Britannia Radio

The following is research published today from the MEMRI Special Dispatch Series and TV Monitor Project. The Global Jihad Movement versus the Assad Regime TV Report on Free Syrian Army Stronghold in Idlib Senior Salafi-Jihadi Cleric Sheikh Abu Basir Al-Tartousi: Al-Qaeda's Strategy of Suicide Bombings Has Yielded Nothing but the Death of Muslims Backlash Against Al-Tartousi For His Criticism Of New Syrian Jihad Group; Sheikh Abu Sa'd Al-'Amili To Al-Tartousi: 'Come Back To Your Senses' Inquiry and Analysis No. 812–Syria/Jihad and Terrorism/Inter-Arab Relations The Global Jihad Movement versus the Assad Regime By: R. Green* In recent weeks, there have been increasing reports in the Arab and Western press on involvement of Al-Qaeda and the global jihad movement in the fighting against the Syrian regime. Such reports should be regarded with some skepticism until confirmed by firsthand accounts testifying that Al-Qaeda, or individuals or groups affiliated with it, are indeed taking part in the fighting. That said, it is clear that these reports serve the propaganda interests of both the global jihad movement and the Bashar Al-Assad regime, which wishes to portray the uprising against it as nothing but a terrorist campaign against Syria. Indeed, the official Syrian press has depicted the rebels as a foreign force, funded and armed by certain countries in the region that has infiltrated Syria in order to sow terror and anarchy. The global jihad movement, for its part, wants to portray itself as the defender of the Sunni Syrian people. It should be noted that the crisis in Syria has, in many senses, helped Al-Qaeda and its affiliated ideological stream to extricate themselves from their own ideological crisis in the wake of the Arab revolutions. The nonviolent nature of the first uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, and the fact that the regimes there were toppled only through mass demonstrations and civil resistance, struck a sore blow to Al-Qaeda by debunking its fundamental claim that jihad is vital to toppling the tyrannical Arab regimes. At the same time, the long and bloody war that has developed in Syria has provided Al-Qaeda an opportunity to open a new jihad front and to justify its adherence to the path of war and violence, while situating itself squarely in the camp of the larger Sunni world. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6187.htm. Special Dispatch No. 4580–Syria TV Report on Free Syrian Army Stronghold in Idlib Following are excerpts from a report on the Free Syrian Army in Idlib, which aired on the Al-Jazeera network on March 9, 2012: To view this clip on MEMRI TV, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/3367.htm. Reporter: "The path to the strongholds of the Free Syrian Army is exhausting. Our guides carried some equipment on their backs. The beautiful landscape conceals the fighting that is going on. The thick forest and the rugged terrain are the main ally of the members of the Free Army, when hiding from the eyes of those whom they refer to as 'the enemy.' However, in some dangerous areas, where you can be sighted by the regular army, you have no choice but to run." To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6186.htm. Special Dispatch No. 4579–Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Senior Salafi-Jihadi Cleric Sheikh Abu Basir Al-Tartousi: Al-Qaeda's Strategy of Suicide Bombings Has Yielded Nothing but the Death of Muslims 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 an article he published on his website on March 10, 2012, senior Salafi-jihadi cleric Sheikh Abu Basir Al-Tartousi denounced Al-Qaeda's suicide attacks in Yemen, saying that they contravene Islamic shari'a and that their only victims are innocent Muslims. The article, titled "To the Brothers in the Ansar Al-Shari'a," (i.e., Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula [AQAP]) stated that Al-Qaeda has failed to adjust to the new reality in post-revolutionary Yemen, but is continuing its policy of killing and shedding the inviolable blood of countless Muslims under the pretext of fighting the Americans and implementing the shari'a. He called on them to reconsider their strategy and, to this end, to seek the counsel of the many clerics residing in Yemen. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6185.htm. 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. Special Dispatch No. 4578–Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor Backlash Against Al-Tartousi For His Criticism Of New Syrian Jihad Group; Sheikh Abu Sa'd Al-'Amili To Al-Tartousi: 'Come Back To Your Senses' 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 January 24, 2012, the jihadi group Jabhat Al-Nusra Li-Ahl Al-Sham ("The Front for the Defense of the Syrian People") announced its establishment, in a video posted on the Shumoukh Al-Islam jihadi forum. Shortly afterwards, prominent Salafi-jihadi cleric Abu Basir Al-Tartousi, who is highly regarded in the jihadi world for his religious authority, posted criticism of the group on his Facebook page, stating that the group's authenticity was in question. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/6184.htm. 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.