Sheikh Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi's Efforts To Arrange Prisoner Exchange Deal To Free Jordanian Pilot

Following the execution of Jordanian pilot Muadh Al-Kasasbeh by the Islamic State (ISIS(, the Jordanian authorities made major efforts to sway Jordanian public opinion against ISIS. As part of these efforts, Jordan released the imprisoned Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, one of the most prominent leaders of the Salafi-jihadi stream, who opposes ISIS and has recently sharply criticized it. Al-Maqdisi publicly expressed reservations about ISIS' establishment of a Caliphate, about its ideology, about its war against rival rebel organizations in Syria, and about the brutal methods it uses in executing its enemies, opponents and hostages.

In an interview he gave upon his release to a state television channel, Al-Maqdisi harshly attacked the Islamic State and its leaders for burning the pilot to death, a method that he said was prohibited by Islam, and claimed that they had squandered an opportunity to free Sajida Al-Rishawi from the Jordanian prison.[i]

It should be noted that the release of the pilot was never on the table, at least on ISIS's part. In return for Al-Rishawi, the organization offered to release the Japanese hostage and to spare Al-Kasasbeh's life (but not to free him).[ii] Moreover, according to reports by Syrian opposition activists in the city of Al-Raqqa, who oppose ISIS, Al-Kasasbeh was actually executed over a month ago, which, if true, means that ISIS's offers with regards to him were never sincere.[iii]

Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi

After his release, a Jordanian daily published  a letter he had written to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in which he had implored ISIS's leader to arrange the release of Al-Rishawi in exchange for the pilot. The letter, dated Rabi' Al-Awal 1436 (late December 2014/early January 2015) and disclosed by the sheikh's associates, reveals that Al-Maqdisi had sent messages to other ISIS leaders as well, including the organization's spokesman Abu Muhammad Al-'Adnani, but they had disregarded his request.

In the letter to Al-Baghdadi, Al-Maqdisi emphasized that an exchange deal would establish Al-Baghdadi as a legitimate leader of Muslims worldwide and improve his image among prominent religious scholars, including himself. He also pointed out that Al-Baghdadi held Al-Rishawi's life in his hands, since he possessed a powerful bargaining chip in the form of the Jordanian pilot,.

The disclosure Al-Maqdisi's messages to the ISIS leaders reveal what took place behind the scenes in attempt to save the Jordanian pilot's life. The publication of the letter can be viewed as part of Jordan's efforts to sway the opinion of the Jordanian public in general, and of Salafi circles in particular, against the Islamic State.

Below are excerpts from Al-Maqdisi's letter to Al-Baghdadi:[iv]

"From Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi to the honorable Sheikh Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, Emir of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria,[v] May Allah guide him to what is good for Islam and its members. Peace and Allah's mercies and blessings be upon you…

"I write you this letter to provide faithful advice on a very important matter. [This matter] is related to a vital shari'a interest whose importance, priority and precedence is recognized by all prominent religious scholars who value the goals of the shari'a and the interests that it seeks to preserve… Oh honorable Sheikh, as you are aware, Allah ranked the preservation of faith, life and the honor [of women] above all other shari'a's objectives. To preserve these objectives, He set out religious boundaries and principles of which anyone who has any knowledge of religion is well aware. Allah has placed you in a role and position of authority, and one of the main pillars and missions [associated with this role] is the realization of these [shari'a] interests and objectives.

"I believe you are aware that one of our sisters, a fellow monotheist and jihad fighter, has been a prisoner in Jordanian jails for nine years. Her name is Sajida Al-Rishawi. She is the sister of Haji Thamer, a mujahid from your country [Iraq] and a founder of the core of your state, may Allah admit him to the ranks of pure martyrs. This sister was condemned to death and her sentence was approved [by the Jordanian authorities], but Allah decreed that in recent years [Jordan should] suspend the death penalty. [However] in recent weeks it restored [this penalty] and executed 11 prisoners who had been condemned to death, for the first time in years. Our sister is among those who have been condemned to death and whose sentence can be carried out at any time.

"You are surely aware that the one who sent this sister to bomb hotels in Amman, along with a group of [other] young people, is Sheikh Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi, may Allah have mercy upon him. I heard you confirm in several of your publications that he is the one who decreed the establishment of your state and laid its original foundations.

"After her explosive belt failed to detonate, she was arrested and condemned to death, and Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi's foremost aspiration was to arrange her release, so much so that he allegedly said that the mujahideen must work for the release of this honorable jihad-fighting sister at any cost. [However,] he died before he could realize this aspiration. Today Allah provided you, honorable sheikh, with the means to help realize the aspiration of your partner to the path… You know well how great is the reward for freeing prisoners, even when no danger exists that they may be swayed from their faith. This is doubly true when [the prisoner] is a Muslim sister who has been incarcerated for a very long time in isolation, severed from her relatives, family and loved ones, and exposed to [the danger of] being swayed from her faith. Surely you know about the people and scum who inhabit women's prisons and of the atmosphere there, which is unsuitable for our pure sister. I have been told that she is in a fragile mental state due to her lengthy imprisonment and isolation…

"The Prophet ordered us to 'liberate the sufferer,' [and Medieval Muslim scholar 'Ali] Ibn Al-Athir commented: 'The sufferer is the prisoner, or anybody who is humiliated, oppressed or subjugated.' Only one who has experienced the taste of captivity – as you have, oh Sheikh – knows the bitterness of it. All the more so when [the prisoner is] a woman who is separated from her family and home.

"Oh honorable Sheikh, Allah has helped you by providing you with the key to free this honorable sister [precisely] at this sensitive moment when the death penalty has been restored here in Jordan. Hence, you are genuinely responsible for her [life], considering that the Jordanian pilot Muadh Al-Kasasbeh is your captive. Fear Allah regarding your sister, oh Sheikh Abu Bakr. Do not pass up this one-time opportunity to save her life and her purity of religion and honor, [and] to realize your authority over the Muslims in practice and not only as  a claim. [This is your chance] to be what you truly wish to be – a shield for oppressed Muslims even outside the boundaries of your rule…

"Fear Allah, oh Sheikh Abu Bakr, with regard to your sister [Al-Rishawi]. Handle this matter with a clear eye on the goals of the shari'a, while giving priority to the necessary and paramount interests, and avoid being swayed by the fervor and pressures of your followers [who called for the pilot's execution]… The responsibility for this sister – her religion, her life and her honor – rests upon your shoulders ever since Allah placed the Jordanian pilot in your hands. You are now just as responsible as the Jordanian regime for every [additional] day she spends in prison, because the key to her freedom is completely in your hands, just as the key to her cell is in Jordan's hands.

"I was deeply grieved by the response of your spokesman, Abu Muhammad Al-'Adnani, when I sent him a voice message… and his response was to ignore it, although I explained to him the sister's predicament and the value of the pilot in arranging her release from captivity and from the degradations she has endured for years. [But,] in any case, it is you, oh Sheikh Al-Bakr, who are primarily and directly responsible for this matter, and you bear responsibility for the sister today, since you possess the key to her [freedom] – and the need for her release is indisputable.

"I ask you, oh Sheikh, in the name of Allah the Almighty who suspended the heavens without support, not to squander this opportunity to save your and our sister and not to throw away this tremendous chance that, [if acted upon], will cause the Muslims to praise you in prayer, in thanks, in gratitude and in appreciation. By Allah, this will be a tremendous victory and a clear conquest, should Allah make your path successful and [help] you realize it. For anyone who knows and understands [the religion], liberating this sister from captivity and preserving her religion and her honor is a greater [achievement] than liberating territory.

"However if you scorn this matter and take no heed of it, by Allah it will damage your prestige and that of your state, not only among esteemed religious scholars but also among your supporters… I view you as completely responsible for the life of this sister, her faith and honor."