The following report is a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On September 21, 2014, Al-Furqan, the media company of the Islamic State (IS), released a 42-minute audio message by IS spokesman Abu Muhammad Al-'Adnani. In the message, titled " Your Lord Is Ever Watchful" (Koran 89:14), Al-'Adnani calls upon IS supporters worldwide to kill Westerners, especially French and American, in response to the Western campaign against the IS. He stresses that all of the group's supporters have an obligation to act, each according to his ability. Each Muslim, he says, can choose his method, whether it is shooting, beheading or setting fires – as long as it achieves the goal of distracting and rattling the infidels and thereby helping the IS repel the "crusade" of the Western countries against it.
Deriding the US President's decision to fight the IS from the air, Al-'Adnani assesses that eventually the Americans and their allies will have to resort to a ground campaign, which will end in a resounding defeat for the "Crusaders" and their Arab "agents." Then, he says, the mujahideen will invade the Crusader lands, "conquer [their] Rome, break [their] Cross and enslave [their] women." He emphasizes that it is the Americans and Europeans that started the war: "You are the ones who initiated hostilities against us, and the [side] that initiates hostilities is the evil one." He adds that they will pay a heavy price: their economy will collapse, and their citizens will not be able to travel abroad or even sleep safely in their beds of walk safely in their streets, for fear of the Muslims.
The following are details.
The U.S. And Its Allies Seem Powerful, But In Practice They Are "A Cowardly Enemy, Trembling And Defeated"
Al-'Adnani begins by mocking the U.S. and its allies, saying that they pretend to be powerful and confident but in practice they are "a cowardly enemy, trembling and defeated."
Al-Adnani went on to threaten: "Know... that [the war] is much greater and more dangerous than you imagine. We hereby inform you that a new era has begun today: there is an [Islamic] state and it is ruled by its sons and soldiers, who are no longer slaves. This is a generation that knows not the meaning of defeat, and the outcomes of its battles speak for themselves... We promise you that this campaign will be your last and it will collapse and fail, just as all your other campaigns collapsed. But this time, when the war ends we will be the ones to invade your countries, whereas you will no longer invade [ours]. We will invade your Rome, break your Cross and enslave your women, with Allah's help. This is His promise and he will not break it until it is realized. And if we do not achieve this, our sons or grandsons will, and they will sell your sons and grandsons as slaves."
The spokesman notes that, when U.S. President Barak Obama promised to withdraw the U.S. forces by 2012, the mujahideen did not believe him, and now he is proving that they were right, for U.S. military units have remained in Iraq, hiding "behind certain agents" (i.e., the Iraqi government and the Kurds). "Even if you [Americans] are unable to return to Iraq, we will come to you, to the heart of your countries," he says.
Obama, "The Mule Of The Jews", Thinks America's Arm Is Long, But He Should Know That "Our Blade Is Hard And Sharp, And Will Chop Off Hands And Heads"
Addressing Obama, Al-'Adnani says: "O Obama, O mule of the Jews, you are despicable, despicable, despicable. Is this all you have managed to arrange as a war against us? Has America reached such a degree of weakness and helplessness? Is America and all its allies, from the Crusaders to the infidels, unable to wage a ground campaign? Have you not understood, O Crusaders, that a war [fought] by means of agents will not avail you, and will not avail him [Obama]? Have you not understood, O mule of the Jews, that the campaign will never be decided from the air alone? Do you think you are cleverer than the imbecilic [George] Bush, who came [to Iraq] with Crusader armies and took them right into the lion's den [by confronting] the mujahideen on the ground? No, you are [even] stupider than he was." He continues: "You said, O mule of the Jews, that America will not be dragged into a ground war, but it will [indeed] sink into a ground [war] and will be dragged to its death, to its grave and to its destruction. O, Obama, you said that the long arm of America will reach any [target] it wished. But know that our blade is hard and sharp, and will chop off hands and heads, and the eye of your Lord is ever watchful."
Addressing the American and European people, Al-'Adnani adds: "The IS did not launch a war against you, as your lying governments and your media claim. You are the ones who initiated hostilities against us, and the [side] that initiates hostilities is the evil one. You will pay [for it] dearly when your economies collapse. You will pay dearly when your sons are sent to fight us and return crippled and damaged, in coffins or as lunatics. You will pay when each of you feels afraid to travel abroad. You will pay when you walk the streets in trepidation, for fear of the Muslims. You will not be safe in your own beds. You will pay the price when your Crusader war fails, and then we invade the very heart of your countries. After that you will never again be aggressive towards anyone..." Turning to the Muslims, he warns them about the hypocrisy of the Americans and their allies, saying that the Americans are not coming to protect the innocent, as they claim, but only to protect their interest in Erbil and Iraq.
"If You Are Able To Kill An American Or European Infidel... Then Put Your Trust In Allah And Kill Him"
Al-'Adnani urges IS supporters and all members of the Salafi-jihadi stream to rise up and kill Westerners everywhere, civilians and soldiers alike: "O monotheists [the reference is to members of the Salafi-jihadi stream] in Europe, America, Australia and Canada… O lovers of the Islamic State everywhere. O supporters of the caliphate, who consider themselves its soldiers and supporters! Your state is facing a new crusade. O monotheists, wherever you may be, what are you doing to help your brethren? What are you waiting for, while mankind has split into two camps, and the war intensifies from day to day? O monotheist, we urge you to defend the Islamic State, as dozens of countries have banded against it and have begun fighting us on every front. Arise, monotheist, and defend your state from your place of residence, wherever you may be… O monotheist, don't sit out this war, wherever you may be. [Attack] the tyrants' soldiers, their police and security forces, their intelligence [forces] and collaborators. Cause them to lose sleep, make their lives miserable, and cause them to be preoccupied with their own [problems]. If you are able to kill an American or European infidel – particularly any of the hostile, impure Frenchmen – or an Australian or a Canadian, or any [other] infidel enemy from the countries that have banded against the Islamic State, then put your trust in Allah and kill him, by any way or means. Do not consult anyone and do not seek a fatwa from anyone. It is immaterial if the infidel is a combatant or a civilian. Their sentence is one; they are both infidels, both enemies. The blood of both is permitted…"
"If You Cannot [Detonate] A Bomb Or [Fire] A Bullet, Arrange To Meet Alone With A French Or An American Infidel And Bash His Skull In With A Rock, Slaughter Him With A Knife, Run Him Over With Your Car, Throw Him Off A Cliff, Strangle Him, Or Inject Him With Poison"
After quoting some Koranic verses permitting to kill infidels, the IS spokesman continues: "O monotheists wherever you are, cause [the West] to let go of the Islamic State, to the best of your ability. The best thing to do would be to kill any French or American infidel or any of their allies… If you cannot [detonate] a bomb or [fire] a bullet, arrange to meet alone with a French or an American infidel and bash his skull in with a rock, slaughter him with a knife, run him over with your car, throw him off a cliff, strangle him, or inject him with poison. Don't stand by, helpless and abject.… If you are incapable of this, burn down his house, his car, his business or his field. And if you are incapable even of this – then spit in his face. And if you refuse [to do] this while your brothers are being bombed and killed and their lives and property are under attack everywhere, then examine your faith. This is a serious matter you face, for the Islamic faith is predicated upon the principle of al-wala wal-bara [loyalty to Muslims and hostility towards infidels].
Al-'Adnani beseeches Allah to help the Islamic State in its war against the U.S. and France, who he claims are waging a battle to the death against Islam.
In the message Al-'Adnani also addresses jihad groups in the Middle East and North Africa. He praises the Sinai-based group Ansar Beit Al-maqdis for its actions against the Egyptian regime and urges it to continue on its correct path. Addressing the jihad groups in Libya, he calls on them to unite and end the disputes among them. He criticizes the inactivity in Tunisia, calling on its Muslims to rise up against their regime. Finally he addresses Al-Qaeda in Yemen, slamming them for allowing the Houthis to enter San'a without putting up armed resistance.
