Al-Qaeda welcomes revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, questions the intentions of the West

30 March 2011

BY: BNO News

SANA'A (BNO NEWS) -- Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) on Wednesday welcomed the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia but questioned the intentions of the Western world. It also expects that the events will lead to a focus on Palestine.

The statements were made in the fifth issue of Al-Qaeda's "Inspire" magazine, an English-language magazine that is distributed to its supporters online. The fifth issue has 70 pages and includes an interview with Anwar al-Awlaki, a senior al-Qaeda figure, and statements from al-Qaeda senior leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

The latest issue, titled "The Tsunami of Change", focuses mostly on the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia and the ongoing protests in countries such as Libya and Yemen. It also addresses the conflict involving Palestine and Israel.

"The biggest barrier between the mujahidin (Muslim fighters) and freeing al-Aqsa were the tyrant rulers," Inspire Magazine editor Yahya Ibrahim wrote, referring to the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a coalition of Palestinian nationalist militias in the West Bank who have been designated as a terrorist group. "Now that the friends of America and Israel are being mopped out one after the other, our aspirations are great that the path between us and al-Aqsa is clearing up."

"There could be no freeing of Palestine with the presence of the likes of King Abdullah to the East, Hosni Mubarak to the West and al-Saud to the South," Ibrahim said. "The issue of Palestine is central to the Muslim ummah and now that the masses have spoken, there is no doubt that it will be back to the forefront."

Ibrahim said, now leaders in some countries are leaving, the issue of Palestine will be back on the table. But he questioned the Western world about its public support for the revolutions. "Do they really mean it? Or is it because they do not realize the reality of what is happening? Or is it just because they feel that they must join the bandwagon?"

Ibrahim further said that al-Qaeda welcomes the revolutions, and believes it is a positive development for Muslims. "Why would the freedoms being granted to the people be bad for al-Qaeda? If freedom is so bad for al-Qaeda, how come the West has been practicing a restriction on the freedoms of expression when it comes to the message of the Mujahidin?" the editor asked, while condemning laws in some countries that make it a crime to possess al-Qaeda material.

The magazine editor further said that al-Qaeda is not against regime changes through protests, but said it is against the idea that the change should only be made through peaceful means. "The accuracy of this view is proven by the turn of events in Libya. If the protesters in Libya did not have the flexibility to use force when needed, the uprising would have been crushed," Ibrahim notes.

He concluded that al-Qaeda is "very optimistic" by the turn of events and said it has "great expectations" of what is to come. "It is our opinion that the revolutions that are shaking the thrones of dictators are good for the Muslims, good for the Mujahidin and bad for the imperialists of the West and their henchmen in the Muslim world," he added.

Another section of the magazine described Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi as a "clown" due to his "repeated contradictions, beating around the bush, hilarious conspiracy theories and pure stupidity." "We don't know what's funnier: his contradictions, quoting himself from his green book or how he opened the BBC interview with an arrogant laugh and then asked, "What is the question?" We have thus dedicated a place to laugh at this enemy of Allah."