On March 31, 2015 the media branch of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Ninawa (Ninveh) province posted an 11-minute video titled "The Tribes of Ninawa Renew Their oath Of Allegiance, Express Willingness To Participate In The Confrontation." The video, which was posted on the Jihadi Media Platform website,[1] documents an ISIS conference in Mosul that was attended by dozens of Sunni tribal chiefs from around the province. The conference was directed by six prominent ISIS clerics, and several of the tribal chiefs delivered speeches as well. The latter stressed their loyalty to ISIS and their readiness to fight beside it. The conference ended with the chiefs taking a collective oath of allegiance to ISIS and to its leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
The following are excerpts from some of the statements delivered at the conference:
The ISIS cleric who opened the conference emphasized that, the moment Ninawa was taken by ISIS, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi had ordered that any person wishing to repent and to support the Islamic State must be allowed to do so. "The repentance of [even] a single apostate is more important to us than all the infidels put together," he said.
The tribal chiefs who spoke attacked the Iraqi government, saying that it had oppressed the people of the region and that the lives of the citizens have improved considerably since the arrival of the Islamic State. Sheikh Fares Al-Tai attacked the "Rawafid [i.e., Shi'ite] government" and its "Iranian masters," saying: "A while ago you heard the [Iranian President's] advisor on minority affairs [Ali Younesi] say that Baghdad is the capital of the Persian empire."[2] The tribal chiefs also declared their unyielding loyalty to the Islamic State and their willingness to fight any enemy that attacked the province, be it the Iraqi army or the Peshmerga. Sheikh Safuk Hamadi Al-Hanash Al-Tai said: "We are with the Islamic State in every way. We shall fight the enemies, fight the rawafid [Shi'ites], and fight the Peshmerga. We are at your side. These are not empty words, you shall witness it in practice. Try us and see what we do. All those present here are my brothers and uncles. I do not speak only on behalf of the Al-Tai [tribe]... I can tell you that all [the tribes] feel the same way." Sheikh Abu Mu'taz Al-Hamdani said: "We commit ourselves in the name of Allah and his Prophet and swear allegiance to our sheikh Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, to the death. We shall serve as his sharp sword in the face of this evil attack."
[1] Mnbr.info, March 31, 2015.
[2] On Younesi's statements, see MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 5991, "Advisor To Iranian President Rohani: Iran Is An Empire, Iraq Is Our Capital; We Will Defend All The Peoples Of The Region; Iranian Islam Is Pure Islam – Devoid Of Arabism, Racism, Nationalism," March 9, 2015.
