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Issue 363 of Al-Naba', the official weekly newsletter of the Islamic State (ISIS), dated November 3, 2022, contained an editorial titled "The Descendants of the [Prophet's] Companions in the Heart of Iran," which praised ISIS's fourth attack in the country and stressed the inevitability of war against Shi'ites in Iran and the region. It also stressed that ISIS's expansion of its "scope of jihad" has paved the way for Muslims to join jihad and champion their religion.[1]
Shi'ites Should Be Killed "Wherever They Are"
The editorial opened by noting that ISIS mujahideen, unlike other jihadi groups, went beyond hypothetical talk about the supposed crimes of Shi'ites and their war on Islam to break all bounds and make Shi'ites their "main target" wherever they are.
Quoting the Quran, the editorial asserted that "apostate," "polytheist" Shi'ites are no different from Christians, and that people who ascribe divinity to deities other than Allah must be slain, held captive, besieged, and be preyed on in every conceivable place.[2]
It then gloated that ISIS soldiers have not limited their scope for fighting rafidah[3] to one territory, saying that ISIS is the only Sunni jihadi group to fight Shi'ites in Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, as well as in "Magi Iran," the "stronghold and birthplace of [Shi'ites'] evil."
Sunnis Who Condemn Attacks On Shi'ites Should Face Similar Fate
Rejecting Sunni criticism of ISIS attacks against Shi'ites, the editorial argued that those who condemn and wail "every time filthy Rafidi blood is spilled" falsely claim to belong to Islam, noting that they share the very same "transgression and polytheism" with Shi'ites.
"Tomorrow, Allah willing, they will share the same fate, and how vile will their journey's end be!" it threatened.
Hitting Strategic Targets Breaks Iran, Affects Proxies In Region
The editorial then celebrated the October 26, 2022, attack on a Shi'ite shrine in the southern city of Shiraz, Iran, which killed 20 people.[4] The attack took place four years after ISIS's last attack inside Iran, which targeted a military parade for Iranian forces in the southwestern city of Ahwaz.[5]
Together with the 2017 attacks[6] against the Iranian Parliament building and the Mausoleum of Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, the editorial contended that ISIS's attacks against select strategic targets breaks the resolve of Iran domestically and affects the morale of its proxies in the region.
"By selecting diverse targets in the heart of Rafidi territory, the Islamic State makes clear that its jihad is based on sound principles in fighting the polytheists, and that the Rafidah are a target due to their espousal of polytheism, their worship of deities other than Allah, their fight against the religion, and their slurs against the companions of His Messenger," it added.
The fight, it argued, "affects all of them, whether they are deputies in the parliament, servicemen, or apostate people who attend the temples of apostasy. Apostates have no choice but to embrace Islam or face the sword," it explained.
The editorial once again scorned Sunnis who "foolishly" disregard Shi'ites' propagation of apostasy in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, their killing of Sunnis in the region to "further influence, expand territory, and spread falsehoods."
Muslims Must Realize: Fighting Shi'ites Is The Only Solution
Quoting ISIS's slain spokesman Abu Muhammad Al-'Adnani about the inevitability of war between Sunnis and Shi'ites, the editorial contended that it is incumbent upon Muslims to realize that fighting Shi'ites is the only worthwhile solution.
"The war between Muslims and the Rafidah and their guardians shall continue everywhere; a religious battle in which they champion polytheism and falsehood, and in which Muslims champion the religion, faith, and honor," the editorial emphasized.
ISIS Widened 'Scope Of Jihad' To Pave Way For Muslims To Join
Concluding, the editorial asserted that the Islamic State, "by widening its presence and the scope of its jihad," has paved the path for Muslims everywhere to join jihad and champion Islam.
"It made the paths of jihad easier for Muslims after the advocates of evil masterfully placed obstacles and barriers before them. The truthful Muslims today must unsheathe their swords, load their rifles, and prepare their [explosive] belts to shred the Rafidah to bits and shed their blood in every land and under every sky, and deservedly earn being the true descendants of the Prophet's companions, just as other righteous soldiers of Islam did before," the editorial pledged.
[1] Telegram, November 3, 2022.
[2] Quran, Al-Tauba (9:5).
[3] Pejorative term for Shi'ites.
[4] See MEMRI JTTM report: In First Attack In Iran Since 2018, ISIS Claims Attack On Shi'ite Shrine In Shiraz, October 26, 2022.
[5] See MEMRI JTTM report: ISIS Claims Responsibility For Attack On Military Parade In Ahvaz, Iran, September 28, 2018
[6] See MEMRI JTTM report: UPDATED ISIS Claims Responsibility For Deadly Twin Tehran Attacks, Promises Further Attacks Against Iranian Institutions, June 7, 2017.
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