NEFA Foundation: Iraqi Insurgents Quarrel Over Recognizing International Law By Evan Kohlmann-Countertetrorism.com
The NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated two new statements from an emerging Sunni insurgent faction calling itself “the Iraqi Martyrs Brigades.” (See Below) In its initial statement of purpose, the IMB indicated that its fighters were being guided both by Muslim Shariah law and “contemporary laws… Our clerics have previously agreed that fighting the enemies who are attacking Muslim countries—by any means necessary—is a duty in and of itself. International contemporary laws maintain the same view as well. Defending yourself against an oppressor is merely common sense for the popular masses.” The IMB also acknowledged that its formation had largely come about because “some of the [jihad] factions deviated from our general guiding principles.” This prompted a flood of users on the extremist Al-Hesbah Internet discussion forum to dismiss the IMB as merely a generic “resistance” organization with no interest in “raising the banner of monotheism and the righteous path—may Allah correct their path.” Other users simply referred to the IMB’s citation of “contemporary laws” as “inappropriate.”
In response, the IMB issued a second communiqué addressed “to the beloved brothers who have posted messages on the Al-Hesbah Internet forum” in order to “clarify matters which you are ignorant of regarding the IMB.” The group insisted, “regarding the issue of contemporary laws… it is obvious that we are all part of a shared human civilization which has many universal values. So, we have cited these laws in order to cater to various levels of understand and intelligence present among various different people… These same principles championed by [the West] also are opposed to the concept of occupation.” The IMB also repeated its earlier warning that the Iraqi jihad has “lost its true essence.
“A Clarification Regarding Some of the Responses to the Earlier Declaration of the Establishment of the Iraqi Martyrs Brigades (IMB).” Dated May 9, 2008
[This document is the translation of an official Arabic-language communiqué obtained by NEFA investigators and translated into English on behalf of NEFA’s TerrorWatch subscription service. This translation is provided for educational and informational purposes only. For more
information on the activities of prominent Sunni insurgent groups in Iraq, see “State of the Sunni Insurgency in Iraq: August 2007” (http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/iraqreport0807.pdf).]
“Dear beloved brothers who have posted messages on the Al-Hesbah Internet forum, we ask Allah to bless you for your criticism against the IMB. We ask Allah to bless us all in our attempts to please him and to best execute the cause of jihad. We have read your comments and have
decided to clarify matters which you are ignorant of regarding the IMB. We hope that by doing
so, you can assist us in spreading the word via the different media outlets and based on the
energy of each and every one of you…”
“Regarding the issue of contemporary laws, we would simply say that it is obvious that we are all part of a shared human civilization which has many universal values. So, we have cited these
laws in order to cater to various levels of understanding and intelligence present among various different people. After we established our principles based upon the laws of Allah, the infidels communicated with us regarding their knowledge and principles. These same principles
championed by them also are opposed to the concept of occupation. Moreover, it is common sense for all human beings—regardless of their personal beliefs—to stand opposed to oppression…”
“We do not possess unlimited resources, and our efforts are based upon the limited resources that Allah has given to us. As time passed, the situation [in Iraq] changed and the jihad lost its true essence. Therefore, in order to protect our children and ourselves, and in order to prevent others from sullying our name, we decided to unite under a specific title. That decision was made over a year ago; however, our ignorance of how the media operates prevented us from announcing our decision then. Regarding the brothers from the Al-Hesbah forum, Allah desired us not to be in contact with them until recently and [since then] they have indeed helped us tremendously. I wish to thank the brothers who are working together with us on this matter…
May peace be upon all of us.”
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