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AL-QAEDA’S RELIGIOUS JUSTIFICATION OF NUCLEAR TERRORISM “This vanguard constitutes the solid base [qaeda in Arabic] for the hoped-for society … We shall continue the jihad no matter how long the way, until the last breath and the last beat of the pulse—or until we see the Islamic state established.” 39 Abdullah Azzam When legendary jihadist Abdullah Azzam was assassinated under mysterious circumstances in November 1989, suspects in his murder included Osama bin Laden and Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) leader Ayman Zawahiri. After the Soviets were expelled from Afghanistan, Azzam sought to shift jihad to his homeland, Palestine. Zawahiri sought to focus the jihad on Egypt and the other secular Muslim states, in hopes of restoring the caliphate, the rule of Islamic clerics, which had ended after the dissolution of the Ottoman Em- pire in 1924. After Islamic rule had been re-established in the Islamic world, Zawahiri wrote, “then history would make a new turn, God willing, in the opposite direction against the empire of the United States and the world’s Jewish government.” 40 It is not clear who killed Azzam, but his departure from the scene played into Osama bin Laden’s hands, by shifting the target of the jihad not to Israel or to Egypt, but to the United States. When bin Laden formed al- Qaeda a year earlier, Zawahiri was convinced to throw in his lot with this “heaven-sent man,” 41 as Azzam had characterized bin Laden, principally because Zawahiri felt stymied in fulfilling his lifelong dream of overthrow- ing the Egyptian regime. Bin Laden would develop an idea that would breathe life back into Zawahiri’s dreams: the United States must become the target of the jihad. If the Americans could be provoked into war, they could be defeated like the Soviets, and expelled from Muslim lands for good. The fall of the US superpower would lead to the overthrow of secular Arab states. This insight led to successive al-Qaeda
strikes against the US, including the unsuccessful bombing of the World Trade Center (1993), bombings of two US Embassies in East Africa (1998), and the bombing of the USS Cole (2000). It was not evident at the time, but the road to 9/11 began on the day al-Qaeda was formed. It was with a grim mood of impending confrontation with the United States that the two al-Qaeda leaders shared an interest in acquiring weapons of mass destruction. By 1992, al- Qaeda was already dabbling in the nuclear black market. Undaunted by a series of scams by hustlers and con men, Bin Laden and Zawahiri remained alert to opportunities to buy, steal, or build a bomb. After al-Qaeda was expelled from Sudan in 1994, Ayman Zawahiri mysteri- ously dropped out of sight. For two years, the Egyptian doctor and two of his top lieutenants traveled extensively to Russia, Yemen, Malaysia, Singapore and China. The purpose of their travels has never been established, but Zawahiri’s associations during his travels, and own statements suggest that he and his cohorts may have been hunting for WMD. 42 It is no coincidence that 1998 was the year that Osama bin Laden openly declared war on the US, publicly stated that it was his Islamic duty to acquire WMD, and secretly launched the operational plan for the 9/11 attack. Bin Laden privately expressed frustration that two brazen assaults against US government interests abroad had failed to provoke the US into invading Afghanistan. 43 He formalized an agreement within al-Qaeda to attack the “far enemy,” the US, before the “near enemy,” the Muslim states. The al-Qaeda high command secretly initiated the operational planning that would culminate in the 9/11 attack. They began chemical, biological and nuclear programs under the direct supervision of Zawahiri and senior al-Qaeda members. At around this time, Zawahiri also began piecing together two separate Pakistani and Malay- sian-based networks to develop an anthrax weapon for use in the United States. 44 Osama bin Laden 1998 “fatwa” “All these crimes and sins committed by the Americans are a clear declaration of war on God, his messenger, and Muslims. And ulema have throughout Islamic history unanimously agreed that the jihad is an individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries. This was revealed by Imam Bin-Qadamah in “Al- Mughni,” Imam al-Kisa’i in “Al-Bada’i,” al-Qurtubi in his interpretation, and the shaykh of al-Islam in his books, where he said: “As for the fighting to repulse [an enemy], it is aimed at defending sanctity and religion, and it is a duty as agreed [by the ulema]. Nothing is more sacred than belief except repulsing an enemy who is attacking religion and life.” Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs | Harvard Kennedy School 29
Page 1: Islam Islam and the Bomb Religious
Page 4 and 5: Belfer Center for Science and Inter
Page 6 and 7: AUTHOR’S NOTE Threats cannot be f
Page 8 and 9: CONTENTS Foreword 9 Living in an Ag
Page 10 and 11: 8 Islam and the Bomb: Religious Jus
Page 12 and 13: 10 ing nuclear weapons? Has a decis
Page 14 and 15: NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN THE 21 ST CENTUR
Page 16 and 17: 14 The Allure of Nuclear Weapons Th
Page 18 and 19: 16 Islam. They claim to represent t
Page 20 and 21: 18 In applying this hierarchy of mo
Page 22 and 23: 20 The Court of Public Opinion “C
Page 24 and 25: THE QURAN AND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTR
Page 26 and 27: 24 The first Caliph (successor to t
Page 28 and 29: 26 both Saudi radical cleric Nasir
Page 32 and 33: 30 On that basis, and in compliance
Page 34 and 35: 32 ings of US and Saudi targets in
Page 36 and 37: 34 In November, 2007, Sayid Imam Ab
Page 38 and 39: 36 He offers a meticulously researc
Page 40 and 41: 38 Zawahiri’s Three Operational M
Page 42 and 43: 40 they have done good for their re
Page 44 and 45: 42 Because the document was written
Page 46 and 47: SUNNI VOICES REJECTION OF TERRORIST
Page 48 and 49: Chronology of Sunni Voices Against
Page 50 and 51: Reactions to the anti-WMD Fatwa Dr
Page 52 and 53: SHIA VOICES IRAN AND THE BOMB Follo
Page 54 and 55: 52 “The decree by Khamenei “pro
Page 56 and 57: 54 “From all I can see, it’s no
Page 58 and 59: president of the Kayhan chain of ne
Page 60 and 61: Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah-Yaz
Page 62 and 63: you can do whatever you want to def
Page 64 and 65: Comment: For additional information
Page 66 and 67: APPENDICES Appendix A - Background
Page 68 and 69: 66 Early Muslim scholars developed
Page 70 and 71: 68 located in Yemen, Iraq, and part
Page 72 and 73: 70 Appendix B: Al-Qaeda Nuclear Pla
Page 74 and 75: Appendix C: Events from 2003-2010 -
Page 76 and 77: In his book “Cosmology and Human
Page 78 and 79: 76 and hidden matters, the conseque
Page 80 and 81:
78 pressed. Thus, this prohibition
Page 82 and 83:
80 Appendix E: Sunni Biographies Dr
Page 84 and 85:
82 despite our strong oppositions t
Page 86 and 87:
84 to the United Nations. He presen
Page 88 and 89:
86 losophy and in particular Sadra
Page 90 and 91:
88 nied him food and drink until he
Page 92 and 93:
90 Zawahiri: Page 5, 8, 25, 26, 50,
Page 94 and 95:
92 “As everyone knows, whoever at
Page 96 and 97:
94 fought with fire, and Khalid ibn
Page 98 and 99:
96 Sa’id reported to us that al-L
Page 100 and 101:
98 “The Prophet, may God bless hi
Page 102 and 103:
100 and to refrain from them if the
Page 104 and 105:
102 permissible, and one may setup
Page 106 and 107:
104 “Al-‘Ayni said in ‘Umdat
Page 108 and 109:
106 C. The third position on the is
Page 110 and 111:
108 the prophet (may God bless him
Page 112 and 113:
110 facilitate victory over them. T
Page 114 and 115:
112 “In this Hadith there is perm
Page 116 and 117:
114 The Imam al-Nawawi (may God hav
Page 118 and 119:
116 Referencing Al-Ayni Al-Fahd: Pa
Page 120 and 121:
118 board with them. Malik said tha
Page 122 and 123:
120 “They said that this is a gen
Page 124 and 125:
122 that a tradition from the proph
Page 126 and 127:
124 “Similarly, if an non-believe
Page 128 and 129:
126 The second aspect: Muslim leade
Page 130 and 131:
128 beginning of the verse, God giv
Page 132 and 133:
130 book “Consensus on Matters of
Page 134 and 135:
132 Ibn Qudamah also said: “Chapt
Page 136 and 137:
134 Referencing Muhammad Ibn Isma
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136 in the Name of God and in God
Page 140 and 141:
138 Ibn Taymiyyah (may God have mer
Page 142 and 143:
140 a martyr. Anyone undeserving of
Page 144 and 145:
142 Zawahiri: Page 35, 80, 82, 83,
Page 146 and 147:
144 Similar to this is what Muhamma
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146 ENDNOTES 1. Tzu, Sun. The Art o
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148 Times. 29 May 2003. http://www.
Page 152 and 153:
150 115. Intelligence and Terrorism
Page 154 and 155:
152 163. Gomaa, Ali. “Biography.
Page 156 and 157:
154 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report wo
Page 158:
156 Islam and the Bomb: Religious J
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