Algerian Magazine Rebuts the Amnesty
[From: Terrorism Focus (The Jamestown Foundation, USA) Volume II, Issue 20
31 October 2005]
The fifth and latest edition of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat
(GSPC) magazine al-Jama'ah was distributed over the forums on October 21-22.
As expected, outside the customary ideological literature, much of the issue
is dedicated to the question of the amnesty referendum, which took place on
September 29, and which registered overwhelming public support. The
commentary on the news concentrates on what the GSPC sees as the fabrication
of the referendum results and the government-directed media coverage. In a
declaration entitled La Silma bidun Islam (No Peace without Islam), also
issued separately on September 27 on the movements' website
(www.salafia.ne1.net), the leader of the GSPC Abdelmalek Droukdel, known as
Abu Musab Abd al-Wadoud, dismissed the referendum as a waste of time.
"Algeria is not in need of a charter for peace and national reconciliation,"
he maintained, "but in need of a charter for Islam"
without which "there will be no peace and no reconciliation." In the body of
the statement, Abd al-Wadoud enumerated some of the GSPC grievances with the
Algerian state and its "unending list of treacheries":
* Granting permission to the U.S. to establish military bases in the
south of the country
* Selling off oil and gas resources to multinationals
* Enthusiastic embracing the Greater Middle East project in order to win
American approval
* Joining NATO, with the Algerian army co-operating with colonial forces
* Enthusiastic embracing of membership of the Francophonie (organisation
of French speaking states)
* Repealing the family law "in response to the call for moral
degradation"
* Abolishing the faculty of Islamic law, as a first stage in the
Christianization of Algerian schools, and granting licenses to the setting
up of schools that openly flout the basic beliefs of the Umma.
Abd al-Wadoud also reappears in the online magazine in an interview where he
deals with two interesting issues arising out of the amnesty:
the role of former GSPC leader Hassan Hattab and claims that the earlier
amnesty, promulgated in January 2000, has actually scored success for the
government. Reiterating the GSPC motto "no discussion, no compromise and no
truce with the Apostates," Abd al-Wadoud reassured the readership of the
full commitment of the GSPC to jihad, and that relations with Hassan Hattab
had been cut since his resignation and his "prostration to the Tyrants."
There was, therefore, no influence from this man on their political
positions, and the reports of his having brought over with him many penitent
mujahideen were mere "media propaganda." As to the touted success of the
2000 amnesty in that the number of attacks being reduced, "legitimacy does
not depend on the number of followers." In addition, those mujahideen who
are now returning from the hills to accept the amnesty "only took to the
hills for partisan political reasons, which split and divided. their
presence in the hills did not remain long."
The claim of decline in jihadist activity, for Abd al-Wadoud, is similarly
false: "how can you interpret the numerous strikes of the mujahideen abroad
[referring to the attack on Mauritania]? Or the fighting operations north,
south, east and west in the country?" The issue of communications,
legitimate spokesmen and unity of message continues to dog the GSPC. The
publication of the al-Jama'ah magazine itself demonstrates this, since
Terrorism Focus located the text circulating on one of the jihadi forums not
specifically connected with the Algerian jihad (www.tajdeed.org.uk) -the
GSPC site
(www.salafia.ne1.net) having been "disbanded for good by the webmaster of
NE1.net."
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=#69819
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page
http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/TySplB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
--------------------------
Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL
PROTECTED]
--------------------------
Brooks Isoldi, editor
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.intellnet.org
Post message: [email protected]
Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
*** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has
not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of
The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT
YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the
included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of
intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods,
techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other
intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes
only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use
this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,'
you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
