by M. Khayat
The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM)
Introduction
The Islamic State (ISIS) has
exerted much effort in the last couple of weeks to attacking Saudi Arabia and
its ruling and religious echelons in an extensive and well-coordinated media
campaign it launched against it. The campaign included the unprecedented
release of 15 official ISIS videos from ISIS's various provinces, along with similarly
prolific content released from the ISIS-affiliated Al-Battar media company over
social networks and jihadi forums. The campaign was aimed at Saudis in general,
attempting to "open their eyes" to the Al-Saud's – the Saudi ruling
family (who are referred to by the derogatory term of "Al Saloul,"
referring to Abdallah bin Saloul, a known hypocrite from the time of Muhammad)
- supposed treachery and corruption. The Al-Saud family is presented as a body foreign
to the Arabian Peninsula, and as unworthy rulers of it. The campaign calls upon
Saudis to join the jihad under ISIS's banner in order to target them, their clerical
backbone, and Saudi military personnel. It also rallies Sunni Saudis against
their Shi'ite counterparts, who are accused of being given a free hand (by the Al-Saud)
to live and practice their religion freely in the country. The campaign also makes
repeated references to Sunni prisoners in Saudi Arabia, promising them that ISIS
shall come to their rescue.
This is not the
first time that ISIS has focused on Saudi Arabia. In May 2015, ISIS leader Abu
Bakr Al-Baghdadi lashed out at the Al-Saud for their collaboration with the
West, namely the U.S. He also criticized the Saudi military campaign at the
time against the Houthi Shi'ites in Yemen, calling it a Saudi attempt to please
the U.S.[1]
Shortly thereafter ISIS operatives in Saudi Arabia called for targeting the
Shi'ites in the country while claiming that ISIS was the only true protector of
Sunnis against them.[2] In his most recent,
December 2015, speech, Al-Baghdadi denounced the recently established Saudi-led
Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism and threatened all its member
countries with retaliation.[3]
The campaign's
organization and presentation carried several of the hallmarks which by now
have become a staple of ISIS's online operations, including volume,
coordination, and persistence. ISIS relies on volume, in which the same
message, or variants of, are presented repeatedly to a given audience, to make
an impact. This approach is particularly evident in issues that are of
importance to ISIS, and has been used in previous campaigns as well.[4] This
message over-saturation, however, can be criticized as being overkill, or even a
desperate attempt by ISIS to drive home a message that could otherwise be done more
easily with a single video. In the current anti-Saudi campaign, all 15 videos
and supplemental material echoed the same basic messages, albeit with varying
emphasis and presentation. The campaign was well-coordinated, with the content
being released online steadily over several days, and on a number of platforms,
including the Shumoukh Al-Islam forum, Twitter, and Telegram. The content was
also republished whenever it was flagged or removed. Format-wise, each video
featured primarily Saudi fighters who would personally address Saudis back home.
The videos varied in length, ranging from five minutes to over half-an-hour in
duration.
Promotional banners from the various ISIS videos
ISIS's official
videos were complemented by a series of releases from ISIS's-affiliated media
company Al-Battar. Its content comprised two videos, eight articles, and 50
posters. Al-Battar's campaign was in complete sync with ISIS's campaign, and
was even made available in a single 6GB downloadable CD thereafter. The CD
would later be used by ISIS on the ground during public display of its
campaign.
One of the articles from Al-Battar media against the Saudi monarchy, titled "The Serpent's Head [Is] Al Saloul"
A poster from Al-Battar media, it reads: "Al-Saud do not rule according to the shari'a, and if they did implement Allah's shari'a, then they apply it only on the weakened, so which legitimacy concerning their rule are you [i.e. Saudi] talking about?"
Al-Battar media promoting
its campaign's CD
ISIS using Al-Battar's CD in a public presentation in Aleppo (Source: Shumoukh Al-Islam, December 31, 2015)
ISIS's campaign
is based on three main elements: Delegitimizing the Al-Saud and their clerical
backbone; instigating attacks against them, Saudi military personnel, and
Shi'ites; and rallying Saudis to undertake ISIS's cause and participate in the
jihad against its enemies.
More specifically, the campaign conveys
the following messages:
- It labels the
Al-Saud and their security forces, namely Saudi soldiers, as apostates and
heretic. The former's apostasy is established on multiple grounds: their failure
to rule according to the shari'a; their work with and membership in global heretic
organizations like the UN; their collaboration with the "Crusaders,"
i.e. the U.S. and Western countries in general; and their war on Islam and
Muslims, namely the "mujahideen;"
- It exposes the
Al-Saud's clerical backbone community as hypocritical and deceiving on multiple
grounds: It accuses them of protecting their patrons, i.e. the Al-Saud, and of justifying
their un-Islamic actions; it accuses them of criminalizing jihad and the
mujahideen, and of dissuading Saudis from joining both; it criticizes them for
their double standard vis-á-vi Shi'ites, namely their criticism of Shi'ites living
outside Saudi Arabia, while, at the same time, their apathy towards those
living inside the kingdom;
- It accuses the
Al-Saud and their security apparatuses of protecting the Shi'ites and turning a
blind eye to their activities and presence in the country. It also decries
Saudi authorities for providing the Shi'ites with the freedom to live and
practice their religion freely;
- It denounces
the unbelievers' (kuffar) and polytheists' (mushrikeen) presence in the Arabian
Peninsula, and reiterates the Prophet's hadith that calls for expelling all
polytheists from it. ISIS places Christians, Jews, and Shi'ites under the term
polytheists;
- It calls for
attacks against the Al-Saud and Saudi soldiers;
- It denounces the
Al-Saud's rule over the Arabian Peninsula, and calls for its uprooting;
- It calls upon
Saudis to rebel against the Al-Saud, and to join the jihad against them. It
also warns them that if they fail to do so, Sunnis in Saudi Arabia will be
subjugated to the Shi'ites in time, like their counterparts in Iraq and Syria
have been;
- It calls upon
Sunnis in Saudi Arabia to join ISIS's sectarian war against Shi'ites;
- It rallies
Saudi tribes against their government, calling upon them to use force to free
their prisoners. It also notes that protests and other peaceful measures are fruitless
in bringing about change, and that only force can make a difference;
- It urges
Saudi prisoners to remain steadfast, while promising them that ISIS shall soon
come to their rescue;
- It threatens
Saudi soldiers with a similar fate to that of captured soldiers elsewhere, i.e.
death;
- It calls upon
Saudi Sunnis to awaken from their apathy regarding the plots being planned around
them; the misconduct of the Al-Saud; the presence of Crusader military bases in
the country; and the hypocrisy and misleading of Saudi clerics;
- It praises
ISIS's attacks and operations in Saudi Arabia thus far, and calls to intensify those.
The following
is a review of some of ISIS's official videos:
Video From Ninawa Province, Iraq, Criticizes
Saudi Tyrants As Accomplices Of Christians And Shi'ites, Vows Revenge
The
Ninawa province video, which is 6:21 minutes in duration, is titled: "Be
Patient, Land of the Two Holy Places," and features three speakers. The
first speaker directs his message to all Muslims in the Arabian Peninsula,
urging them to rise up and fight their tyrannical rulers (i.e. the Al-Saud); the
second speaker addresses ISIS soldiers in the Arabian Peninsula, urging them to
hold out in their war against the rulers, and persevere their efforts to free
jailed prisoners; the third speaker sends a confrontational message to the Al-Saud's
soldiers, threatening them that if they continue to protect the house of Al-Saud,
the caliphate soldiers' swords will reach them. The video opens with a description of the takeover of the Arabian Peninsula by the "tyrants" of Al-Saud, the "agents" of the "Crusaders." The narrator notes how the "the country from which the light of Islam spread to the entire world" constitutes today a base for the war against Islam, and a place where malevolent plots are planned against Muslims. He also notes how the Arabian Peninsula had become a place for Crusaders' military bases and for Rafidites' (a derogatory term for Shi'ites) worship places. He further notes that ISIS's soldiers have decided to sacrifice themselves until Islam is reestablished in the Arabian Peninsula.
These previous themes are repeated in many of the campaign's videos.
Abu Khattab Al-Jazrawi, the first speaker in the video, directs his message to Muslims in Saudi Arabia, exposing the Al-Saud's apostasy, calling for attacks against them, and urging Saudis to join the jihad or make hijra to the Islamic State. He says: "Have you not discerned the apostasy of Al-Saloul, who work in the Crusaders' service? And have you not discerned that they made an anti-Muslim alliance with them?! Have you not distinguished the Crusader planes taking off from your land in order to bomb the Muslims in Iraq and Syria?!... Have you not noticed how their soldiers beat Muslim women and arrest them?! So if their apostasy is apparent to you, why do you sit by and refrain from fighting them and killing them, or making hijra to the lands of the Caliphate? Prepare your tools of war in order to purify the land from the defilement of Al-Saloul and their lackeys." Abu Khattab also implores Muslims in the Arabian Peninsula not to be seduced by the false sermons of "the asinine religious scholars and preachers," the yes-men of the royal family, he says.
The second speaker, Abu Muhammad Al-Hashimi, addresses ISIS operatives in the three Saudi provinces claimed by the group - Najd, Hijaz, and Bahrain - calling upon them to remain steadfast in the war against the country's tyrants, to attack them, and to free Muslim prisons there: "Slash their necks, cut off their limbs because they are impure…" He also threatens the Crusaders and Shi'ites: "Let our Rafidite enemies, the hostile Shi'ites and Crusaders, know that we have sharpened the knives and we are very close to their necks."
The third speaker, Abu Al-Bara' Al-Khath'ami, sends a menacing message to Saudi soldiers: "I have sworn that we will come to slaughter you, O enemies of Allah. Either repent and return to your religion or the sword will reach you. I have sworn that we will take revenge for the Muslim prisoners in your jails; we will take revenge for the jailed women in your prisons…"
Abu Al-Bara' Al-Khath'ami
Video From Al-Anbar Province, Iraq, Tells
Saudis: 'There Is No Easier Way To Kill Them [i.e. Polytheists] And There Is Nothing
More Delicious Than Spilling Their Blood'
A 15:26 minute video released by the media
office of Al-Anbar province, Iraq, features four men:
The first
speaker, Abu Khalid Al-Jazrawi, denounces the presence of Shi'ites in
Saudi
Arabia, expressing his dismay at how the Saudi government allows
Shi'ites to proselytize Shi'ism and to practice their religion freely.
Similarly,
he decries Saudi prisons for being filled with Sunnis rather than
Shi'ites. Al-Jazrawi
also calls upon Sunnis to rise up against the Al-Saud, noting, inter
alia, the
latter's lack of implementation of the shari'a and their collaboration
with the
West as reasons for it. He also warns Saudis not to be fooled by Saudi
clerics who
denounce the mujahideen and jihad.
Abu Khalid Al-Jazrawi
The
second speaker, Abu Anas Al-Hadithi, condemns Saudi scholars' hypocrisy,
specifically that they've condemned ISIS's attacks against Russia and France
and expressed sorrow for those attacks' victims, yet have said nothing about
the scores of Muslims that are being killed in Syria and Iraq.
A third
speaker calls Saudi scholars "traitors" who falsely claim to stand besides
Sunnis.
A fourth
speaker, Abu 'Azzam Al-Jazrawi, calls upon ISIS supporters in Saudi Arabia, including
those seeking martyrdom among them, to target the enemies of Allah, and notes
how easy it is for them to do so. He says: "They are among you and on your
streets, there is no easier way to kill them and there is nothing more delicious
that spilling their blood, so kill the polytheists wherever you find them…"
He also calls ISIS operatives in Saudi Arabia to target Saudi soldiers and to
"tear them to shreds."
Video From Aleppo Province, Syria,
Informs Saudis: 'By Allah We Are Coming [To Saudi Arabia] So Prepare The Path
For Us And Support Us'
A 14:11 minute video released by ISIS in Aleppo
province notes the desecration of the Arabian Peninsula by the Al-Saud, who, it
says, have welcomed the unbelievers, Crusaders, and apostates. It denounces the
various Saudi regimes' roles in the wars against Islam and Muslims, and accuses
them of being behind all conspiracies that aim to combat the Islamic State. The
video reiterates the Saudi government's complacency in allowing Shi'ites to
live normally in the country, and to desecrate holy Sunnis places of worship. The
video also notes that ISIS has established a "foothold" in Saudi
Arabia, as is evident in its three provinces there (Najd, Hijaz, and Bahrain) and
urges ISIS's soldiers there to escalate their attacks against ISIS's various
enemies there.
Muslima
Al-Jazrawi, the first speaker, notes the apostasy of the Al-Saud, which, he
says, is due to their lack of implementation of the shari'a; their alliance
with the unbelievers; their protection of the Shi'ites living in Saudi Arabia;
and their placing precedence on nationality (i.e. being a Saudi) over
association with a creed (i.e. Islam).
Al-Jazrawi
calls upon Saudis to act in order to release imprisoned men and woman held in
Saudi prisons. "How will [come to the aid of] those prisoners if you sat
down with your family, wife and children?" he says.
He praises
ISIS's attacks in Saudi Arabia targeting Shi'ites, and says: "Your blessed
operations have pleased the hearts of the monotheistic [men]." He urges
them to terrorize the "enemies of Allah" further, and "to kill
them and fight them, and to tear them to shreds with explosive devices,
silencers, and explosive belts."
Muslima Al-Jazrawi
The
second speaker, Abu Ammar Al-Hijazi, refutes Saudi government claims that it
managed to eliminate the Islamic State's mujahideens from the country, and
notes that there is an entire generation in Saudi Arabia that is sympathetic to
the Islamic State. He also warns Saudi soldiers, including family members of
his who serve in the military, that if they don't repent and end their
collaboration with "America's agents," then "your moves are
being watched, and [the addresses of] your homes are known."
Abu Ammar Al-Hijazi
The
third speaker, Abu Al-Mugheera Al-Jazrawi, urges Saudis to join the jihad against
the Al-Saud while denouncing their apathy over the presence of Shi'ites in the
country. He says: "Here they [i.e. the Al-Saud] have begun arresting our
brothers and sisters [while they] left the polytheists Rafidites and their
worshipping places in Al-Qatif and elsewhere [alone]. By Allah we are coming [to
Saudi Arabia], so prepare the path for us and support us."
Al-Mugheera Al-Jazrawi
Video From Al-Falluja Province, Iraq,
Decries Saudi Arabia For Becoming A 'Prairie For Atheists, Secularist, and
Polytheistic Rafidites, And A Safe Haven For The Crusaders.'
A 14:41 minute video released by the media
office of Al-Falluja province, Iraq, reiterates the treachery of the Al-Saud
and their scholars, and decries Saudi Arabia for becoming a "prairie for atheists, secularist, and polytheistic Rafidites, and a
safe haven for the Crusaders."
A speaker in the video, Abu Baraa' Al-Jazaa'iri, notes
the duty of expelling the polytheists from the country, and says: "Forcing
out the polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula has been established by the
rightly shari'a, for no two religions shall coexist in it [i.e. in Saudi Arabia];
[and] no [two] worshiping places shall be built in it ... for the [Arabian]
Peninsula is a blessed land chosen by Allah, so no unbeliever can enter
it." Al-Jazaa'iri also decries the "desecration" of Saudi Arabia
by the "kuffar," and says: "Sadly, [the Arabian Peninsula] has
become today a ground for the biggest Crusaders bases, and is flocked by the
kuffar, with all their colors and religions, to work or reside in, or for
tourism and vacation, in order to desecrate it with their heresy, crosses, and debauchery."
Al-Saud's hospitality toward the "Crusaders"
Video From Al-Baraka Province, Syria:
'Allah Willing, As We Established The Departments Of Zakat And Agriculture [In
Syria And Iraq] … We Will, Allah Willing, Establish The Department Of Hajj And Umrah
The Coming Year In Muhammad's Peninsula'
A 12:26 minute video released by the media
office of Al-Baraka province, Syria, notes that the Islamic State will be the
one to abolish polytheism in the Arabian Peninsula, and rule it as Muhammad did,
according to the shari'a. It also denounces the Al-Saud's role in "rescuing"
the American economy by signing the petrodollar agreement.[5]
The "tyrants" of
the Arabian Peninsula throughout history engulfed in flames
The
first speaker in the video, Rab'ii Al-Ghamidi, who is a former inmate in Saudi
prisons, praises Allah for allowing him to join the jihad after coming out of prison.
Speaking to ISIS operatives in Saudi Arabia, he exhorts them to remain
steadfast and to target Saudi soldiers. "The soldiers of Al-Saloul have
corrupted the land… Thus attack them for they kill the Houthis in Yemen, yet
they welcome them [i.e. Shi'ites] in Muhammad's peninsula under the name of
national solidarity."
He
promises Saudi prisoners that ISIS shall come to their rescue soon: "By
Allah we have never forgotten about you, and we are preparing to release you… And
soon, with the will of Allah, we shall be on the walls of your prisons…"
Addressing
the Al-Saud, he promises them that ISIS's men shall soon return to Saudi Arabia
as victorious conquerors: "We shall raise the banner of 'there is no God
but Allah' over your palaces … and by the will of Allah we will force out the
Jews, Christians, polytheists, and Rafidites from Muhammad's peninsula."
He also threatens the Al-Saud with revenge for their ill-treatment of Sunni
prisoners, and says: "By Allah, we will not forget, O Al-Saloul, what you
did to us in your prisons, and, by Allah, we shall return [your mistreatment]
to you doubled… We shall tear to shreds your bodies via booby-traps, and
smother you with silencers…"
Al-Ghamidi
also calls upon Saudis to target Saudi soldiers, accusing them of protecting
the Shi'ites and allowing them to "roam freely" in the country. He
says: "Target the soldiers of Al-Saloul, for they enabled the polytheist
Rafidites in Muhammad's peninsula, [where they] roam freely in Al-Medina,
Mecca, Al-Qatif, and Najran; while, on the other hand, they have imprisoned the
truthful scholars and sincere mujahideen and sentenced them to death."
Rab'ii Al-Ghamidi
The
second speaker, Abu Saleh Al-'Awfi, urges ISIS supporters in Saudi Arabia to
remain steadfast despite their small numbers. He also promises them that the
Islamic State shall, within a year, take over Saudi Arabia and establish its
various governing departments there, like, he says, the department of Hajj and Umrah
(pilgrimage).
Abu Saleh Al-'Awfi
Video From Sinai Province, Egypt, Refutes
The Al-Saud's Claims Of Upholding Shari'a Law
The Sinai province video, 9:07 minutes
in duration, is titled "A Message to Our People in the Land of the Two
Sanctuaries," and features three speakers who lash out at the Saudi
government and call for attacks inside the kingdom.
The first speaker,
Abu Osama Al-Muhajir, opens with a message to the clerics of the Saudi
religious establishment, accusing them of selling out to the government.
"You stand on the side of falsehood," he tells them. He also informs clerics
who are imprisoned in Saudi that ISIS will come for their aid: "Soon the
walls will be broken and the jails will be conquered, as they were in Iraq and
Syria."
The second
speaker, Abu Fatima Al-Jazrawi, urges ISIS operatives in Saudi Arabia to carry
out more attacks and to avenge Muslim prisoners: "Attack them with all your might, 'scatter [them] by [making an
example of] them those who are in their rear [Quran, 8, 57],' in revenge for
the Muslims in prisons. Pressure them, for you have brothers in the prisons who
are awaiting your aid." Al-Jazrawi also urges Saudis to join the fight and
cease to "sit and submit." He also points out to them the Saudi
government provides bases for "the forces of the Cross."
The third
speaker, Abu Ja'far Al-Ansari, justified fighting and killing the Al-Saud and
their security forces, noting that they have committed apostasy by aiding the
West, allowing Shi'ites to hold their rituals in public, and more. He also
notes that the Al-Saud's claim of upholding shari'a law in the country is
intrinsically invalid.
Video From Al-Janoub Province, Iraq, Calls
On Saudi Clerics To Come Out Against The Al-Saud
In a 5:28 minute video released
by the Al-Janoub province media office in Iraq, a speaker named Abu Shakur
Al-Shami addresses the "tyrants" of the Al-Saud and those clerics
working for them. He points out the Saudi government's contradicting stance regarding
Shi'ites in the region, namely its attack against the Houthis in Yemen at the
same time of its protection of Shi'ites living in its country. Turning specifically
to the clerics, Al-Shami informs them that they will have to answer for their
actions in front of Allah on the Day of Judgment, and calls upon them to come
out against the Al-Saud. Al-Shami also urges Saudis to adopt the path of jihad
and calls upon them to come to the aid of imprisoned Muslims there.
Abu Shakur Al-Shami
Video From Al-Jazeera Province, Iraq,
Informs Saudi Prisoners: 'Remain Steadfast… For Your Brothers Are Coming … From
All The Provinces'
An 8:35 minute video released by
Al-Jazeera province in Iraq laments the takeover of the Arabian Peninsula by
the "gang" of Al-Saud. It also accuses them, inter alia, of spread moral
and economic corruption, and of allowing the unbelievers to establish a foothold
in the country.
The first
speaker, Abu Talha Al-Ansari, denounces the Al-Saud's treatment of Muslims.
"You are harsher on Islam than the Jews and Christians," he informs them.
He also notes the Al-Saud's departure from Islam because of their association
with the Jews, Christians, and Shi'ites, saying: "You are the guardians of
the polytheistic Rafidites, heresy, and apostasy in your country. You have
[many] embassies for the Christians and Jews, and you have [many] worshipping
places for the polytheistic Rafidites. You feed them from your food, sate them
with your drinks, and harmonize with them
and they harmonize with you… Don't you know that whoever associates with the Rafidites,
Christians, or Jews, becomes one of them?"
Abu Talha Al-Ansari
Al-Ansari also promises imprisoned clerics in
Saudi of ISIS's forthcoming aid: "Your brothers are coming, Allah willing…
Are coming with the strongest and fiercest men. Are coming from all the
provinces. So be patient and await, for we are waiting with you."
Speaking to ISIS operatives in Saudi Arabia, he
calls upon them to target their enemies: "Brothers, any apostates,
unbelievers, or polytheists, you kill shall amass to [your deeds] on the Day of
Judgment." He directs a similar call to Muslims in general in Saudi
Arabia: "O Muslims there… Kill the kuffar and polytheists … for their
status [according to Islam] is similar to that of the Jews and
Christians."
Moving to the Al-Saud, Al-Ansari threatens them
with attacks in various locations in the country: "Be careful of us, be careful
of our deceit, for, by Allah, you will not feel the matter until [the moment
that] we are standing by you, in the [Saudi] provinces and everywhere, in [street]
sections, on the streets, in your societies and in your organizations, you
shall find explosions there, Allah willing…"
Video From Barqa Province, Libya, Accuses
Saudi Soldiers Of Heresy And Apostasy
In a 5:28 minute video released
by the Barqa province media office in Libya, a speaker named Abu Jarrah
Al-Ansari laments the fact that the Muslim ummah
has been afflicted by Arab and non-Arab tyrannical rulers, and adds that those
are led by the tyrants of Saudi Arabia. Al-Ansari accuses them of heresy and
apostasy, inter alia, due to their collaboration with the Christians and Jews,
and for their failure to implement the shari'a.
Al-Ansari
addresses Saudi soldiers, accusing them also of heresy and apostasy. He says: "So
O you soldier who works for the tyrants of the Arabian Peninsula, know that you
are a kafir and an apostate."
Speaking to
Muslim prisoners in Saudi Arabia, he informs them they are in ISIS's thoughts
and prayers. He also hopes that ISIS will one day come for their aid.
Turning to
ISIS's men in Saudi Arabia, he urges them to target the Shi'ites, apostates,
and their allies.
Abu Jarrah Al-Ansari
Video From Hadhramout Province, Yemen:
'No Way To Deter [The Al-Saud] … But Only Through [The Use Of] Bullets, Raids,
Ambushes, And Assassination'
An 11:18 minute video released by
ISIS's Hadhramout province in Yemen reiterates the group's call to "ignite
the flames of jihad" in Saudi Arabia, and calls upon Saudis to come to the
aid of their imprisoned brothers and sisters by attacking the Al-Saud and their
soldiers. "[Make] the tyrants and their soldiers taste an assortment of torments, [and] spread terror in
their hearts…" it informs them. It also notes that "only through [the
use of] bullets, raids, ambushes, and assassinations" can the Al-Saud be
deterred.
The first
speaker, Mus'ab Al-Azdi, threatens the Al-Saud with an imminent retaliation,
"I swear that our flames shall engulf you soon … and that we shall conquer
the [Arabian] Peninsula," he says. At a later point in the video, Al-Azdi
directs a stern warning to Saudi soldiers. Seen standing behind two captured
Yemeni soldiers who are executed on the spot, he says: "This shall be the
fate of the apostate [Saudi] soldiers, O Al-Saloul."
Mus'ab Al-Azdi (center) threatening Saudi soldiers with the same fate of Yemeni soldier about to get executed
The second
speaker, Abu Hashem Al-Najdi, attempts to rally Saudi tribes against their government.
Appealing specifically to tribe members with imprisoned children, Al-Najdi
plays on sectarian-related grievances among them. He says: "O people of
tribes, O you who are proud of your tribes, where is your chivalry? Where is
your magnanimity? Your sons are in prisons,
and your daughters are taken captive from you from your [own] homes? [All the
while] the Rafidites are not confronted by the Al-Saloul… If you were men, then
take your rights with force. You will not be able to free your children with
protests or peacefulness, but [only] with force like this [Al-Najdi raises his clenched fist] will you [be able to] take your
children [back]."
Abu Hashem Al-Najdi
Video From Homs Province, Syria, Notes That
The Al-Saud's Promotion Of Religious Dialogue Constitutes A 'Clear Heresy'
An 11:14 minute video released by
the media office of Homs province features three men:
The first
speaker is a former Saudi army officer named Abu Osama Al-Jazrawi. Similar to
other speakers in the campaign, he threatens the Al-Saud, specifically
denouncing their promotion of religious dialogue, which he says constitutes a "clear
heresy." He also threatens the Al-Saud with retaliation for their war
against the Islamic State: "O Al-Saloul, this war [against the Islamic
State] will open its doors upon you from every direction," while adding: "You
fool no one but yourself, and you mock [no one] but [the] men at whose hands … is
your imprisonment, killing, and cutting off of your necks."
Addressing
Saudi soldiers, Al-Jazrawi denounces their work for the Al-Saud, and offers
them a chance to repent.
Speaking to
Saudis in general, he cautions them from believing Saudi scholars who work for
the Al-Saud.
Abu Osama Al-Jazrawi
A second
speaker, Abu Mu'adh Al-Jazrawi, denounces the Saudi government's membership in
the UN, as well as its turning to the latter over various issues. That, he
says, indicates that the Saudi government submits to the UN, and not to Allah
and His shari'a, over matters of ruling, and as such, Saudi rulers are apostates
and heretics. Al-Jazrawi presents similar arguments regarding Saudi Arabia's complacency
in the war against Muslims. Turning to Saudis, he says: "O servants of
Allah, don't you see these [military] airplanes that land and take off from the
airports of your homeland? Where do they go, and whom do they bomb? Don't they
bomb Muslims? Sure, and by Allah you know that."
Abu Mu'adh Al-Jazrawi
A third speaker,
Abu Hudhayfah Al-Jazrawi, reiterates ISIS's promise to rescue prisoners in
Saudi: "By Allah, we haven't forgotten about you… And Allah willing, the
prisons shall be demolished, the shackles released, and [after which] you will
exit to implement the shari'a of Allah in the peninsula of Muhammad."
Video From Al-Furat Province, Syria-Iraq:
The Al-Saud Are 'More Evil Than The Jews And Christians'
A 12:17 minute video released by
the media office of Al-Furat province, Syria-Iraq, features two Saudi ISIS operatives:
The first
speaker, Abu Nour Al-Jazrawi, lists the Nawaqid Al-Islam (Nullifiers of
Islam)[6] in
which the Al-Saud have fallen, naming four: their resorting to other entities besides Allah over matters of
judgment; their ruling not according to the shari'a; their making permissible
that which Allah had forbade; and their associating and allying with the
unbelievers against Muslims.
The second
speaker, Jarrah Al-Jazrawi, calls for attacks against the Al-Saud, and attempts
to even rally Saudi women who are looking to carry out suicide attacks, saying:
"Where are the female suicide bombers, [and] where are the booby-traps?
Use [explosive] belts and grill the flesh of the Arabian Peninsula
tyrants…" Al-Jazrawi also exhorts those Saudis who are willing to attack
members of the Saudi monarchy to "show no mercy," for they, he says,
have shown no mercy toward the believers. He also notes the inhumane treatment
of prisoners in Saudi Arabia: "By Allah, their [i.e. the Al-Saud's]
prisoners have harsher torture than that [employed] by the Jews and Christians,
[to the extent] that some brothers held in their prisoners, [and] who
[previously] were in Guantanamo prison … would say: I wish I can return to Guantanamo
and not stay in Al-Ha'ir prison." Al-Jazrawi concludes by noting that the
Al-Saud are "more evil than the Jews and Christians [in their battle] against
Muslims."
Jarrah Al-Jazrawi
Video From Al-Khayr Province, Syria, Highlights
Socio-Economic Grievances To Undermine The Al-Saud, Rally Saudis Against Them
The Al-Khayr province video, the
longest in the series at 34 minutes, echoes similar notions about the Al-Saud's
treachery and heresy, as well as the need for Saudis to attack them, their
military personnel, and Shi'ites.
The video also
notes various socio-economic grievances and phenomena experienced by Saudis, in
an attempt to recruit them into ISIS's ranks, destabilize Saudi society, and
instigate attacks inside the kingdom. For example, it notes the high rates of
poverty in the country and the vast economic gap between the rich – which the
Al-Saud symbolizes - and the poor. "Billions were spent by those pigs
[i.e. the Al-Saud] on the war against Islam and Muslims, [which] was better off
to be given to the needy," it notes. The video also rallies Saudi youth to
join the jihad and abstain from taking part in activities which ISIS sees as a
waste of their time. One speaker notes in that regard: "Where are you, O
youth of Saudi Arabia? Has all your focus turned to soccer, having fun, and
playing around? [Has all your focus turned to watching] movies, [going to]
clubs, and dancing?" Another speaker also denounces soccer, and says:
"O youth of Saudi Arabia, don't let Al-Saloul preoccupy you with the
stupidest of matters like soccer and the such, for they are planning to drown
you with your desires in order [to make you] forget the issues of your ummah and in order to keep you away from
it."
Some of the activities denounced by ISIS as keeping Saudi youth from jihad, like dancing, watching soccer, and tafheet (Saudi drifting)
*M. Khayat is a research fellow at MEMRI.
Endnotes:
[1]
See MEMRI JTTM report In
New Audio Speech, Islamic State (ISIS) Leader Al-Baghdadi Issues Call To Arms
To All Muslims, May 14, 2015.
[2]
See MEMRI JTTM report ISIS
Message Calls On Saudi Sunnis To Fight And Kill Shi'ites, Topple Saudi Regime,
May 31, 2015.
[3]
See MEMRI JTTM report ISIS
Leader Al-Baghdadi Criticizes Newly Created Islamic Coalition, Threatens All
Countries Bombing Its Territories, December 26, 2015.
[4] See
Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1195 ISIS
Campaign: Encouraging Palestinians To Carry Out Lone Wolf Attacks, October
20, 2015; Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 1187 The
Islamic State's Frantic Response To The Wave Of Refugees Fleeing Syria,
September 28, 2015.
[5]
Signed in 1973,
the agreement provides Saudi Arabia dominance in oil sales in U.S. dollars in
exchange for U.S. protection and armament.
[6]
Acts or beliefs that lead a Muslim to being excommunicated from Islam, thus
becoming an unbeliever.
M. Khayat
Source: http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/8926.htm
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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