The Cyber-Cemetery of the Mujahedeen By Yassin Musharbash <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,382097,00.html
They were once medical students, fathers or businessmen who took their own lives -- as suicide bombers in Iraq. Their obituaries, which can be read on the Internet, are documents of men who were blinded by their deadly version of faith. <http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,grossbild-533085-38209 7,00.html> The cover image for a list of "martyrs" found in the Internet. <http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,grossbild-533085-38209 7,00.html> Zoom The cover image for a list of "martyrs" found in the Internet. Ahmad Sa'id al-Ghamidi wanted to be a doctor. The 20-year-old had enrolled at the University of Khartoum in Sudan and his family had given him money for fees and living expenses, enough to last him until he had his degree. But in the end, that money didn't go for rent or for books on how to heal the sick. Al-Ghamidi used that money to kill. Incited by the propaganda of al-Qaida and Iraqi insurgents, the young man from Saudi Arabia threw his future away. He gave up his studies and, as one Internet site gushes, he "withdrew all his money ... went to Iraq ... and became the hero of a unique operation in Mosul." The "operation" was a suicide bombing. Al-Ghamidi blew himself up in the middle of a mess tent in this northern Iraqi city. He killed 22 people, including 18 Americans. The story of this one-time medical student who became a terrorist is just one in a list of more than 200 obituaries of "martyrs" which have been posted on Islamist Internet sites. Number 114 on the list, for example, is the account of a Saudi businessman "who wanted to break away from worldly things." Number 144 had a pregnant wife when he martyred himself. Number 109 is the story of a karate teacher inspired by the speeches of Osama bin Laden. And that's just from one list of obituaries. There are more -- partly overlapping; partly supplementing each other; all providing unique insight into the business of jihad in Iraq. Through them, details emerge about communal life in "safe houses," about relations among the mujahedeen, about telephone calls to relatives back home and the planning of attacks. For many young men from outside Iraq, eager to become mujahedeen, the struggle in Iraq was so important that they refused to give up even after being repeatedly turned away at the border. Eventually, though, even they were able to sneak in. Goal: Hero Worship Many of those honored in these Internet graveyards were suicide bombers, who have killed well over 1,000 people over the last two years in Iraq, including soldiers from the US-led alliance as well as hundreds of civilians and recruits from the new Iraqi army and police. Others mentioned in the Web sites died in air attacks or in house-to-house combat in the rebel stronghold of Falluja. They fought and died in the name of different terrorist organizations, but most gave their lives for the Iraqi branch of al-Qaida, led by the Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The list of people who gave their lives for jihad is made up almost exclusively of non-Iraqi Arabs. The entries vary in length; sometimes only the name, the cause and the date of death are mentioned. In other cases, friends and companions have put together obituaries that are pages long. Of course, not all the details are verifiable and the obituaries were put together with the goal of aggrandizing the terrorists' deeds and encouraging others to follow in their footsteps. Entries describing a bomber's body as smelling sweetly of musk or that the ground near him was covered with blood that was "pure" have to be seen in the light of such propaganda goals. Still, these records given an unfiltered account of the religious attitudes and personal experiences of the insurgents and provide the outside world a view of the mujahedeen's daily life. SPIEGEL ONLINE has put together four examples: "His Face Was More Beautiful than the Moon" Abu Osama, who left Morocco for Iraq, carried out a suicide bombing on the UN headquarters in Baghdad. A companion documented his life -- and his death. It is one of the longer entries in the Iraqi Mujahedeen's Internet condolence book. He was a mountain of a man with a warm heart. My friend Abu Osama al-Maghribi was someone who spoke little, was always quiet, rarely spent time in groups and preferred being alone. His happiness was the Koran. It was almost as if he and God had a secret unto themselves. He came from Tangier, in the north of Morocco. He was a young man, 26 years old and in the prime of life. Together with his father he ran a restaurant that brought in an income of not less than $3,000 a month. He bought a piece of land and got married, though he never had a son. That was six years before he served the Jihad. He couldn't stand reading about the honor of jihad and then do nothing himself. That is why he decided to fight on one of the most honorable battlegrounds. He knew nobody who could bring him there, no companion who could accompany him and help him. He sold his piece of land, bought a ticket for an Arab country and was on his way. He arrived in an Arab country, but knew nobody there. He kept going from mosque to mosque, praying more and more for God to show him the way to jihad. One day he heard a few young men speaking in his dialect and got to know them. From what they were talking about, he deduced they were mujahedeen, or at least on the way there. Together with them, he managed to get to the "land of two rivers" (editor's note: Iraq). The leader of the group was Abu Khabbab al-Filastini, and may God accept this heroic martyr. His story will continue to be told in the afterlife. The group reached my house. On one of the best nights of my life, we sat together and talked about pledges of loyalty including that of the Prophet's companion, Akrama bin Abi Jahl, who, in the battle of Yarmuk, pledged loyalty to the death. We held hands and promised each other loyalty to the death and for jihad on the path of God. Then came the time of death and we were asked to attack the United Nations building. (editor's note: The fact that this report is also on the web page of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi indicates that though they may have started independently, their orders likely came from Iraq's al-Qaida chief.) The United Nations building had already been attacked a month before, but work continued and the employees stayed on. There were about 100 people. We went over the plan once again: the type of attack, the type of car that would be used, the amount of bomb material necessary, the routes that were furthest away from the security authorities, and so on. Abu Osama was the master planner and was the one pushing for the attack to happen quickly. He asked us to call his family. His mother told us he had become the father of a son who was baptized Osama, as a symbol for the Sunni community and the organization named after bin Laden. I went to the house where Abu Osama stayed. I had the operation and details of the plan in my head. I told him in a private conversation that he had been chosen for the attack. He was very happy, laughed and asked that this should at first stay a secret between him and me. Then we sat with the other brothers. (...)The day finally arrived. I took him to my house, so that he could spend the night before the attack alone, away from his companions. He began to pray and to cry. I sat behind and was happy. At two in the morning I told him to sleep a little, and he did. I couldn't sleep, but watched his face and, by God, it was more beautiful than the moon because of his happiness. I took a pen and wrote down the following lines. (...) It was agreed that in the morning I would leave with him to observe the target one more time and to see if something had changed. As he saw the target, we saw that the enemy had set up a significant barricade. "Will that keep you from going ahead?" I asked him. "No," he said. "I will, God willing, overcome it with ease." I continually reminded him of God and the fact that this was the moment of victory, in order to give him strength. He knew that I wanted him to say something to me, in order to strengthen me. What he said next as worth its weight in gold: "O Sheik, were death that rock over there" and he pointed to a rock ahead of us, "And I wasn't able to reach it save for that I crawled across the ground to it, then, by God, I would do it. Be at peace!" He went back, got his car and drove in front of me. I drove behind him in my car. He swerved back and forth between cars as though it was a race and he wanted to be the winner. I couldn't follow him. Then I broke down and wept many tears. I stopped my car and watched as he distanced himself from me and got closer to the target, in order to hit its heart and rip out the hearts of the criminals inside. Then I suddenly saw how columns of fire reached upwards towards the heavens, at least 20 meters high, accompanied by a deafening noise. Fifty infidels died in the attacks - may God have mercy on you Abu Osama! (editor's note: the actual death toll was far lower, with only one Iraqi officer and the suicide bomber dying.) Only this remains to be said: Abu Osama paid for everything himself, from the car that he used to his own pocket money. He came with his own money and left nothing behind and that is an especially exquisite type of martyrdom. As a result of this operation, the United Nations resolved to leave the land of two rivers permanently. (editor's note: The UN did, in fact, significantly reduce its presence following this, the second attack within five weeks.) <http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,382090,00.html> A Student in Germany If one believes the writer of his obituary, then Abu Hamza al-Hadrami was a student at a German university before going to Iraq. He died near the beginning of the invasion in the southern Iraqi city of al-Nasiria. Abu Hamza al-Hadrami, also called Sa'd Abdallah Umar, also called "The Lion of al-Nasiria," may God be merciful! I first met him at a German university. He was a year ahead of me, but studied the same major. He was thin, had brown skin and prominent eyes. He had an enlightened soul. Everyone called him "the Professor" because he was a role model for them, and when you asked him to explain a few basic principals, you found yourself sitting before a professor in a lecture. (...) He was very engaged and brought Islamic students together and helped them connect with one another. He also began what came to be known as the weekly study circle. He memorized the book of God and taught it to others. That was Abu Hamza al-Hadrami, als known as Sa'd Abdallah Umar from Bilad al-Ahgaf. (editor's note: Bilad al-Ahgaf probably refers to Yemen.) His father worked in one of the Gulf states and was the oldest in a family that included four sisters. We became close through our love of God. He was good and honest and good at giving advice. God blessed me with the chance to memorize 10 sections of the Quran under his guidance. Many other brothers memorized the Quran with his help. May God consider this good deed in judging him! (...) One month before the beginning of the attack on Iraq, I traveled to Mecca to undertake a small pilgrimage, but my real destination was Iraq. While I waited there for the evening prayers to begin (...) a young man came up to me and said "If God led you here to this holy land and the battleground of jihad, then may you one day, God willing, sit at his throne!" I looked up and saw Abu Hamza standing before me. The reunion made me extremely happy! We then spent many good days together. (...) Then those that knew how to get to Iraq began planning. (...) They followed a plan made by a group in the south. (editor's note: likely of Iraq) Outside of al-Nasiria (in southern Iraq, editors) where we gathered with the utmost secrecy, I suddenly met Abu Hamza again und he was very happy to see me. "Hopefully we'll see each other again a third time!" he said. (...) We entered battle in al-Nasiria. (...) It lasted four days. (...) Most of the mujahideen refused every chance to surrender. Instead, they decided to start a counterattack under heavy fire that would allow some of the other mujahideen to withdraw. Abu Hamza refused to leave and decided instead to meet God, allowing his jihad brothers an easier withdrawal. He thus fell as a martyr, and lay in his own pure blood on the ground of the country of two rivers. (...) "May God Accept Him" He fought in Tajikistan, Chechnya and Bosnia, sat in Saudi Arabia in prison and died in Kurdistan: Suhail al-Sahili was one of the veterans of the international jihad. This is the story of the leader of the mujahedeen in Kurdistan, Suhail al-Sahli from the land of the two holy cities (editor's note: Saudia Arabia), one of the pure and committed members of the community of faithful. (...) He was raised by parents of integrity, in the spirit of integrity and faith towards God. God enjoyed showing him the way to jihad. The first jihad battlefield on which he set foot was in Tajikistan. On the way there, he had to overcome many obstacles. He was still young in years when he arrived, (...) but his good heart and faith made him stand out. There was nothing bad about him. He joined the community of Ja'qub al-Bahr, may God accept him! He was injured, losing some of his ability to see. (...) God later had mercy on him, and corrected his sight. He returned from Tajikistan to Saudi Arabia to visit his sick mother. He spent a bit of time there, but then headed to Bosnia. He met us there, and I will never forget my joy at his arrival. (...) Already then, he had a great desire for martyrdom on the path to God. He stayed a while as a fighter and missionary in Bosnia, but returned to Saudi Arabia after the battle ended. There, he was immediately locked up by the security authorities. While he was in prison, his mother passed away. Soon after he was released he made his way to Chechnya. (...) He traveled through Dagestan, where the mujahedeen arranged for a guide to bring him to Chechnya. Everyone there liked him: Khattab (editor's note: the Arabic leader of the Mujahideen in Chechnya), Ja'qub Abu Walid, Hakim and all the others. Those that want to see a picture of Suhail can find it at the beginning of the film "The lovers of Martyrdom." (...) He is the one in blue military clothing. (...) Afterwards he traveled back to Saudi Arabia. He was again arrested by the security authorities and sentenced to five years in prison. (...) During this time he was also tortured. (...) When I met him again, it was as if he had just come back from a battlefield, and not prison. His morale remained unbroken (...) and he hadn't given up asking God for martyrdom. As things began moving ahead in Iraq, (...) he flew to Kurdistan. The mujahedeen there were overjoyed at his arrival (...) because of his wealth of experience in jihad. (...) They unanimously chose him to lead the local Arab troops. During a battle with the Peshmerga fighters (editor's note: Kurdish troops) and the hypocrites, he stood like a lion (...) and fell as a martyr on the path to God. The scent of musk spread and everyone could smell it and so ended one page in the pages (in a book) of the mujahedeen. (...) Sleep the Sleep of the Bridegroom Faisal al-Mutairi actually wanted to fight in Afghanistan, but was arrested in Iran. He later carried out a suicide attack in Iraq. In between he worked for the jihad through the Internet and distributed audio tapes. He died with God's permission through a suicide attack against the enemies of God in Baghdad. (...) That was last Saturday. The iternational calling code is 965, Jabir al-Mutairi, 9015xxxx, Walid al-Mutairi 974xxxx (editor's note: Telephone numbers have been deleted). (...) Faisal Zaid al-Mutairi, also known as Abu al-Bara'a, was of great stature and beautiful character. (...) He was known for his friendliness and befriended the Muslims from Bengal and India. He liked them a great deal and told others to be friendly to them, (...) because there is a bond across all Islam May God take him as a Martyr! (...) He was a boxing coach and was deeply impressed by Sheik Osama bin Laden. "That is the Islam of today (...)!" he once said. He traveled to Iran at the end of the Afghanistan war in order to join the Arab brothers there. But God would not permit him this joy, and he was arrested in Iran. After he was released, he returned to Kuwait. But the fate of his brothers in jihad worried him and he looked for news of them in the Internet and elsewhere. "Don't stand with bound hands, spur the Muslims on and teach them jihad!" he always said. That's how he started training young men in a gym. (...) He started passing out tapes to motivate them and did so in the mosques as well. As the events in Iraq began to unfold, he looked for a way there. God permitted a way to be opened for him, and he joined the informational jihad, filming many attacks in Iraq. Later, he began to fight. He then carried out a suicide attack that, as God allows, will bring him to paradise. (...) Pray for him brothers. (...) Pray also, that I may join my friend in martyrdom. (...) Here is an excerpt of a Kuwaiti newspaper article: "It was learned yesterday that a Kuwaiti (Faisal Z.M.) was killed during a fight with US troops twodays ago in Iraq." Sleep now, Abu al-Bara'a, Sleep the sleep of the bridegroom. (...) I will cry for you. Most are Saudis Many of the dead mentioned in the collections are also known through press reports. In other words, the obituaries are not merely a kind of misinformation campaign mounted by al-Qaida and related groups. In fact, creating a written record of the lives and deaths of fighters has a tradition that goes back to the war in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Abdallah Azzam, the spiritual leader of the mujahedeen resistance after the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, kept a book in which he gathered the names and stories of those who died fighting. There are examples that go even further back, all the way to the early Muslim conquests during the lifetime of the prophet Muhammad. <http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,grossbild-533090-38209 7,00.html> The beginning of the entry for Abu Osama al-Maghribi. <http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,grossbild-533090-38209 7,00.html> Zoom The beginning of the entry for Abu Osama al-Maghribi. The collections also provide a rough breakdown of what countries the insurgents come from. More than half hail from Saudi Arabia, followed by Syria (around 10 percent), Kuwait (approximately six percent) and Jordan (about three percent). Iraqis comprise some 6.5 percent of the insurgents written about in the lists. Those percentages closely line up with those that Israeli terrorism expert Reuven Paz established after researching 154 cases. According to him, he now has 430 names of fallen insurgents, but his percentages regarding national origin have stayed the same. He does point out, however, that the high numbers of Saudis listed could be due to the fact that those writing the obituaries seem to be Saudis themselves. The fact that the Saudis made up the lion's share of the insurgents is not disputed by experts, despite a report by the US that of the 312 foreigners arrested in Iraq for taking part in the insurgency, 78 were from Egypt -- the most from any one country -- and only 32 came from Saudi Arabia. Saudi nationals, however, are thought to make up the bulk of suicide bombers in Iraq, perhaps accounting for their not having been arrested in large numbers. Paz estimates some 70 percent of the suicide bombers are Saudi. Helpful hints for the path to martyrdom Islam expert Guido Steinberg, who just wrote a book on new terror networks, suspects that there are hardly more than 1,000 non-Iraqi, Arabic fighters in Iraq, although Paz's estimates are slightly higher. Most are able to sneak in though the Saudi and Syrian borders and this summer, a brochure appeared on the Internet that gave tips on how to best make it to the "battlefield." For example, it suggests a person disguised as a businessman or a patient, ideally wearing jeans and listening to western music on a Walkman, would likely not be suspected of being an Islamic radical by border guards. And even if they are responsible for the bulk of the most brutal attacks, foreign fighters are in the minority. On the other hand, it is estimated that there are several tens of thousands of Iraqis participating in the insurgency. Most of the mujahedeen volunteers are, if one can generalize from the data from the lists, between 18 and 28 years old. Many of them are fathers; several of the older ones have already fought in Afghanistan and spent time in prison in their home countries because of extremist activities. Screenshot of the brochure "The Way into Iraq," which appeared on the Internet in the summer. <http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,496211,00.jpg> Screenshot of the brochure "The Way into Iraq," which appeared on the Internet in the summer. A few were highly skilled. One insurgent, gloated a companion, had excellent grades in school. Other accounts tell of sets of brothers among the fallen and some list the telephone numbers of those left behind, so that sympathizers could congratulate the families and express their condolences. The "Heroes' Stories," wrote al-Qaida in Iraq as it announced the continuation of the obituary series, has as its goal the "lifting of hearts" and the "incitement of young men." Mothers are told that they can be sure that they bore heroes whose memories will not fade. The twisted nature of this useless heroism becomes glaring in some of the cases. A Syrian, it is reported, traveled with his son to fight in the Iraqi jihad. Both died side by side in the bitter fight in the rebel stronghold of Falluja. The son, who is now honored as a martyr, was 13 years old at the time. within for educational and discussion purposes only, in compliance with "Fair Use" criteria established in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. The principle of "Fair Use" was established as law by Section 107 of The Copyright Act of 1976. "Fair Use" legally eliminates the need to obtain permission or pay royalties for the use of previously copyrighted materials if the purposes of display include "criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research." Section 107 establishes four criteria for determining whether the use of a work in any particular case qualifies as a "fair use". 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