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Special Report: "Revisions to Jihad in Egypt and the World": Zawahiri's Mentor Changes His Mind

By Laura Mansfield

A shockwave began rippling through the jihadist community back in the summer when word began to spread of a new book titled "Revisions to Jihad in Egypt and the World" by Ayman al Zawahiri's mentor Sayyed Imam al-Sherif.

It's easy to see why.

The book, which has been serialized over the past couple of weeks, is a complete about-face by the author of "Foundations (Mainstays) of Preparation for Holy War", the treatise that is considered the theological cornerstone of modern-day jihadist operations.

He takes many of the same verses from the Qu'ran that he used in the earlier book to justify violent jihad and repudiates the earlier interpretations, in many cases renouncing violent jihad.

The book begins with a bombshell announcement:

There were several different ways in which modern-day Muslims seeking Islamic law in modern days chose to respond to those countries in power. Some Islamic groups have resorted to clashing with the ruling authorities in the country or countries in the name of jihad in the way of Allah Almighty in order to spread Islam. These clashes have spread to different countries from the far east to the far west.

But these clashes have included many violations of Islamic law such as murder, murder because of the color of a person's skin or hair, the murder of Muslims and non-Muslims, using people as shields, wasting of money, damage to property, and others.

These violations of Shari'a bring nothing but the resentment and indignation of God.

When a Muslim sets a goal for himself that is greater than his ability or that does not suit his situation then it is never permission in Islam to use an illegal (under Shari'a) method to accomplish the goal even if the goal is justified (under Shari'a).

"Allah doth know those of you who slip away under shelter of some excuse: then let those beware who withstand the Messenger's order, lest some trial befall them, or a grievous chastisement be inflicted on them." (Qu'ran - Nur: 63)

The new book was announced this summer in a faxed message to an Arabic-language newspaper from al-Sherif, being held in Egypt's Torah prison.

The reaction from Al Qaeda was swift. In a taped message, Ayman al Zawahiri asked:

"Do they now have fax machines in Egyptian jail cells? I wonder if they're connected to the same line as the electric-shock machines."

While at first glance, the impact of this publication may not appear to be significant.After all, the infamous Sayeed Imam, also known as Dr. Fadl, wrote this document in an Egyptian prison. After all, there will be the inevitable allegations that this missive was penned under the influence of Egyptian intelligence services.

But the influence of Sayyed Imam on the jihadist ideology should not be underestimated. Sayyed Imam was the founder of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad group and served as its leader, and al Zawahiri's de facto boss, for a number of years. His supporters carried out the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981. Many of his followers joined Bin Laden's forces opposing the Soviets in Afghanistan, and later helped form the core of Al Qaeda.

Sayyed Imam's influence on Zawahiri as well as on Al Qaeda is thought to be profound.Some estimate as much as half of Al Qaeda's manpower comes from the Islamic Jihad group.

Sharq al Aawsat published an interview with Egyptian Islamist Usama Ayuub. Ayuub, a "political refugee" from Egypt who heads Islamic Jihad's Munster Islamic Center, explored the importance of the book and its likely influence:

The revisions conducted by the Islamic Jihad derive their importance from the fact that they were drawn up by the first person to lay down the principles of jihadist ideology in the world. He is the author of "The Mainstay of Preparation for Action" on the doctrine of jihad. No other such books have been written for over half a century.

No other scientific publication on jihad has been issued except for Shaykh Muhammad Abd-al-Salam Faraj's booklet "The Absent Duty," which includes some headnotes on jihad. Many people in Egypt, such as Engineer Isma'il Nasr, head of the Islamic Jihad's civil organization and a main defendant in the so-called "the heralds of victory" case joined the Islamic Jihad because of "The Rationalization of Jihad."

Also, many salafists, such as Sharif Hazza, the writer of the book "Ignorance is the Excuse," joined the Islamic Jihad for the same reason. These people found in Fadl's book a great scientific reference that answers many doubtful issues.

In an article published November 11, 2007 in the Egyptian newspaper Masry al Youm, Egyptian attorney Montasser al Zayat claimed that Bin Laden had convened a number of meetings to deal with the fallout from the release of Dr. Fadl's book.

Al Zayyat is reportedly a former member of Jamaa Islamiya, has represented members of the group in court, and shared a cell with Ayman al Zawahiri after the Sadat assassination.He is reported to have played a key role in the negotiation of the 1997 ceasefire between Jamaa Islamiya and the Egyptian government, when the Islamic Group renounced violence.

In the interview, al Zayyat told the newspaper:

"Sources close to Bin Laden and al-Zawahiri informed me that during these meetings, the two expressed fears about the juristic revisions that will be disclosed in the next few days," pointing out that Bin Laden is well aware of Sayed Imam's great influence on al-Qaeda members throughout the world and not only in Egypt.

"Evidence of their concern," he added "is Bin Laden's unprecedented announcement last month that mistakes had been made by jihadists in Iraq.

Ayuub told Sharq al Awsat that he expects a reaction from Al Qaeda:

Of course it will respond within the next few weeks. However, it will be a very well-calculated response, because the Al-Qa'ida Organization is well aware of who Shaykh Fadl is and of his weight. Many zealous youth have perhaps made hasty responses without reading Shaykh Fadl's book. As for Al-Qa'ida, it knows who Dr Fadl is, because he was its first jurist.

In an article published in July 2007 in the Guardian UK, Ian Black quotes both Monstasser al Zayat and Diaa Rashwan

Egyptian and western experts, government officials and former jihadis agree that Sharif's shift is both genuine and highly significant. "People will say things to stop being tortured, but this is the result of a long process of reflection and debate," insists Muntasir al-Zayyat, a lawyer jailed for Islamic Jihad membership in the 1980s. "When the book comes out there will be a furious reaction from Zawahiri and the global jihadi movement. It is clear that Sayid Imam will call a halt to killing operations in Egypt and abroad."

Diaa Rashwan, of the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, says: "I have no doubt that this is genuine. It will be a real shock and cause a lot of confusion. Jihadis will see hundreds of their former brothers criticising their most fundamental ideas. That's why Zawahiri is so bothered by it."

In his interview with Sharq al Awsat, Ayuub agrees:

These words are illogical and those who say this have poor knowledge of Dr Fadl's personality. He is a religious scholar and not a politician. He is a skillful surgeon and was awarded a masters degree in medicine with distinction. If he was seeking worldly gains, he would not have given up all the money and prestige he could have enjoyed. His writings and words are governed by Islamic sharia proofs and by the interests of Muslims. Moreover, those who supported Shaykh Fadl's revisions, such as Abu-Khalid al-Dabit, Abd-al-Aziz al-Jamal, Nabil Na'im, and others, have a long history of giving and enjoy great credibility among jihadists.

Egyptian newspaper "Masry al Youm" began publishing the 111 page book in sections on November 18.

If this book is as widely accepted as al Zayyat and others expect, the potential impact on the spread of jihadist ideology is tremendous.

However, it must also be considered that any suspension of jihadist activities is only a "hudna", or a temporary ceasefire, which Islamic shari'a allows, which continues until a time more favorable for jihadist activities.

Regardless, "Revisions" provides a powerful message undermining the legitimacy of the jihadist movements.

A translation of the full document is in process.