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Al-Qaida's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahri.
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| By Israel Insider staff June 25, 2007 |
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Al-Qaida's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, called on Hamas to implement Sharia (Islamic law) in the Gaza Strip in an internet audio recording Monday. In the recording, al-Zawahri, who is Osama Bin Laden's top deputy, urged Muslims around the world to support Hamas with money, weapons and attacks on Israeli and US interests.
"Taking over power is not a goal but a means to implement God's word on earth," stated al-Zawahri, urging Hamas to implement Sharia.
Al-Zawahri called on all Muslims to support Hamas, saying: "Provide them (Hamas) with money, do your best to get it there, break the siege imposed on them by crusaders and Arab leaders traitors. Facilitate weapons smuggling from neighboring countries".
"We can support them by targeting the crusader and Zionist interest wherever we can", stated al-Zawahri.
"O Mujahedeen [holy warriors]... uproot the Zionist presence in the land of Egypt, stand up and set fire everywhere and don't differentiate between a civilian and a military personnel, as they have raided our children and women, we will also kill their children and women," said a statement posted with the tape, thought its authenticity could not be verified.
The tape was clearly made after Hamas' recent takeover of Gaza, and showed a clear change of attitude for Al-Qaida, who previously criticized Hamas for creating a unity government with Fatah, supported by the US.
Though the authenticity of the recording could not be confirmed, it was posted on a site that al-Zawahri has been know to post on before. This is al-Zawahri's seventh tape released this year.
Last week, a top Hamas official confirmed the group's wishes for an Islamic state in Gaza. When asked in an interview with Der Spiegel if Hamas wanted to establish such a state in Gaza, Mahmoud Zahar replied "of course."
He went on to say, however, that "at the moment we can't establish an Islamic state because we Palestinians have no state. As long as we don't have a state, we will try to form an Islamic society." |
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