On October 17, 2012, the Al-Jazeera TV channel broadcast the first in a two-part interview it conducted with Mahfouz Ould Al-Walid, a former member of Al-Qaeda's shura council and head of its shari'a committee. Al-Walid, aka Abu Hafs Al-Mauritani, is known for having expressed his objection to bin Laden's plans to attack the U.S.
Following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 Al-Mauritani fled to Iran, and was held in Iranian custody from 2002 to 2012. In April 2012 he was extradited to Mauritania, where he was arrested. Al-Mauritani was released from Mauritanian prison in early July 2012. In the interview, Al-Mauritani revealed that he had been interrogated by Americans upon return to his country.
Following are excerpts from the interview:
"If The Taliban Makes A Commitment To The U.S. ... [It] Will Force This Agreement On Al-Qaeda"
At the beginning of the interview, Al-Mauritani stressed that he was among those who opposed the 9/11 attacks, and talked about a talk he had with American representatives upon his return to Mauritania:
"I was among the biggest challengers of 9/11, even though I was a member of the Al-Qaeda leadership. This was [even] admitted to by a U.S. Congressional committee appointed to investigate 9/11...
"Upon my return to Mauritania, I was investigated by foreign, particularly American, elements. Their questions centered mainly on the issue of the Muslims' hatred of America and the West. I answered them that the reason [for this hostility] was not jealousy of the democracy and 'freedom' of Western society. Likewise, it is untrue that the Muslims are fighting the West because [the Westerners] are infidels. Islamic hostility toward the West emanates from the fact that the West declared war on the Muslims...
"There are several ways to end this state of hostility: 1. The Westerners can convert to Islam... but if they do not, the Muslims will not force them [to do so] or fight them over this. 2. The West must alter its hostile policy vis-à-vis the Muslims. This includes exiting the Muslims' lands, ceasing to plunder the Muslims' resources, and halting support for the corrupt regimes in the region and for Israel...
"I advised the Americans [upon their request] that the only way to exit Afghanistan and to ensure that it not represent a threat to them in the future is to reach an agreement with the Taliban. If the Taliban make a commitment to the U.S., they will never breach their promise. Moreover, the Taliban will force this agreement on Al-Qaeda [if there still is an Al-Qaeda presence in Afghanistan], and this time, Al-Qaeda will toe the same line as the Taliban."
Al-Mauritani stressed that "I have always objected to an armed struggle against tyrannical regimes, because I thought it was a losing battle that does more harm than good."
My Objection To 9/11 Attacks Was Based On Religious Arguments
Al-Mauritani described the deliberations among Al-Qaeda's leadership prior to the 9/11 attacks. He said:
"Al-Qaeda's top tier held a theoretical discussion on the 9/11 operations before they were carried out. Back then, they didn't speak of hijacking planes, destroying towers, hitting the Pentagon, etc. They only mentioned carrying out a violent act against the U.S., with thousands of victims as a result. All those present estimated at the time that the U.S. response would be an invasion of Afghanistan. As I said, [I] was chief among those objecting to such an action. [My] objection was based on religious arguments, namely that such an action cannot be considered jihad, especially because of the killing of innocent people."
Another reason Al-Mauritani gave for his objection was based, he said, on the fact that Islam is a prudent religion that takes results into account; he estimated that the U.S. response would be devastating. Moreover, the Taliban had explicitly forbidden Al-Qaeda to perpetrate attacks against the U.S. Finally, Al-Mauritani explained that Islamic law recognizes a visa granted to somebody to enter a foreign country as a binding contract, and whoever receives it cannot commit acts of violence against that country. Al-Mauritani acknowledged that he had resigned his post in Al-Qaeda after 9/11, but explained that he did not publicly announce it so as not to weaken the organization due to the perception that he was acting against bin Laden.
When asked about the issue of the crisis in Azawad and the jihadi groups' rising involvement there, Al-Mauritani said that he objects to the actions of these groups and does not think it is the right way to establish an Islamic state. He said: "You cannot call their actions jihad. There are certainly people among them who have good intentions, but their ignorance of the religion and the improper guidance by certain elements lead them down the wrong paths.
"Recently, the winds of war have been blowing in the region, but we must pay attention to the sounds of reconciliation [from jihadi groups in northern Mali]. We cannot ignore these voices and only listen to the war drums, since no one wants Mali to become Somalia or Afghanistan. Even if reconciliation cannot be reached, at the very least there can be an end to the fighting."
