The following is research published today from the MEMRI TV Project, Special Dispatch Series, and Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Project. Special Dispatch No. 4539–Syria/Democratization and Reform in the Arab & Muslim World/Arab Spring In a column in the London Arabic-language daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, titled "Let Us Compare Al-Assad to Israel," editor-in-chief Tariq Alhomayed called the current Syria situation "an Arab case par excellence" and "a problem with no solutions." Saying "our democracy is deformed, as are our republics," he went on to compare the actions of the tyrannical Assad regime to Israel's, noting, "[I]t is as if we as Arabs are saying that if the killer is an Arab, then this is something that we can accept – but if he is an Israeli, then we must all act as one to put an end to this!" Alhomayed concluded by stating: "The departure of this tyrant [Assad] will serve to root out hypocrisy in our region, as [the] most prominent symbol [of this hypocrisy] is the Assad regime." The following is the column, in the original English. The Syria Situation Is "A Situation That Is Impossible to Understand... An Arab Case Par Excellence... A Problem With No Solutions" "When considering much of what is being repeated in our region, on all levels, about Syria, one is struck by confusion, for one party justifies what is happening, whilst another casts doubt, and a third attempts to be clever. Therefore you feel as if you are looking at a situation that is impossible to understand, namely an Arab case par excellence, which is a problem with no solutions, or in the desperate manner of Nabih Berri, a case where there is 'no winners and no losers' – which is what I term a case of political fluidity." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6137.htm. MEMRI TV Clip No. 3344 Following are excerpts from an Al-Nahar TV debate by Egyptian clerics discussing the Syrian crisis, which aired on February 16, 2012: Egyptian cleric Safwat Higazi: "After the last show, I got a call from a young Syrian man, who asked me to issue a fatwa on whether it was permitted to kill Bashar [Al-Assad], and – if it was feasible – whether they should kill him or not. To tell you the truth, I answered that it was permissible. If they are able to kill that tyrant, they should kill him. His killing is sanctioned." Egyptian cleric Muhamamd Abd Al-Maqsoud: "It is an obligation to kill him." Safwat Higazi: "You do not merely agree with me that it is permissible, but you are saying it's an obligation…" Muhamamd Abd Al-Maqsoud: "Absolutely. He must be killed. […] "That ruler is a tyrant. Unfortunately, a false religion is being presented to people today. This tyrant, who should be proclaimed an infidel and toppled, is presented by those people as a ruler who should be followed. This happens everywhere, including in Egypt. I believe that if this man is killed, things may be resolved, at least in part." […] Safwat Higazi: "This is a fatwa: This sinning tyrant, who has gone astray, should be killed." […] To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memri.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/189/0/3344.htm Note to media and government: For a full copy of this report, send an email with the title of the report in the subject line to media@memri.org. Please include your name, title, and organization in your email. In a recently posted message, an administrator on a jihadi forum urged readers to donate money to the cause of jihad in Syria. A message posted February 27, 2012 on the jihadi forum Shumoukh Al-Islam, by an administrator calling himself "Abu Al-'Aina Al-Khorassani," urged readers to donate money to the cause of jihad in Syria. The message stated: "All [members of] the Islamic nation must take a real and active part in supporting their brothers [in Syria], with funds or with men, so that they might be forgiven by their Lord when he asks them, on Judgment Day, [what they did] about the blood that was spilt, the honor that was violated and the sanctities that were defiled." To read the full report, visit http://www.memrijttm.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=5801¶m=GJN. To view this report, you must be a paying member of the Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Project (JTTM). For membership information, send an email to jttmsubs@memri.org with "Membership" in the subject line. Note to media and government: For a full copy of this report, send an email with the title of the report in the subject line to media@memri.org. Please include your name, title, and organization in your email. On February 27, 2012, the newly-formed jihadi group "Jabhat Al-Nusra" ("The Salvation Front") released a video in which it claimed responsibility for two recent large-scale bombings targeting Syrian security forces in Damascus and Aleppo. The video also featured footage of a string of IED attacks on Syrian forces and of new units swearing loyalty to the group's leader. For MEMRI's report on Jabhat Al-Nusra's inaugural video, see MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 4443, New Jihad Group in Syria Announces Its Establishment. The group's new, 45-minute video, released on the jihadi forum Shumoukh Al-Islam, opens with an announcement read by its leader, Abu Muhammad Al-Julani, in which he declares that Jabhat Al-Nusra carried out the February 10, 2012 bombing against a security services headquarters in Aleppo, referring to it as "the raid of revenge for the people of Homs." Al-Julani says: "The knights of Islam from Jabhat Al-Nusra bombed two of the regime's dens, praise to Allah. One of them was the military security branch, and another a regime security [headquarters], where the campaigns of killing and arresting the Muslims are coordinated. In this blessed operation [the regime] got a small taste of what it dishes out to the children of Homs." He went on to state several general points: 1. The operations should reassure the Muslims that they are capable of avenging themselves and instill in them a sense of victory. To read the full report, visit http://www.memrijttm.org/content/en/blog_personal.htm?id=5794¶m=APT. To view this report, you must be a paying member of the Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Project (JTTM). For membership information, send an email to jttmsubs@memri.org 'Al-Sharq Al-Awsat' Editor Criticizes Arab Response to Situation in Syria: 'It is As If We Arabs are Saying that If The Killer Is An Arab, This Is Something That We Can Accept – But If He Is An Israeli, Then We Must All Act As One To Put An End To This'
Egyptian Clerics Safwat Higazi and Muhamamd Abd Al-Maqsoud: It Is an Obligation to Kill Bashar Al-Assad
Jihadi Forum Calls to Donate Money for Jihad in Syria
Jihadi Group 'Jabhat Al-Nusra' Claims Responsibility for Damascus, Aleppo Bombings
Thursday, 1 March 2012
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