Article In Islamic State (ISIS) Weekly Castigates 'Wrongdoers' Who Abandoned Jihad For Democracy, Un-Islamic Governments; Threatens To Conquer Spain, Paris, London, Rome, Washington

The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.

On September 22, 2023, the Islamic State (ISIS) published[1] issue 409 of its weekly newsletter Al-Naba'. The issue contains a one-page Arabic-language article titled "What an Evil Alternative for the Wrongdoers" [Quran 18:50], castigating those who abandoned jihad in favor of democracies and un-Islamic governments, and claiming that jihad realizes its goals while its alternatives fail to deliver on their promises.

The article states: "We see those who willingly accepted the dictates of the infidels, those who embraced democracy. Was their condition improved after they changed and replaced [their way], and ran into the arms of the infidels? After they despised the way of pride, jihad, have they achieved their goals and realized their wishes? Not at all. They are still wandering in confusion, sometimes with the western and eastern Crusaders, other times with Rafidites [pejorative term for Shi'ites], seeking something from this world, targeting benefit."

It continues: "The exact opposite is true. They haven't achieved what they sought. The live ones among them do not live jihad, and the dead ones among them did not gain Shahadah [martyrdom]. They preferred the United Nations to the one ummah [Islamic nation], democracy to shari'a, non-violence to jihad… They preferred the deal of the Satan's allies to the deal of the All-merciful, and Allah replaced them as they replaced him."

Describing the motives of these wrongdoers, the article asserts: "When they turned the sail in the direction where the majority's winds blew and rode the wave, they became rulers and 'experts' in a night. Their voices gained strong echoes, and they were glorified in the media."

Claiming that the ascendancy of those who abandoned jihad for democracy ended when the powers that had used them no longer needed them, the article notes: "After their role finished and their validity expired, their lights were turned off," before contrasting them with ISIS leaders, who remain in the public consciousness even though they have never sought fame: "We see that the slain emirs, commanders and sheikhs of the [Islamic] State – may Allah accept them [as martyrs] – are alive in the public discussion. The people who support them listen to their words and wisdom and spread it… and the people who hate them talk about them, conducting programs and discussions on their account."

The article concludes: "The Islamic State does not accept partial solutions… It does not seek authority, as do those who long for a seat in a parliament, or a governmental ministry, or a sort of 'autonomy' in a limited besieged territory. It will only be satisfied by the complete authority and rule of the Lord of all worlds, until it reclaims every country Muslims have entered, from the Philippines to Al-Andalus [Spain], until it reaches Paris, then London, conquers Rome, and invades Washington."