Issue VII Of Islamic State (ISIS) English-Language Magazine 'Dabiq' On Paris Attacks: Praise For Gunman Coulibaly, Interview With His Fugitive Wife

The seventh issue of the Islamic State (ISIS) English-language magazine Dabiq, released February 12, 2015, features an interview with the widow of Amedy Coulibaly, the gunman behind the January 9, 2015 hostage crisis and killings at the Paris kosher grocery, and an article praising him by a friend who is currently located in Syria.

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

Also in the magazine, Coulibaly's wife, Hayat Boumeddiene, referred to here as Umm Basir Al-Muhajirah, discusses her successful escape to the Islamic State, as well as her late husband's enthusiasm for the group's dogma. No current  photo of her is included. She relates that she encountered no difficulties in her travel to Syria, and that she is thankful to have arrived successfully.

Interview With Hayat Boumeddiene

The following are excerpts from the interview with Hayat Boumeddiene, aka Umm Basir Al-Muhajirah:

"DĀBIQ: How was your hijrah? And how do you feel now in the land of the Khilāfah?

"UMM  BASĪR:  All  praise  is  due  to  Allah  who facilitated  the  way  for  me.  I  did  not  find  any difficulty. Living in a land where the law of Allah. would  watch  the  videos,  it  would  make  him want  to  perform  hijrah  immediately  and  that would  have  conflicted  with  his  intent  to  carry out the operations in France."

"DĀBIQ: What was your husband’s reaction when the Khilāfah was announced?

"UMM BASĪR: He was very happy. He immediately believed in the Khalīfah and the Khilāfah by giving bay’ah. And all praise is due to Allah. We ask Allah to have mercy upon him, accept him, and make him from those close to Him. His heart was burning to meet his brothers in the land of the Khilāfah and fight the enemies of Allah. His eyes shined every time he would watch the videos of the Islamic State. He would say, 'Don’t show me this,' because when he ABŪ BASĪR (RAHIMAHULLĀH) would watch the videos, it would make him want to perform hijrah[emigrate] immediately and that would have conflicted with his intent to carry out the operations in France."

Boumeddiene then urged female ISIS members to support the male fighters, saying: "My  sisters,  be  bases  of  support  and  safety  for your  husbands,  brothers,  fathers,  and  sons. Be advisors to them. They should find comfort and peace with you.  Do not make things difficult for them.  Facilitate all matters for them. Be strong and brave. It is essential that you make all your deeds sincerely for Allah’s face and hope for His reward."

Friend Of Coulibaly: He Gave Money To Charlie Hebdo Attackers

An article titled "The Good Example of Abu Basir Al-Ifriqi" stresses Coulibaly's religious habits, devotion to Islam, and good deeds he performed during his life, which include preaching and financially assisting the Kouachi brothers.

A friend of Coulibaly's, who is now in Syria, related an anecdote about Coulibaly in a section called "His Daw'ah" [preaching], about an incident in which the latter allegedly restored a Muslim's faith in Islam while the two were in prison together. His friend noted:

"He called many people to Allah, especially when he was in prison. He met a man in prison who was originally Muslim but hated the religion and everything related to the religion, to the point that this man prevented his wife from wearing hijāb and would prevent his brother back home from learning Arabic. In prison, this man met the brother Abū Basīr and stayed with him for 2-3 months. After this period, he would pray all the prayers during their proper time, pray qiyāmul-layl every night, and recite the Qu’rān daily. He ordered his wife to wear hijāb and ordered her to sell the house that he had purchased with a usurious loan so as to get out of harām."

 The author attests to Coulibaly's intense piety in sections of the article titled "His Thirst of Seeking Knowledge," "His Fasting," and "His Night Prayer." Thus, according to the friend, Coulibaly "would ask many questions related to fiqhī [jurisprudential] rulings  and  would  research  issues  himself. Allah  gave  him  comprehension  by  which  he was  able  to  compare  the  different  issues and derive the different shar’ī causes behind rulings.  The brother was very intelligent in this regard."

Shedding light on Coulibaly's largesse in a section titled "His Generosity," the friend reveals that the latter had financially aided the Kouachi brothers, perpetrators of the Charlie Hebdo massacre:

"He would give a lot of charity to the poor, the sisters (the wives of imprisoned mujāhidīn), and the mujāhidīn. An example of this is that when he saw the harsh financial condition of the two mujāhid brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, he gave them several thousand euros so that they could purchase what they needed for the operation, after together coordinating the timings for their different operations. He gave much attention to supporting the sisters (the wives of imprisoned mujāhidīn). He could not tolerate seeing the masājid closed while the sisters were homeless. He would offer his wealth and home as solutions."

The article praised Coulibaly's zeal for defending Islam: "Abū Basīr would become very sad whenever he saw the  religion  of  Islam  or  the  Muslims  violated.  He wanted to change this evil. May Allah accept Him amongst the shuhadā’ [martyrs] and have mercy upon him."

According to the magazine, the photo below shows the weapons used by Coulibaly in his attacks on Parisian civilians. The caption reads: "Weapons prepared by  Abu Basir[Coulibaly] for striking the kuffar"[infidels].