The following is a message from Taliban leader Mullah Omar to mark 'Eid ul-Fitr, which is September 21, 2009. The message was dated September 19. [1]
"Message of Felicitation of Amir-ul-Momineen on the Occasion of 'Eid ul-Fitr
"Praise be to Allah, Who exalted Islam and Muslims and debased polytheism and the polytheists. Peace be on the leader of the Mujahideen, the noble of the Apostles and Messengers, and peace be on his descendants, companions and all those who follow his guidance.
"Having said that, I would like to state: The Almighty Allah says: 'Say: Truly my prayer and my service of sacrifice; my life and my death are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds (6:162).'
"I extend my heartfelt felicitations to all heroic Mujahideen, the pious people, the families of martyrs of the sacred frontlines of Islam, and to all Islamic Ummah on the occasion of the Eid-ul-Fitr, and congratulate them for their having performed the sacred obligation of fasting. I pray to Allah to accept in His sight all the worships and sacrifices that they offered. May Allah pass these days of love, brotherhood, and joy in an atmosphere of happiness, prosperity, and victory over the invading enemy.
"I congratulate you all for the historical victories achieved in the honorable frontlines of Jihad this current year. May Allah accept the martyrdom of the martyrs and the struggles of the Mujahideen in this blessed and holy path.
"Availing [myself] of this opportunity, I deem it necessary to put forward the following points before you all:
"a) I assure our brave people and the gallant Mujahideen that the plans of global colonialism for occupation of Afghanistan have faced failure because of your selfless sacrifices. During the past eight years, NATO, under the leadership of the militarists of the Pentagon, have implemented a policy of brutality and atrocity, hoping that they will subjugate the brave people of Afghanistan by dint of military power. They have used their sophisticated and cutting-edge technology, including chemical weapons, in order to achieve that end; employed hundreds of centers of propaganda; and spent billions of dollars to portray the image of their military power in a palatable way and terrorize their counterpart opposition. But all these anti-human activities could not bring them success. With the passage of time, the resistance and the Jihadic movement, as a robust Islamic and nationalist movement, assumed the shape of a popular movement, and is approaching the edge of victory.
"The invaders should study the history of Afghanistan, from the time of the aggression of Alexander to the Ganges of yore, and to this very day, and should learn a lesson from it. Still, if they are bent on ignoring history, then they themselves saw, with their own eyes, the events of the past eight years. Have they achieved anything in the past eight years? Even if they are not ready to review the loss and benefits of these years, they should at least ponder the consequences of the extensive operations launched under the name of the Khanjar 'sword' and the panther's claw. What did they achieve? Is this disgrace and historical defeat not enough for them (to learn a lesson)?
"Though the double-faced media has kept their public ignorant of the facts but their government are well aware of the ground realities-the huge casualties and the sagging morale of their soldiers. The more the enemy resorts to increasing forces, the more they will face an unequivocal defeat in Afghanistan
"It is clear from the statements of the military sources of NATO and America, and from the information disclosed by captured soldiers, that the invaders' material and life losses are several times higher than what they acknowledge. Anyway, the policy which they have adopted will only prolong the current crisis, but will never solve it. This is because the existence of foreign troops in Afghanistan and the invasion is in itself an issue, not a solution - even a big issue in its own right.
"The rampant corruption in the surrogate Kabul administration, the embezzlement, the drug trafficking, the mafia networks, the tyranny and highhandedness of the warlords, and the spread and increase of the centers of obscenity being materialized as per the previously contemplated plans are [all] part of the colonial ambitious and conspiratorial accords. This has driven the people to face poverty, starvation, and unemployment, to the extent that they have been forced to sell their children.
"Despite the crimes of the invaders, another brazen atrocity is that they imposed a corrupt and stooge administration on the people once again, on the pretext of the so-called elections which were fraught with fraud and lies and which were categorically rejected by the people. It is very natural that the gallant and free people are not ready to accept the results of these illegitimate elections. Therefore, first of all the issue of the existence of the invading forces in the country should be solved, and Afghanistan must find its place as a sovereign country on the map of the world. The internal issues among the Afghans can be solved, but under circumstances of occupation, (our) national and Islamic interests come under the shadow of the interests of the foreigners, and our national and Islamic interests readily fall prey to the interests and conspiracies of global colonialism.
"Our goal is to gain independence for the country and to establish a just Islamic system there, on the basis of the aspirations of the Muslim nation. We can consider any option that could lead to the achievement of this goal. We have left open all options and ways towards this end. However, this will only be feasible when the country is free from the trampling steps of the invading forces, and has gained independence.
"b) The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants the true sons of this land to have participation in the government and in government-making, following the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan - because the rehabilitation work, economic, political, educational, and cultural affairs of the country can never go a long way without the participation of knowledgeable, professional, experienced, and sincere Afghans. Fortunately, a great number of our independent, professional, experienced Muslims cadres, whether inside the country or outside, have not submitted to the current occupation, nor do they accept the administration that was brought about as a result of the occupation. They support an independent, free, and Islamic government in the country.
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has distinctive and useful plans for the future of Afghanistan under the shade of the just social system of Islam, following the withdrawal of the foreign forces. These include rehabilitation of social and economic infrastructure, advancement and development of the educational sector, industrialization of the country, and development of agriculture.
"c) The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan calls on all those who work in the surrogate Kabul administration and who shore up the global colonialism with their presence to stop opposing your religion, country, and people. The foreign colonialists take strength from your Afghan arm and continue their occupation of our country. These brutal invaders have trampled down on all our Islamic values; they work for the dissemination and spread of Christianity under a previously worked-out plan; they plunder our natural resources under various names, and put heavy burdens of loans on our country. The Islamic Emirate has left the door of safety open for whoever departs from the ways of betrayal and treason against the country and people.
"All should bear in mind that the current popular Islamic revolution against the invaders is forging ahead like a powerful flood. Anyone who opts to resist it will himself be washed away. Atrocity, torture, brutality, conspiracy, coalitions, the foreign forces and mercenaries cannot hurl stumbling blocks in the way of this robust Jihadic movement. It is better to side with your people to fulfill the obligation required by the faith and gain historical honor - particularly, the former Mujahideen who now work in the stooge administration should make for their infamy by joining the ranks of Jihad and abandoning the ranks of the non-believers.
"d) The Islamic Emirate (IE) believes in social and internal reform as well as in positive initiatives in the context of Sharia. IE is aware of the in discrepancies. Therefore, it obliges all Mujahideen to strictly observe the rules and regulations so that all Mujahideen will continue to wage Jihad as sincere sons of the country for the prosperity of the masses under the framework of Islamic Sharia. Thus, they will become both true protectors of the frontlines of independence and representatives of the fundamental wants of the people.
"The Islamic Emirate considers the purge of its ranks and self-accountability an everlasting and necessary obligation.
"The enemy has faced defeat in the field of the battle and it will not be long before it will swallow the bitter poison of a complete defeat. But as a last tactic, it is trying to spread the seed of disunity and division among the nation to turn its defeat into victory. Praise be to Allah, the High, that the enemy is facing a fiasco in its hypocritical efforts.
"The Islam-loving and country-loving people consider it a religious obligation to maintain the unity and to assist the Mujahideen. They see the independence of the dear country as their legitimate right, and believe that the Western media serves only as a loudspeaker of the Pentagon. They will never be misled by their fatuous propaganda. The sympathy, affinity, and enchantment of the people play a great role in the unprecedented advancement of the Mujahideen. Praise be to Allah, the enchantment of people and their affinity grows day by day.
"Therefore, the Mujahideen should not think themselves to be a separate entity from the people. They should protect their property, life, and honor, and stop those who, under the name of Mujahideen, seek to encroach on the property, life, and honor of the people - readily by the provocation of the enemy. Similarly, Mujahideen should focus on the Islamic education of the masses, so that they would voluntarily participate in Jihad in person and by wealth. The people should remain aware to avoid being tricked by the empty bluffs of some military commanders or the statement of a British military commander saying that we would remain in Afghanistan for 40 years.
"We would like to point out that we fought against the British invaders for 80 years, from 1839 to 1919, and ultimately gained independence by defeating Britain. Today, we have strong determination, military training, and effective weapons. Still more, we have preparedness for a long war, and the regional situation is in our favor. Therefore, we will continue to wage Jihad until we gain independence and force the invaders to pull out.
"When we notified all regarding the unprecedented momentum and impetus in the resistance in our previous statement, they were not just propaganda-oriented empty words. All witnessed the momentum in action. We warn once again that our ensuing aggressive operations will be characterized by effective tactics which will enter a phase where the enemy will have unparalleled casualties and constant defeats, if God wills it.
"e) The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants to maintain good and positive relations with all neighbors based on mutual respect, and to open a new chapter of good neighborliness of mutual cooperation and economic development.
"We consider the whole region a common home against colonialism, and we want to play our role in peace and stability of the region. We assure all countries that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, as a responsible force, will not extend its hand to jeopardize others, as it itself does not allow others to jeopardize us.
"We would like to say that we are victims of the black propaganda of the enemy media. This has created doubts between us and a number of countries of the world. They have wrongly depicted us as a force that is against education and women's rights. They also accuse us of our being a threat to the countries of the world. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants to clear away all these doubts, provided a conducive atmosphere is available. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan calls on the public of the West not to be deceived by the assertions of [U.S. President Barack] Obama, who says the war in Afghanistan is a war of necessity. The West does not have to wage this war. This war, in fact, started for clandestine motives under baseless reasons. Humanity as a whole suffers from its negative consequences. The global economic meltdown, instability, lack of trust and violation of international norms is the outcome of the baseless policies (of this war).
"The public of the West should also not be deceived by the assertions of the NATO secretary-general and of the British prime minister, who claim that the war in Afghanistan is for the defense of the West. Such deceiving and baseless utterances must not confuse you. These are just demagogic efforts of your rulers aimed at justifying this unlawful and long imposed war in contravention of all international principles.
"No country in the world has right to meddle in the internal affairs of its neighboring country, according to the modern international principles. The arrogant powers-that-be at the White House and its British ally should know their interference from thousands of kilometers away is never acceptable to the countries of the region and can never be tolerated. The plans of colonial expansionism underway in the region, under the notorious and unlawful slogan of war on terrorism is, in fact, an endeavor against the universal human values, justice, peace, equal distribution of resources, and independence - an endeavor tainting the true representatives of the aspirations of the people under one name or another. All countries, particularly the Islamic countries, our neighbors, the powerful countries, the movement of the non-aligned countries should feel and fulfill their historical role.
"I urge the Islamic Ummah, particularly the Islamic and Jihadic organizations, to remain aware of the conspiracies of the enemy; to abandon the internal differences; and to begin a concerted and comprehensive struggle for the defense and freedom of the oppressed and occupied Ummah.
"To end, I urge all God-fearing Muslims, as they themselves share the joy and happiness of this occasion with their families, not to forget the widows of the martyrs, [their] orphans, and the mothers who have lost their sons. They are the martyrs who laid down their lives against the bloc of the infidels, for the establishment of Islamic system. Similarly, do not forget the bereaved families of those Afghan victims, including old men, young women, and children who have been martyred as a result of the blind bombardment of the invaders and who are no more among you.
"Finally, I extend my felicitation to you on the occasion of Eid-ul-fitr, and wishing you independence.
"- Hoping and praying for the achievement of independence and the establishment of a complete Islamic system.
"Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid
"Amir-ul-Momineen
"The Servant of Islam
“www.alemarah1.info
“www.shahamat.org
“www.alsomod.org
"September 19, 2009"
Endnote:
[1] The text, originally in English, has been lightly edited for clarity.
