Mujahideen Respond to "Mecca Charter"
On October 25, 2006 an Islamist website posted a response to the agreement known as "The Mecca Charter" (wathiqat Mecca) which was signed recently by Sunni and Shi'ite religious scholars in Iraq.[1] The agreement calls upon all parties in Iraq to spare the lives and property of all Muslims in the country, to avoid harming religious sites, and to uphold the territorial unity of Iraq. An unknown Sunni group in Iraq, which identifies itself as Al-Radd Al-Mubin ("The Clear Reply"), responded to the charter with a communiqué in which it said: "We, more than anyone else, uphold covenants and agreements, and do much to protect the blood of innocent people from being spilled unjustifiably. If they [i.e., the Shi'ites] stop murdering our children and wives, and [avoid] burning our mosques, we will stop harming them. However, if they persist in their crimes, we will make blood flow in their streets."
Al-Radd Al-Mubin more specifically threatens the Iraqi Army and Hizbullah, saying that it will avenge the killing of any Sunni by spilling the blood of 10 Shiites.
Abu Mus'ab Al-Suri Urges Sunnis in Syria to Wage Jihad Against the 'Alawis
On October 25, 2006, an Islamic website posted a call by Abu Mus'ab Al-Suri[2] to the Sunnis in Syria, referring to the recent spread of Shi'ism among Syrian Sunnis. Al-Suri urges Sunnis who have converted to Shi'ism, in Syria and elsewhere, to repent, saying: "The fastest route back to Allah [also 'the fastest way to repent'[3] ] is through jihad for the sake of Allah, and the fastest route to Paradise is through death for the sake of Allah." He further calls on the converted Sunnis to "wage jihad against those 'Alawis[4] through whom Allah is testing you. [If you] wage jihad… Allah may grant you forgiveness and admit you into Paradise… You must [rise up against] the 'Alawis. You must avenge [the massacres of] Hama… and Sabra and Shatila[5] …Go forth to jihad! Go forth to jihad!"
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[1] The charter was signed on Friday, October 20, 2006, under the auspices of Saudi Arabia.
[2] Al-Suri, also known as 'Umar 'Abd Al-Hakim, is a senior Al-Qaeda operative who was exiled from Syria for involvement in the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.
[3] Al-Suri is using wordplay here. The Arabic expression for "repentance" is al-tawba ila Allah, literally, "return to Allah." Al-Suri is therefore implying that Sunnis who converted to Shi'ism should repent by returning to Allah [i.e., by sacrificing their lives in jihad].
[4] Most members of the ruling elite in Syria are 'Alawis, and are perceived by many Sunnis as being sympathetic to Shi'ism.
[5] Al-Suri is alluding to various massacres perpetrated by Shi'ites against Sunnis in Syria, Lebanon, and elsewhere.
