Al Qaeda's number two leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, recently conducted an online question and answer session on an Islamic web site. You can read Part One of the transcript here, courtesy of Laura Mansfield.

The questions are grouped by topic. The first and largest set of questions consisted of challenges to Zawahiri on al Qaeda's killing of innocent people (i.e., Muslims). Zawahiri defended his organization stoutly, but it's interesting to see that this is a hot topic in extremist circles.

One questioner took al Qaeda to task for not doing more on behalf of the Palestinians, which led Zawahiri to defend the organization's record as a murderer of Jews:

As for the statement of the questioner, “I challenge you and your organization to do that in Tel Aviv,” I don’t know – hasn’t the questioner heard that Qaida al-Jihad struck the Jews in Jerba, Tunisia, and struck the Israeli tourists in Mombasa, Kenya, in their hotel, then fired two missiles at the El-Al airliner carrying a number of them? Hasn’t the questioner heard what Shaykh Usama bin Ladin (may Allah protect him) mentioned in his latest speech, that the battalions of the Mujahideen, after expelling the occupier from Iraq, shall make their way towards Jerusalem? Hasn’t the questioner heard that Allah (the Glorious) has honored us with the dealing of blows to America – the head of international unbelief – and its allies – like England, Spain, Australia and France – in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemen, and Algeria? And those are Israel’s fathers, creators, guardians and protectors.

A number of questions focused on Iran; several asked about news stories in the Arab press on cooperation between Iran and al Qaeda. For example:

The questioner Ayman says:

1 – Is what some of the hired media stations repeat about the presence of a relationship between al-Qaida and Iran of the Magians true? And if it is true, what are the excuses and objectives behind this connection? And does the end justify the means?

2 – It is repeated – especially on the al-Arabiyyah channel – and held up as the biggest evidence of a relationship between al-Qaida and Iran, that the person call Sayf al-‘Adl is one of the biggest leaders of al-Qaida Organization and a senior member, and is present in Iran and directs operations and gives instructions from within Iran, according to the claim of the secularist, hireling al-Arabiyyah channel. Does Sayf al-‘Adl exist? What is his nature? And is he really present in Iran, and of his own accord?

On Iran, Zawahiri is curiously reticent. He repeatedly tells questioners to "refer to my
conversation with as-Sahab entitled 'A Review of Events.'" So I went looking for a translation of that interview; Ms. Mansfield was kind enough to send me one. "A Review of Events" is interesting on a number of fronts. Zawahiri talks extensively about events in Iraq; a sampling:

As-Sahab: And what is the most important field in which this Mujahid vanguard is wrestling with the enemies of Islam?

Zawahiri: Iraq is the most important of these fields.

***

As-Sahab: To begin, what is your opinion about the condition of the Jihad in Iraq today?
 
Zawahiri: The condition of the Iraqi Jihad, is - overall - excellent by the grace of Allah, and whatever pains are suffered are a must on the march of Jihad and the most recent reports which have come in from Iraq tell of an increase in the strength of the mujahideen and a deterioration in the Americans' conditions, despite their desperate attempts to deceive and mislead. And the decision of the British to flee is sufficient.

Zawahiri: So we can summarize the situation in the following: first, defeated American forces groaning from the daily hemorrhage of daily losses and looking for a way out, with their government under massive public pressure to pull them out. Second, unprepared treasonous traitor forces whom the Americans have decided to abandon to meet their fate. And third, treasonous tribal militias whose biggest thief has been eliminated: ... So if we were to borrow the mathematical expression, we are looking at a cubic failure for America in Iraq.

Sounds like he's been reading the New York Times. He also shares Hillary Clinton's opinion of General Petraeus:

Zawahiri: The repeating of these deceptive phrases means one of two things: wither the American administration is lying outrageously through Petraeus and Crocker, or the Americans haven't learned anything from four years of losses in the attack-and-retreat war in Iraq, and moreover, didn't learn anything from their defeat in Vietnam.

Zawahiri is one of those who see parallels between Vietnam and Iraq:

[H]istory is recording everything, and that they will lose both their religion and life, and that the Americans will soon be departing - Allah permitting - and won't keep defending them forever. And let them look at the fate of America's agents in Vietnam and the fate of the Shah of Iran, and intelligent is he who learns from other's mistakes.

Speaking of the Shah--and speaking of learning from mistakes--it's being reported that Jimmy Carter is about to endorse Barack Obama.

Back to Iraq: Zawahiri talks about the relationship between "al Qaeda in Iraq" and the "Islamic State of Iraq." His theme is that al Qaeda is a model of terrorist cooperation because it joined other jihadi groups in forming the "Islamic State":

Zawahiri: First, I would like to clarify that there isn't anything today in Iraq named 'al-Qaeda;' instead, Qaeda al-Jihad Organization in Mesopotamia has merged, by the grace of Allah, with other Jihadi groups in the Islamic State of Iraq (may Allah protect it), which is a legitimate emirate based on a proper legal methodology and which was founded through Shura and received the pledge of allegiance of most of the mujahideen and tribes in Iraq.

And [bin Laden's] advice about being slow to unify in particular doesn't cover the men of the Islamic State of Iraq, for they have given the greatest of examples in hastening to unify the ranks of the mujahideen and Muslims in Iraq, from Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi's pledge of allegiance to Qaeda al-Jihad to the establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq.

And it was the Al-Qaeda organization in Mesopotamia (Land of the Two Rivers), then the mujahideens' Shura, then the Pace of the Perfumed Ones, then the Islamic State of Iraq (may Allah protect and help it) who came through with flying colors in striving to unite and unify the mujahideen and this is an undeniable virtue

But what about Iran? Zawahiri tells an interesting story. He implies that before September 11, 2001, his organization did cooperate with, or at least have a cordial relationship with, Iran:

As-Sahab: Ok. You mentioned that the American campaign might expand to Iran, and here we would like to get your opinion on a question, which is echoed now and then, to wit: why don't the mujahideen put aside their differences with Iran as they face a common enemy seeking to eradicate them all, what is your comment on that?

Zawahiri: My comment on that is that we used to - even before the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq- concentrate on confronting the American-led Zionist Crusader alliance in its contemporary Crusade against the Muslim Ummah.

But Iran betrayed al Qaeda by cooperating with America's toppling of the Taliban:

But all of a sudden, we discovered Iran collaborating with America in its invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

The leaders of Iran, like Rafsanjani and others, have declared more than once that were it not for the role played by Iran, American blood would have flowed profusely in Afghanistan. ***

As-Sahab: The Americans are threatening Iran with an imminent strike. Dose Iran expect from the Muslim Ummah to help it to repel the American aggression against it?
 
Zawahiri: Iran the stabbed Muslim Ummah in its back, and recorded a historic mark of shame against itself and all of the Shiites who followed it. And the effects of this stab will stay in the memory of the Muslims for a long time to come. And the strange contradiction to which I would like to call attention is that despite the fact that Iran allowed the Crusader forces into Iraq, recognized the puppet government there and motivated its militias to participate in its army, security and police, and despite its recognition of the puppet government in Afghanistan, it warns America of a multitude response against its interests worldwide should it attack Iran.

Is that account true? There is evidence that Iran has aided Sunni extremist groups in Iraq, including groups associated with al Qaeda, like Ansar al Islam. But most solid information about Iran-al Qaeda cooperation predates September 11; it is possible that Iran's role in Afghanistan, real or perceived, may have strained its relations with al Qaeda.

A final observation on Zawahiri's online chat: as quoted above, he was asked about Sayf al-‘Adl (also rendered as Saif al-Adel). Sayf was said at one time to be the third highest-ranking member of al Qaeda; since 2003, has has been reported to be in Iran, possibly under some kind of house arrest, or perhaps, as al-Arabiyyah has reported, actively conducting operations from inside Iran. If Zawahiri knows the truth, he isn't saying:

As for his question about the location of Sayf al-‘Adl, it is something I am unable to tell him.

UPDATE: By the way, if you've ever spent much time hanging out with Communists, Zawahiri's writings and speeches have a familiar tone and bespeak a familiar mentality. He could be the reincarnation of Lenin.

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Posted by John at 12:45 PM  |    |