[1]in Dubai in collaboration with Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca. Throughout the sermon, the preacher hoisted a gun. The following are excerpts from the sermon:

"Oh Mujahideen-believers! We have sworn Jihad before Muhammad…We are the army of Allah. We who are fighting against those who are fighting us. Oh Mujahideen-believers everywhere… The evil has arrived. The Satan and his army. The Mujahideen have declared Jihad for the sake of Allah to bring down the banners of the infidels and those full of hatred…"

"The war has started and evil is spouted from the mouths of those who have lied and continue to lie, those who said that Baghdad will be occupied within hours. And, as you can see, Baghdad is standing firm and everyone in it is carrying arms. Every child in it is carrying arms, and even the women are carrying arms. They will not defile the soil of Baghdad and they will not desecrate any inch of our believing Iraq. Disappointment and defeat will be their fate."

"Therefore, this war demands patience. Be patient, Allah loves patient people and supports their patience. He has promised them heaven and He will usher them into heaven without any other consideration."

"For what purpose are you fighting, Oh evil men? We are fighting the Jihad for the sake of Allah. We are fighting to [reach] heaven… They have been hired by the enemy and were doomed in this world and doomed in the world to come. Their dead are in hell because they have attacked a peaceful and believing country, but blessings to anyone amongst us who died a death of a holy man because he earns strength in this world and heaven in the world to come."

"This war has demonstrated who the men of faith are… Our Arab and Muslim people everywhere call for the victory of Iraq… It is a test for the believers in order for Allah to distinguish between the despised and the good. It is a war between truth and falsehood… this is a war to be remembered in history."

"We call on Muslims everywhere, and to Arabs. We say to them: this is the day of Jihad. The Jihad has become a personal [duty] of every Muslim. To refrain from Jihad today would constitute a violation of Allah's commands. It is a sin. Long live the Jihad! The evil has arrived! The forces of disbelief have mobilized armies…"

"Where are the men of honor? We want to show the enemies the power of Islam so that when they attack a Muslim country they will not fall [under the illusion] that Muslims are falling silent."

"Raise the banner of Islam. Raise the banner of Jihad. This war is not different than the war of the polytheists against the Prophet. The criminal Bush declares before the whole world, as the polytheists had declared in the Battle of Badr [the first battle won by Prophet Muhammad against the polytheists]: 'The world will recognize the strength of our army…'"

"The criminal Bush is bringing back to the world all the arrogance and the insolence and all the criminality and the absence of humanity. He starts a war that has no legitimate [basis] only for the purpose of satisfying his wicked and evil soul and his thirst for pure blood. History repeats itself. But here is his army defeated by the force of faith. And here are his modern weapons falling against our simple weapon. We are fighting with the strength of Allah, the strength of our faith. We only face Allah. Allah will bring victory to those [who tell] the truth even if it takes a long time."

"Oh Mujahideen, oh believers. Everybody hears how the enemy's media… are spreading rumors and lies which were refuted by the Mujahideen. They claimed – to the whole world – that Iraq will come to its end. I say from this pure site to all media outlets that spread the evil [man's] lies: You have to verify the information [you are broadcasting]. They [the enemies] have no shame nor conscience. They lie to people and they must be exposed… They want to delude the people as if their army is at the gates of Baghdad… Media outlets in the world should oppose this lie and verify the truth of their words, since they have no conscience and no morality. This lie will be exposed by the brave Mujahideen, in Iraq of the Jihad… The news channels have become a vehicle for passing the enemy's lies."

"Oh men of the media, be careful to broadcast the truth [only]. Don't be a [voice] for the administration of evil; Don't be a [voice] for the liars. This is the real situation: Iraq is Iraq. It is fighting Jihad in its entirety. Everyone carries arms, we fight them everywhere, so that none of them will be able to defile our soil."

"Don't spread rumors; don't spread lies… We approve of every media outlet that stands by the truth and refutes their evil words… We promise our brothers everywhere: Iraq is in good shape, united, from end to end fighting under the banner of 'Allah Akbar.' The sons of Iraq have united and stand in one line [of battle] against the fierce attack."

"We fight to satisfy Allah while they fight to satisfy [the idol] Taghut. How big is the difference between those who fight for the sake of Allah and those who fight for Satan?!"

"Allah guard Iraq… Allah guard the Mujahideen… Allah sow fear in the hearts of our enemies… Allah send [against] them soldiers they can not see… Allah bring victory to Islam and the Muslims… Allah guard our army, our youth, and our women from the evil of these villains… Allah guard the believing leader of Iraq, the symbol of belief and Jihad, the leader Saddam Hussein."