The following are excerpts from a speech by the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi. The speech was published in audio form on the Internet and downloaded by MEMRI from the website of Al-Qaeda's Jihad Media Battalion (www.k-j-i.tk) on September 14, 2005. TO LISTEN TO THIS CLIP: http://memritv.org/clip/en/853.htm.
Al-Zarqawi: "Days go by, and events follow one after the other. The battles are many, and the names used are varied. But the goal is one: a Crusader-Rafidite [1] war against the Sunnis.
"The interests of the Crusaders have converged with the desires of their brothers, the hate-filled Rafidites, and the outcome was these crimes and massacres against the Sunnis – from Al-Falluja to al-Madain, Al-Diyala, Al-Samarra, and Al-Mosul, through Al-Ramadi, Hit, Haditha, Al-Rawa, Al-Qaim and other places, and recently – but not last – at Tel'afar. This battle came at this time in order to cover up the scandal of Allah's enemy, Bush, in his dealing with what was left behind by one of Allah's soldiers – the devastating Hurricane Katrina, which revealed to the entire world the great helplessness in dealing with the destruction caused by this hurricane, because of the tremendous attrition of the American army's resources in Iraq and Afghanistan. This hurricane has once again brought to mind the manifestations of racial discrimination among the American people, and has exposed the fragility of the foundations upon which it is structured. The acts of assault and killings have spread, as well as robbery and looting, and what is still to come will be even more terrible, Allah willing.
"This battle has come in order to unveil the ugly face of the government of the descendants of Ibn Al-'Alqami [2] and to remove the shield behind which they hide. The Rafidite neighborhoods [in Tel'afar] have been isolated in order to spare them from the bombings and destruction, and in order to use some of them to launch a war of total annihilation on the Sunni neighborhoods, as a step toward eliminating any sign of life in those neighborhoods. It has been proven to us beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Crusaders are using toxic gases in their battles against the mujahideen, even if the masters of the Black [i.e. White] House and their followers deny it. Ask the hospitals of Tel'afar about the widespread cases of asphyxiation and poisoning among those admitted there.
"Sunnis who managed to escape from the hell of the Crusader bombing were seized by the treacherous hands of the treacherous [Badr] corps and others, who abused and murdered the men and who desecrated the women's honor and stole their jewelry and ornaments.
"This is an organized sectarian war, whose details were carefully planned, against the will of those whose vision has been blinded and whose hearts have been hardened by Allah. Beware, oh Sunni scholars – has your sons' blood become so cheap in your eyes that you have sold it for a low price? Has the honor of your women become so trivial in your eyes? Beware. Have you not heard that many of your chaste and pure sisters from among the Sunnis of Tel'afar had their honor desecrated, their chastity slaughtered, and their wombs filled with the sperm of the Crusaders and of their brothers, the hate-filled Rafidites? Where is your religion? Moreover, where is your sense of honor, your zeal, and your manliness?
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"Yet the mujahideen are still attacking the enemy and fighting it. What would have happened if the government of the descendants of Ibn Al-'Alqami had grown more stable and strong? What do you expect? Do you think that by writing a communiqué of denunciation you are saving yourself from giving reckoning before God? By Allah, grave is the occasion, and terrible is the reckoning.
"Behold the Rafidites' lackey, [Iraqi Defense Minister] Sa'doon Al-Dulaimi, may Allah keep him miserable, bragging about their victories at Tel'afar. If only I knew what victory they are talking about – these cowards, none of whom dares to leave his lair unless he is shielded by the women of the Marines. Does this traitor believe that bombing houses, with women and children inside, constitutes a victory? By Allah, what a miserable victory.
"For this battle, against this small group of believers, which numbers no more than a few hundred, they mobilized over 10,000 soldiers, 4,000 of whom were Crusaders. If this points to anything, it points to the degree of fear and horror that has gripped their souls. You see how they falsely claim that they killed dozens and imprisoned hundreds of Arabs and Afghans. These are all lies, because there are no Arab mujahideen in the city [of Tel'afar]. If they are speaking the truth, let them produce these prisoners.
"This lackey [Al-Dulaimi], who betrayed his religion and his nation, and agreed to serve as a tool of the Crusaders and Safavids [a reference to the Shiite Safavid dynasty of Iran] threatens that he and his angels of destruction are advancing towards Al-Anbar, Al-Qaim, Rawatha and Samarra. To him we say that the mujahideen have prepared for you and for your soldiers, by Allah's virtues, a slashing sword and lethal poison. Allah willing, you will be given to drink from the various goblets of death, and the lands of the Sunnis will contain your rotting corpses. Come, if you want, now or later.
"This is a call to all the Sunnis in Iraq: Awaken from your slumber, and arise from your apathy. You have slept for a long time. The wheels of the war to annihilate the Sunnis have not and will not halt. It will reach the homes of each and every one of you, unless Allah decides otherwise. If you do not join the mujahideen to defend your religion and honor, by Allah, sorrow and regret will be your lot, but only after all is lost.
"Based on all that I have mentioned, and after the world has come to know the truth about this battle and the identity of its true target, the Al-Qaeda organization in the Land of the Two Rivers has decided: First, since the government of the descendant of Ibn Al-'Alqami and the servant of the Cross, Ibrahim Al-Ja'fari, has declared a total war against the Sunnis in Tel'afar, Ramadi, Al-Qaim, Samarra, and Al-Rawa, under the pretext of restoring rights and eliminating the terrorists, the organization has decided to declare a total war against the Rafidite Shi'ites throughout Iraq, wherever they may be. This is a fitting reward, because you started the aggression.
"Beware. By Allah, we will not treat you with compassion, and you will have no mercy from us. Any sect that wants to spare itself the attacks of the mujahideen must immediately renounce the Al-Ja'fari government and its crimes. Otherwise, their fate will be the same, and he who warns has done his duty.
"Second, from now on, whoever is proven to belong to the Pagan [National] Guard, to the police, or to the army, or whoever is proven to be a Crusader collaborator or spy – he shall be killed. Furthermore, his house shall either be destroyed or burned down, after the women and children are taken out of it. This is his reward for betraying his religion and his nation, so that he shall serve as a clear lesson and a preventive warning to others.
"Third, 'Abu Righal' [3] Al-Dulaimi tried to sow division and discord between the mujahideen and the tribes, when he claimed that it was the tribes' sheikhs who had asked him to come to their aid. This is an utter lie. The tribesmen are among the most important mainstays of the Jihad. These tribes have been very supportive of the Jihad and its men. Be that as it may, we warn the tribes that any tribe, party, or association that has been proven to collaborate with the Crusaders and their apostate lackeys – by God, we will target them just like we target the Crusaders, we will eradicate them and disperse them to the winds. There are only two camps – the camp of truth and its followers, and the camp of falsehood and its Shi'ites. You must choose in which of the two trenches you lie. What befell some of the traitors at Al-Qaim is the best proof of this.
"Finally, we say to the Crusaders and the Safavid Rafidites: Your crime and cowardly deed at Tel'afar will not go without severe punishment, Allah willing. I challenge the government of the descendants of Ibn Al-'Alqami, headed by Al-Ja'fari the Zoroastrian and 'Abu Righal' Al-Dulaimi, to come out of their lairs in the Green Zone [in Baghdad], and to confront the brigades of the mujahideen."
[2] Ibn Al-'Alqami, the Shiite vizier of the last Abbasid caliph in Baghdad, Al-Musta'sim, is accused of opening the gates of Baghdad to the Mongol armies.
[3] Abu Righal was a tribesman who guided the invading Ethiopian armies of Abraha to Mecca.
