Al-Qaeda's increasing donation appeals reflect severe funding shortage

Al-Qaeda leaders such as Abu al-Yazid admitted to a shortage of funds for waging jihad. [Reuters TV/Reuters]

Al-Qaeda leaders such as Abu al-Yazid admitted to a shortage of funds for waging jihad. [Reuters TV/Reuters]

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With the exception of al-Qaeda's branch in the Maghreb, which apparently reaps millions of dollars in ransom money from kidnapping Western hostages on the African coast, the various other branches of al-Qaeda, with its General Command operating in the border areas of Afghanistan-Pakistan leading the list, seem to be suffering from a severe liquidity crisis.

This may be the result of successful efforts undertaken for years by governments around the world to target the organisation's sources of funding. It may also reflect the fact that al-Qaeda’s activities no longer enjoy the support of those who supported and funded it in the past and who have come to regard al-Qaeda as a perpetrator of illegal activities.

Worldwide campaign to freeze al-Qaeda funding sources

The campaign against al-Qaeda's funding sources began in earnest in the wake of the September 11th, 2001 attacks when the United States led an international effort to pass laws that ban material support for Osama bin Laden's organisation.

Indeed, most countries in the world passed legislation to that effect, including Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia which regulated the operation of its charitable organizations, some of which it is believed were sources of financing for al-Qaeda, either knowingly or in the belief that donations would ultimately go to the needy.

The Saudi campaign against funding al-Qaeda took another turn recently when the council of senior religious scholars issued a fatwa last April decreeing that any form of funding for terrorism is an offence, the clearest position of its kind by the council that includes the most prominent scholars in Saudi Arabia.

It is not clear to what extent this fatwa deprived al-Qaeda of the opportunity to obtain funding from donors in the Gulf, but it is well known that the activity of this organisation appears to be limited to Yemen, in areas currently outside the authority of the central government.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq no longer a cash cow

But while al-Qaeda's Maghreb branch active in the countries of the African Sahel boasts about its ability to raise millions of dollars in ransom money, the organisation's branch in Iraq, for example, seems to be suffering great difficulties in securing the necessary funding after suffering consecutive setbacks over the past three years.

There was a time when the leadership of al-Qaeda in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border areas looked to its branch in Iraq to provide it with funds (Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri asked Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 2005 to transfer $100,000 dollars from Iraq to Afghanistan). But it appears that the al-Qaeda branch in Iraq today is suffering a severe "drought" in funding sources, which forced it to resort to bank and jewellery shops robberies in the Iraqi capital, as evidenced by the series of recent attacks in Baghdad.

Al-Qaeda appeals on the increase

The leadership of al-Qaeda in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region does not seem to be faring much better than its branch in Iraq. An extensive review of al-Qaeda's statements – whether releases through "As-Sahab", the media arm of the organisation, or media statements by al-Qaeda leaders- reveals that Osama bin Laden's organisation is intensifying its efforts to solicit contributions, a clear sign that it is faced with severe financial difficulties.

Beginning in 2009, there has been an increase in the number of direct appeals for financial support in the organisation's statements and releases, for what al-Qaeda refers to as jihad.

An analysis of 53 direct appeals for funding support made by al-Qaeda since its inception finds that 14 of the appeals were issued in 2009, and 11 were made in the first nine months of 2010.

Additionally, out of 21 direct appeals for funding support by al-Qaeda (i.e. appeals made exclusively for monetary support), six of them were issued in 2009 and seven in 2010, indicating that the need for funding has increased significantly over the last two years.

Senior al-Qaeda leaders issued some of their most urgent appeals for financial support in the last two years, especially in early 2009 and mid-2010, in the context that doing so is a religious duty required to support "jihad operations".

For example, during his call to the "Islamic nation" to fulfil its "duty" in support of the Mujahideen with "lives and blood", Osama bin Laden said in a January release that by virtue of his experience in jihad, he knows the full extent of its "financial costs".

After equating the hardships the Mujahideen are encountering today with those suffered during the days of the Prophet, bin Laden challenged Muslims to come forward and act "as Osman Ibn Affan did ", in reference to the third Caliph, who bin Laden said provided most of the funding for the Islamic army from his own personal assets.

In February 2009, al-Qaeda’s second in command, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, warned Muslims of a "Crusader-Jewish" campaign aimed at taking their land and stressed that "those who have money, have the obligation to support the Mujahideen with their money" and "spend it in the cause of God" in order to "foil" the "crusaders'" plan to besiege the Mujahideen.

Also in February 2009, the emir of al-Qaeda in Khorasan, Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, known as "Sheikh Saeed al-Masri" (killed earlier this year), called on Muslims and those whom he referred to as the Mujahideen in Pakistan, to "carry out jihad with money, as monetary jihad is the lifeblood of jihad. Without money, jihad comes to a halt. "

Last June, Abu al-Yazid declared, "O Islamic nation, one of our duties is to fund jihad with property and money because that is equivalent to conducting jihad in person." He added that "every man, youth, and woman in every Muslim country ought to, to the best of his or her ability, strive to raise funds and send them to the Mujahideen."

Lack of funds affecting recruiting capabilities

Al-Qaeda leaders have started to admit that the lack of funding is adversely affecting the organisation's operations and its ability to absorb a large number of recruits.

In an interview with the Jihadi Media Elite last July, al-Qaeda leader Sheikh Attiyat-Allah (also known as Atiyah Abd al-Rahman al-Libi) said that "due to the lack of funds", al-Qaeda - as well as the Taliban - "lack the capacity to absorb large numbers (of Mujahideen) ". He complained that "those in this nation who have money are delinquent in donating it."

A month earlier, Abu al-Yazid (Sheikh Saeed al-Masri) repeatedly referred not just to the shortage of funds, but acknowledged that "the leaders do not have the ability to prepare men for jihad," adding that "a lot of planned operations are on hold due to lack of funds."

Abu al-Yazid, a founding member of al-Qaeda and a former member of the Shura Council, was believed to be the organisation's financial chief. He admitted to a shortage of funds for jihad in Afghanistan in several statements made in recent years.

In June of 2009, in a statement produced by the "al-Taefa al-Mansura Network" and distributed by al-Fajr Media Centre, al-Qaeda's online network, Abu Al-Yazid addressed the Turkish people, saying, "We are experiencing a severe shortage of funds in the Afghan theatre", and "the waning of operations is due to lack of funds."

Abu al-Yazid said in an interview with "As-Sahab" in May 2007 - in response to a question about the needs of jihad in Afghanistan - that the primary need is financial support and that although the "Taliban Mujahideen" number in the thousands, they lack the finances to conduct operations.

Continuing jihad is difficult

There are many other indications that al-Qaeda is encountering financial difficulties.

In an interview distributed last June by the Centre for Media Communication (a jihad media entity that appears to be tied specifically to the Afghan– Pakistani jihad), Abdel Majid Abdel Majid, said to be a member of the Shura Council of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, urged Muslims to make contributions for jihad, warning that God will judge those who are delinquent in providing the funding needed by the Muslim nation to confront what he described as the richest powers on earth.

Additionally, "As-Sahab" distributed a video tape last July depicting an attack launched in Afghanistan, "in retaliation" for the killing of leaders of the "Islamic State of Iraq", featuring a figure referred to as the "martyr" Lukman al-Makki (from the Arabian Peninsula), who gave a testimonial in the video on "the financial necessities required to wage jihad".

Al-Makki implored Muslim merchants, saying, "Jihad is in dire need of your support and your efforts. Do not fail jihad."

Also last July, al-Qaeda leader Abu Yahya al-Libi appeared in a video distributed by As-Sahab to remind al-Qaeda supporters that continuing jihad is difficult due to many factors, including "lack of funds".

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  • READER COMMENTS

    رياض

    2011-9-28

    The Al-Qaeda organization is the most despicable organization that claimed to be Muslim. They have nothing to do with Islam. Islam disowns them.

  • فريد اسد الحوطي

    2010-11-21

    I ask the honorable people of Al-Qaeda to face their destiny and to be assured. Do not disturb your happiness, because people’s God knows them better than they even know themselves. In general, people love this world and cling to its pleasures, because they have forgotten the hereafter. They do not work for the hereafter, so, leave them alone, as God has accepted your efforts, and excused your weakness in the face of the whole world that is allied against you. They oppressed you; so, leave them alone to their creator, as He knows them better than they do. Care only for your own business, and do not pay attention to those who disagree with you, and God is your supporter and defender. May peace and blessings of God be upon the Prophet, peace be upon him, who was the leader of the mujahidin and the believers on the Day of Judgment, his household and all companions… Amen… amen… amen…

  • مسيحى

    2010-11-17

    Al-Qaeda’s members are not true Muslims, because we live in peace with our Muslim brothers.

  • مامون حسن العريف

    2010-11-9

    This is a farcical, unjustified allegation. First of all, the attacks of September announced the start of the war between a superpower and a group of gangs spread here and there, who use civilians as shields. Thus, the innocent citizens pay the price of this war, not bin Laden or al-Qaeda. Second, the Arab and Muslim peoples are advocates of peace, and we have never had a problem with America or any other country. No one knows what was the cause of the September attacks and the previous attacks of al-Qaeda on the United States. With regard to this battle in particular, al-Qaeda chose an enemy and started this war, while the subjugated peoples are paying the price for these barbaric policies of al-Qaeda and its affiliates.

  • سيف علي محمد

    2010-11-9

    Let's discuss the topic of the defense of Muslims and the country's liberation or defeating the infidels from the beginning. In the beginning, let's talk about the first presence of U.S. or foreign forces in the region in 1991, when Saddam Hussein invaded and occupied Kuwait without prior warning and without any convincing reasons. Although the international forces gave several warnings to Saddam to withdraw, he disregarded all of these warnings. Without foreign intervention, Saddam would be occupying Kuwait today, and he would be practicing bloodshed and violation of sanctities, and God knows which countries might have joined his list. Thus, the first entry of foreign troops was to support a group of Muslims who were subject to death, displacement and theft by the president of a Muslim state. The second foreign intervention was in 2001 in Afghanistan, and it was a result of al-Qaeda’s series of attacks in September, which targeted the innocent, defenseless people, where al-Qaeda waged war on the people, not in the battlefields, and Islam does not permit this. Therefore, al-Qaeda presented an opportunity for U.S. and international troops to occupy Afghanistan, and this is a natural solution in response to the blood that was shed in the United States and, thus, al-Qaeda gave foreign forces a reason to occupy Muslim countries, and now it claims that it wants to liberate the Muslim countries from this occupation. So the killing, bloodshed and displacement that the Muslim nations undergo is a result of the reckless policies adopted by some Arab rulers, in addition to criminal acts carried out by al-Qaeda. If we compare the situation of the world and Muslim countries before the advent of al-Qaeda to the situation of the world and Muslim countries today, we would find that the world was living in peace, love and brotherhood before the emergence of al-Qaeda in the arena.

  • صادق عبدالصبور

    2010-11-9

    In fact, the deplorable state Muslims are witnessing today is the result of the barbaric policies of al-Qaeda that led to the current situation. Al-Qaeda is the main reason for the occupation of Afghanistan. The occupation of Afghanistan by international forces is nothing but a natural response to the attacks of September eleventh; and I wonder if the international forces would have led a major military campaign to eliminate al-Qaeda if these attacks had not occurred. As for Iraq, the Iraqis were terribly humiliated while Saddam Hussein was killing men and raping women. I do not think there is a president who orders his people to be killed with chemical weapons, or who suppresses his people with heavy weapons just because they demonstrate against the regime. I do believe that the mass graves seen in Iraq have never appeared anywhere else. There is no religion that allows these things to be done to innocent people. What more can humiliate Iraq and Iraqis, after this humiliation. After the overthrow of Saddam and the bitterness of his thirty-year rule, al-Qaeda has come to complete what Saddam began. It practiced the worst kinds of murder and torture against the Iraqi people. We say to those cowards: If you are really keen on the interest of Iraq and the Iraqis or Muslim countries, let us live our lives as we choose.

  • عبدالله احمد العباد

    2010-11-9

    Those who believe that the media distorts the image of al-Qaeda are either moronic or they are not living in reality. There is an Iraqi parable that says that if you want to tell a lie, tell your lie to a dead person, and do not tell lies to the living. This parable applies to the current situation, because those who allege that al-Qaeda is innocent of the bloodshed, and those who do believe that the media and the whole world are all evildoers, are mistaken; and it would be better to give this speech to the dead, because the dead cannot respond to this nonsense. Crimes that occur in Iraq every day and the killings of children and the elderly, in addition to shedding the blood of innocent people in this way, do not need evidence, because such crimes are considered proof of the criminality of this decadent gang. Bombing planes and killing defenseless people are strong evidence of the brutality and savagery of these criminal groups. Those who claim that al-Qaeda is innocent of all these terrorist acts and that the whole world is unfair to al-Qaeda, using flimsy allegations, should awaken out of their slumber and, fearing God, tell the truth.

  • نور سلام

    2010-11-9

    The fate of al-Qaeda is near, God willing, and they will be defeated and we will be rid of them forever.

  • محمد عمر حسين

    2010-11-9

    The war on terror is an open war until this degenerate gang is eliminated. Therefore, there is no victory that al-Qaeda or its supporters can claim, because the operations it carried out have become exposed to everyone, and any attempt to cause explosions is disclosed before it is implemented. This is clearly proved by the attempts at blowing up the plane on Christmas Day, the attempted bombing in New York and the parcels sent from Yemen; all these indicate the failure of these operations.

  • احمد صالح

    2010-11-9

    This was true to some extent in the past, but now things have begun to change. Everyone knows about the support provided by certain Arab countries to al-Qaeda in Afghanistan during the eighties of the last century. The support provided by Egypt and Saudi Arabia was clear, and this support was the result of a regional conflict between the United States and its Arab allies and the Soviet Union and the states that were opposed to it. In addition, there was an internal conflict, as these countries have undergone internal conflicts between religious militants on the one hand and the governments of these countries on the other hand. In searching for a solution to defeat these extremist forces, they assisted directly or indirectly in sending these extremists to fight outside their countries, thinking that they would be rid of these militants forever. However, things soon changed, after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, and these groups began to go back to their countries and work to change their governments and replace them with religious governments. Thus, inconsistent campaigns were launched by these governments to combat these groups, even though some of them could not confront them, as many of these governments agree with these groups in some of their ideas and beliefs. The most obvious example is Saudi Arabia, where the government of this state is based on a religious foundation and adopts some of the ideas of al-Qaeda.

  • ابو فلاح

    2010-11-8

    I think that God the Almighty does not love whoever loves the terrorist Osama bin Laden, because God the Almighty does not like terrorism, and this man is the source of terrorism in the world that directs the elements of al-Qaeda to kill and slaughter the Muslims as well as exterminating and raping the women, let alone the explosions that target the innocents and the civilians in the Muslim countries. Loving Osama bin Laden means loving a terrorist and a warlord who spreads fear and terror, and causes sectarian tensions in the Muslim countries. Are the Muslims required to love this man? Does he deserve to be loved? Al-Qaeda is a terrorist organization, and it cannot change this image in the minds of the Muslims! Is there anything that can change the image of the explosions in Iraq, or the images of murder and the destruction in Afghanistan, or the images of kidnappings and torture in Somalia, as well as scenes of murder and slaughter in Iraq?! Which one of those images of its terrorist crimes will al-Qaeda try to change?

  • بلال عبدالله

    2010-11-8

    The September 11th, 2001 events led to radical geographic and political change all over the world, in addition to the innocents who lost their lives in the Islamic countries and in the USA itself. These terrorist attacks were not for the benefit of the Muslims, but to weaken the Muslims and made them weaker because of the wars that occurred in the aftermath of these attacks. The acts of Al-Qaeda and this crime in particular made the Islamic countries into way-stations and headquarters for the anti-terrorism war and the efforts aiming at eliminating Al-Qaeda. These efforts eventually allowed the USA to control the whole world. The dirty terrorist organization of Al-Qaeda has not achieved any success at any level, except causing wars and unrest in all the Arab and Islamic countries. These terrorist acts transformed the Arab and Islamic countries into command centers for the military operations, wars and explosions. The wars and bombings in Iraq are all a result of the September 11th terrorist attacks that were carried out by Al-Qaeda in the USA.

  • منذر صلاح

    2010-11-8

    Al-Qaeda is a terrorist organization that undertakes killing, murder, kidnapping, rape and displacement, as well as inciting sectarian tensions and many other crimes. Hence, Al-Qaeda is a terrorist organization, and its explosions that target the Muslim citizens in the Muslim countries prove that this organization is against Muslims, mercy and peace. Al-Qaeda is a terrorist organization, and those who say that this organization has supported the oppressed Muslims in Iraq and Somalia are obviously mistaken, and they should ask mercy from God the Almighty for their false allegations against the Muslims. The elements of terrorism of Al-Qaeda have oppressed the Muslims, after their terrorist crimes against them. They have killed the Muslims, and they never supported Islam or Muslims. They only tried to humiliate the Muslims, but God the Almighty raises the ranks of His slaves according to faith and piety, as He is over everything competent. Al-Qaeda tried to harm Islam and Muslims and depict them as the incarnation of terrorism and violence. Al-Qaeda introduced the Muslims as if they were killers who save nothing and destroy everything, including the children, women, the elders, the youth, etc. However, the Muslims were respected all over the world before the appearance of Al-Qaeda, but the whole world started hating and freeing itself of us, after Al-Qaeda's appearance in the arena and its terrorist acts against humanity. That is because the terrorist acts of Al-Qaeda were meant to depict all Muslims as terrorists. Therefore, I believe that this opinion is wrong; Islam is always supported, by the permission of God the Almighty, and they do not need Al-Qaeda or any other terrorist organization, because Al-Qaeda tries to humiliate the Muslims, but God the Almighty has protected us from their evils and preserved the status of their honor …. .

  • مسلم العميق

    2010-11-8

    The Muslims receive no support from any party, be it Christian countries or other, in their war on the dirty terrorist organization of al-Qaeda. They fight al-Qaeda alone, as proved by the fact that this terrorist organization was challenged only by the attacks of the Sahwa forces that fought al-Qaeda in Iraq. In addition, the elements of al-Qaeda are not Muslims, because they kill the innocents and the helpless civilians, in addition to killing, displacing and kidnapping the Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan. After this, is it possible to consider al-Qaeda an Islamic organization, and to think that it is not permissible for the Muslims to ally themselves with the Christian countries against the dirty terrorist organization of al-Qaeda? Whoever adopts this opinion is wrong, because the dirty terrorist organization of al-Qaeda is an intruder to Islam and Muslims, and its sole aim is to defame Islam in front of the whole world. Anyway, if the Muslims join with the Christian countries to fight al-Qaeda, then they at least belong to the People of the Book, and not like al-Qaeda, which is a deviant group that kills the innocents, children, men and women in cold blood. Isn't everyone supposed to defend and even sacrifice his soul for the sake of his land, properties, and honor, as God the Almighty, and Muhammad, His Prophet, peace be upon him, recommended us to do? The dirty terrorist organization of al-Qaeda robs our properties, kills our citizens and wants to control our houses to rape the Muslim women. Hence, all Muslims must fight the dirty terrorist organization of al-Qaeda and kill its members, wherever they are.

  • المستقل

    2010-11-8

    Whoever considers Osama bin Laden a leader or a sheikh is a terrorist like him. The terrorist Osama bin Laden formed Al-Qaeda, and he killed Muslims and slaughtered them in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as in the Arab countries. Moreover, this terrorist is not a prophet or a guardian, but an ordinary man. So, why should I ask my God for forgiveness when I accuse him of infidelity or deviation? Is he a prophet or anything like that? I advise anyone who demands that those who accuse Osama bin Laden of disbelief ask forgiveness from God the Almighty to do so first, because you are defending a terrorist who has killed Muslims and incited sectarian strife in the Muslim countries… this man was the cause behind the killing of Muslims and inciting sectarian tensions in the Muslim countries…. Many Muslims and Iraqi citizens lost their lives because of him in the war of 2003. Moreover, I believe that the terrorist Osama bin Laden and his supporters try to present Islam as a religion of terrorism, slaughter and killing. Of course, this contradicts the Islamic sharia and the commandments of God the Almighty and the Prophet, peace be upon him. Islam is the religion love and tolerance, rather than killing, explosions and sectarian wars. God the Almighty and the Prophet, peace be upon him, cursed whoever causes disunity or disagreements among the Muslims. The accursed terrorist Osama bin Laden, whom I ask God to send to hell, is the cause behind the sectarian tensions in Iraq. Hence, those who say that Osama bin Laden is a Muslim and even the leader of the Muslims, and that if anyone accused him of being an infidel, he must ask for forgiveness, must fear God the Almighty and ask Him for forgiveness, because you instigate him to kill more Muslims. You are a criminal terrorist and you must be punished for this statement, because it means that you are a collaborator with terrorism. If anyone other than the terrorists say so, then they will be accursed.

  • عدو القاعدة

    2010-11-6

    Why does Al-Qaeda invite the Muslims to donate to it? Does it intend to build a school, a university, or an orphanage? May God curse the terrorists who want to get the money from the Muslims to kill them. Your ideology is so hateful!!! I ask God to destroy you and to get rid of you, after you have embittered our life. What kind of people are you?! Return to your countries and reform them, using legal methods. Give up your arms and try to develop your countries, instead of destroying them with your cowardly terrorist acts. Are you not satisfied with what you have killed and destroyed in your countries? What do you want? More money?! O apes! May God curse you and whoever supports or finances you!

  • شيماء هادي

    2010-11-6

    Even those who supported Al-Qaeda in the past have withdrawn their support, because Osama bin Laden and his dogs who work with him in this terrorist organization proved to the whole world with all its religions that they are criminals, and that they shed blood with or without cause.

  • همام

    2010-11-6

    Al-Qaeda adopts a sick ideology and methodology that must be fought seriously by all parties, because it promotes Takfir and terrorism. Hence, Al-Qaeda accuses whomever it wants to of disbelief, and then kills innocents as it wishes. Al-Qaeda is a group of mad dogs in the streets, and they have allied themselves with the senior mad dog, Osama bin Laden, to kill, explode, and carry out many crimes. Day after day, they deviate further away from Islamic principles because of their crimes. Hence, they are gradually losing the support of those who supported them ignorantly, believing that Al-Qaeda is an Islamic organization. However, Islam has nothing to do with this terrorist organization that is comprised of killers, assassins and outlaws who were living on the streets. They want to control the whole world, to kill as they wish, as we saw in Afghanistan and Iraq.

  • سمير البمي

    2010-11-6

    Al-Qaeda needs money to finance its members and its costly terrorist operations. However, this terrorist organization suffers from a serious financial crisis, after being abandoned by all parties who discovered its malicious objectives and terrorist acts. Today, all those who deal with this terrorist organization, regardless of their names or affiliations, are in the crosshairs and they will be arrested and sentenced to death, because they contribute to and participate in killing people by supporting Al-Qaeda in whatever way. Hence, the circumstances of Al-Qaeda are very difficult today, and I think that the disappearance of the financiers of this terrorist organization will quickly weaken it, because it is currently incapable of securing money for its members. Hence, I am sure that the end of Al-Qaeda has come very near, and the mastermind Osama bin Laden will be arrested soon. I am sure of this…

  • haser matt

    2010-11-6

    Al-Qaeda and its leaders are frustrated in an unprecedented way because of the lack of funds and the disappearance of the financiers of the terrorist organization, because no one believes that financing those infidels means defending Islam and religion. People have come to realize that financing Al-Qaeda means killing more children and innocent civilians. Hence, all those who had been ignorant of the reality of Al-Qaeda have stopped supporting it. The arrested leaders of Al-Qaeda admitted that the organization is suffering from a shortage of funds, and that many of its members, who were working with it just for the money, have abandoned it. In addition, its reputation has deteriorated, thanks to its inability to carry out new terrorist operations. The shortage of funds means it can no longer recruit new members and collaborators. Hence, the shortage of funds will be among the key factors that will eventually lead to the collapse of Al-Qaeda, in addition to hunting down its members everywhere in the world. Massive international cooperation has also helped in getting at all those who collaborate with terrorism. Based on this, I see that Al-Qaeda has become helpless and their end has become imminent.

  • منال

    2010-11-6

    Al-Qaeda has deteriorated and reached the brink of collapse. Now, no party supports it, and the whole world launches ceaseless campaigns to eliminate its organization and thought.

  • مسار الحرية

    2010-11-6

    Al-Qaeda has nothing to do with the teachings of Islam, and this is the reason that convinced many members of Al-Qaeda to leave it, because it is based on killing the soul that God the Almighty made inviolable, using car bombs, plastic explosives and all these destructive methods to undermine people’s safety and terrify them under the pretext that they are wrong. What is the relationship between these acts and Islam, which never accepts the terrorizing of civilians and innocents? Hence, many members of this terrorist organization have opted to leave it, after innocent citizens were killed. They discovered the reality of this organization, which alleges that it adheres to Islam, when in fact it has nothing to with it. I call on all members of al-Qaeda who are still working with it to leave now and give themselves up to the Iraqi security forces, regardless of their former crimes with this organization, as long as they have decided to leave it because they are not happy with its crimes, tyranny and oppression of people. We see a decline in the number of the members of Al-Qaeda, which has nothing to do with Islam, because people began to understand its criminal nature and its exploitation of the youth under religious slogans, for example that they are mujahidin and will go to Paradise if they die while fighting falsehood and infidels. However, Al-Qaeda is the source of all evils and falsehood. This terrorist organization also uses money to attract other terrorist organizations. But thanks to God the Almighty, the reality of those terrorists was exposed and they lost all their support in Iraq. In addition, most of the financers of Al-Qaeda, and the parties that used to provide them with arms and weapons, abandoned them after discovering the reality of what was going on in Iraq, including Takfir and the oppression of the Muslims in the Arab and Islamic countries. We ask God the Almighty to destroy this organization completely and quickly.

  • قاسم الهارابي

    2010-11-6

    Al-Qaeda is based in te first place on robbing citizens, in addition to the funds that it receives from abroad. As for the weapons, they certainly come from abroad. Hence, they cannot do without foreign financing to buy weapons and cover their expenditures, in addition to getting money from local sources, including robberies and assassinations. However, after losing many of its members, who either left Al-Qaeda, or were arrested or killed at the hands of the heroic Iraqi security forces, this cowardly and defeated organization became very weak, especially after losing many of its prominent leaders and masterminds, such as Abu Mus‘ab Al-Zarqawi and Abu Umar Al-Baghdadi. This significant decline in the number of its members and leaders, as well as the volume of funds, will certainly lead to the deterioration of these groups, because money is the only thing that made them agree to work in this organization, because they trade in lives and blood in return for the plundered money. However, they will collapse soon, by the permission of God the Almighty and because of the determination of the heroic Iraqis who are ready to sacrifice everything to eliminate this terrorist organization. The decline in funds that are sent to Al-Qaeda, except for the funds that come from countries that do not like Iraq, will weaken Al-Qaeda more and more, until it ends completely at the hands of the Iraqis who want to live peacefully and honorably.

  • صالح بو سعيد

    2010-11-6

    In my opinion, the drying-up of financial support for Al-Qaeda is not only a result of the official policy of monitoring the accounts of charitable organizations that collect money under the pretext of sending it to the poor and the needy. Rather, I think that there is another very important reason; namely, many of the rich people who used to support Al-Qaeda because they believed that it was a jihadist organization, stopped supporting it after its reality became clear to all people. Hence, they refrained from supporting Al-Qaeda, and this significantly weakened it. Without money, Al-Qaeda will collapse soon, or at least its threat to international security will decline significantly.

  • محسن الغلى

    2010-11-6

    Large-scale financing is the main support for the continuity of any organization. Al-Qaeda used to receive large amounts of support and funds from different parties, associations, and imaginary societies that would collect donations for noble purposes and then send them to Al-Qaeda. These organizations have become known after the large-scale war on terrorism, which focused mainly on eliminating the financial support and drying up resources, to limit the activities of Al-Qaeda and eliminate it as soon as possible, to save people from its harm.

  • عادل شمر

    2010-11-6

    Al-Qaeda today is very different from the al-Qaeda of a few years ago, after the great support that the organization used to receive from many sources was disrupted. Today, the financing channels are exposed and known to the different countries. Consequently, all forms of financing al-Qaeda were eliminated.

  • طلال حسين

    2010-11-6

    Al-Qaeda is one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations on earth, and its danger has affected all the countries of the world, through the spread of its supporters all over the world. Al-Qaeda exploited the ignorance and lack of culture among people and infiltrated the ranks of the public. However, after exposing this deceptive organization to the eyes of the world, and after the long series of crimes that it has carried out in Arab and foreign countries, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Somalia, it loses support every day, because those who supported it did so after falling under the influence of its terrorist ideology, which appealed to their simple minds in the name of religion and religiosity. The masks of Al-Qaeda fell away, however, and the terrorists can no longer deceive people in the name of religion. Consequently, Al-Qaeda lost many of its supporters and popularity. Today, the organization is certainly heading towards its doom, because it relied mainly on people’s help and their financial and human support. However, it has lost a large portion of this support today, because the number of new members of the organization has declined significantly, as a result of the international war on terrorism and Al-Qaeda.

  • خالد المصري

    2010-11-6

    I do think that there is a reasonable person who can finance terrorism or the terrorists. Thanks to God the Almighty, because most people are wise. Hence, I expect that the lack of funds will eventually lead to the collapse of al-Qaeda.

  • رعد الزين

    2010-11-6

    Al-Qaeda is now suffering from a decline in the number of its supporters, because people know the truth about it, and the number of those who collaborate with it has become very small. Many members of this organization even gave themselves up to the authorities or just repented secretly, after all the horrible facts that they discovered about the terrorist philosophy that was adopted by Al-Qaeda, under the leadership of Osama bin Laden and the remaining symbols of criminality of the leaders of Al-Qaeda.

  • رازق ثائر

    2010-11-5

    At the beginning, Al-Qaeda deceived the people and tricked many youths into joining it by using religious, jihadist slogans. Al-Qaeda promoted these empty slogans, trying to give the impression that it is an Islamic organization that aims only at raising the banner of Islam and defending Muslims everywhere. Of course, such slogans attract people, especially those who are clinging to any hope to get rid of their suffering. However, the facts appeared over time; the deception of Al-Qaeda became clear, and its reality appeared as clear as the sun. Every day, people watch the repeated crimes of this terrorist organization that tarnishes the image of Islam by alleging that it represents Islam, while its acts contradict Islam.

  • حميد فاروق

    2010-11-5

    The crimes and bloodshed by the gangs of al-Qaeda awakened those who had been deceived into supporting this organization in word or deed. Hence, they withdrew their support for it.

  • زهراء العلي

    2010-11-4

    Al-Qaeda’s danger is threatening every country and all people all over the world. In fact, al-Qaeda began to develop its methods and change its attacks by selecting predefined targets, targeting installations and vital centers around the world, and inventing new strategies, able to break through international defense systems. Indeed, the attempt to blow up a plane by Al-Qaeda’s Nigerian Omar Farook, last year, is one of these preplanned operations which managed to get around the international security systems by smuggling explosives onto the plane. However, the innocents who were on board were lucky, since the explosives failed. In addition, sending booby-trapped letters containing explosives to the United States of America via the international mail companies, FEDEX and UPS, is another preplanned operation by which al-Qaeda has changed the nature of its tactics and invented a serious strategy through a defense system breakthrough and other new strategies and tricks which this organization is inventing every day. As a matter of fact, we must pay attention to such strategies and try to confront them by all means. First, we must investigate the reason why al-Qaeda is continuously growing day after day. Second, we must investigate what mechanism this organization is using in order recruit people. Thus, we must investigate these means and try to combat them by all means. In fact, one of the methods which al-Qaeda is adopting to promote its terrorist operations in order to win people’s sympathy is using websites to spread its venom to people, mainly to the youth. This leads us to think seriously about a way to combat such sites, which encourage violence, and which are used by terrorists to recruit teenagers and the youth.