Salafi-Jihadi Clerics Justify Paris Attacks; ISIS Supporters Boast: 'We Congratulate Each Other After Every Event Where You Drown In The Blood Of Your Own People'

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Responding to the November 13, 2015 Paris attacks, several clerics who are affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS), justified the attacks and praised the organization for carrying them out. Clerics affiliated with Al-Qaeda, on the other hand, such as Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi and Abu Qatada Al-Falastini, did not explicitly praise the attacks, but nevertheless implied that they were justified in light of France's alleged crimes against the Muslims throughout history. The pro-ISIS media company Al-Battar published articles by ISIS supporters who gloated over the attacks and promised more attacks in the future.

The following are excerpts from some of the responses on Al-Battar, and from articles by the clerics.

ISIS Supporters Respond On Al-Battar

The following responses were all posted on the Telegram account of Al-Battar (Telegram.me/Battar_IS) on November 14, 2015:

"We Shall Continue Terrorizing You"

Writing under the title "Message to the Unbelievers of the Infidel West," ISIS supporter Gharib Al-Sururiya rejoiced at the attack and at the grief of the French people, and threatened that ISIS would continue terrorizing them until they embraced Islam. Addressing the French, he said: "We are overjoyed. We congratulate each other after every event where you drown in the blood of your own people. It's not that we lack feelings. But we remember your breast-beating when you join every coalition, initiative or declaration against the monotheists in the Muslim lands. You hurt us by separating mothers from sons, destroying homes over the heads of their owners and expelling the wretched Muslims [from their lands]. And what about the refugees that fled the hell [created by] your weapons and immigrated to your lands, humiliated?!..."

He added: "The Islamic State said it would soon transfer the battle into your own countries, and, with Allah's help, it fulfilled its promise... Patience, O nation of the Cross. Islam taught us to be merciful even towards beasts, and commanded us to do good and be charitable... but when it comes to you there is no mercy in the hearts of the monotheists. Your blood is the most tempting [to spill]... You have nobody to blame but yourselves." He concluded: "Until you decide [to embrace Islam and Allah's laws], we will continue to terrorize you, chop off your limbs, and make you drink fear, gulp after gulp..."

"In Paris You Shall Get A Taste Of What Your Hands Have Wrought..."

In an article titled "We, the Muslim Nation, Did This," ISIS supporter Gharib Al-Ikhwan wrote that the Paris attack demonstrated the might of the Islamic State and showed that it is truly dar al-islam – the abode of all Muslims. It also fulfilled the promise of the Emir of the Believers (ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi) to "get even" with ISIS's enemies. Mentioning the series of deadly attacks recently carried out by ISIS, he adds: "With the Paris attacks, the Caliphate State forever closed the book on the past... In the space of a few days, the Islamic nation took revenge on Russia [by downing the airliner] in the Sinai Province, on the rawafid [i.e., Shi'ite] infidels in Lebanon, on France in Paris, and on America at the training center for [Jordanian] agents in Amman... In Paris you shall get a taste of what your hands have wrought..."

Justifying the attacks, he said that France took part in massacres and crimes against millions of Muslims, as well as non-Muslims, in the course of history. Addressing the French, he stated: "Do you still not grasp the equation? The more you interfered in [our] affairs and the more your crimes increased, starting with the occupation of Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq, the more our own power grew, until we became a caliphate that attacks you in your very homes. And not just a caliphate, but one that has united the hearts of millions of Muslims, each of whom has become a time bomb that shall blow up in your face sooner or later."

The writer adds that ISIS is not afraid of France's response to the Paris attacks. On the contrary: "We are expecting you and are waiting to kill you. [We] shall welcome you to the arena we will choose, to the arena that Allah has chosen for us. Welcome to Dabiq."[1]

"O Allah, Burn France Over [The Heads Of] The Infidels"

An ISIS supporter who goes by the name Abdallah Al-Najdi celebrated the Paris attacks in a post titled "The Blessed Attacks in Infidel France", in which he congratulated the mujahideen for the attacks and said that the infidels would eventually have to submit to Islam:

"Allah akbar! After [there emerged] the alliance of the apostate tawaghit [tyrants], the atheists, the polytheist rafida [Shi'ites] and the Jews and Christians, who bear hatred for the Islamic caliphate state and think that they will be victorious, not knowing that Allah will establish the religion although the disbelievers dislike it, and after what the three knights [the Kouachi brothers and Amedi Koulibali, who carried out the January 2015 attacks in Paris] did in France several months ago – [after all this] the blessed operations returned to the capital of the state of unbelief. The raids and the heroics have resumed, avenging the Islamic caliphate state.

"The taghout [tyrant] of France [Hollande] escaped like a rat, terrified by what happened, and the infidels were stranded. More than five attacks caused Paris to burn over [the heads of] the infidels. The taghout of France thought that he was safe from the mujahideen's attacks, but the mujahideen raided his land despite all the increased [security measures]. Well, done, O knights of jihad and the mujahideen! The battles have been transferred to the lands of the infidels, in spite of their [efforts]. What happed is but a small [taste], and what is coming will be horrendous.

"The infidels have only three choices: [to convert to] Islam, [to pay] the jizya [the poll-tax paid by non-Muslims who meekly accept Islam's rule] or [face] the sword. If they resist, we swear that the lands of the infidels will burn and the battles will be transferred to their capitals… O Allah, burn France over [the heads of] the infidels, and empower the Islamic caliphate state…"

Salafi-Jihadi Clerics Express Understanding For Paris Attacks

Pro-Al-Qaeda Sheikh Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi: "Our Hypocrite World Only Denounces Terrorism Attributed To Islam And Its Organizations"

The prominent Salafi-jihadi cleric Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, who supports Al-Qaeda, wrote several tweets expressing hostility towards France, without directly condoning the attacks: "France is a country of liberty, even liberty from clothing. However, its freedom does not extend to the Muslim women's hijab. France is a country of culture, and therefore it conquered Algeria, prohibited the use of the Arabic language and some 2.5 million Muslims were exterminated." In another tweet he wrote: "There is terrorism of individuals, of organizations and of states. We denounce it so long as the shari'a denounces it. [However,] our hypocrite world only denounces terrorism attributed to Islam and its organizations, whereas the Jews' terrorism is not considered terrorism."[2]

Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi

Another prominent pro-Al-Qaeda cleric, Abu Qatada Al-Falastini, also refrained from referring to the attacks directly, but wrote that the enemies of Islam should expect a fate similar to that of the Banu Qurayza, a Jewish tribe that lived in Madina during the time of the Prophet. According to Muslim tradition, after the tribe betrayed the Muslims the men were beheaded and the women and children sold for slaves.  Abu Qatada wrote: "When the [Muslims'] enemy wakes to the sound of explosions and the sight of his relatives' blood, just as the Muslims do, you will know that destiny has begun to write in language of Muslim victory. We are no longer the only ones weeping. Whoever [continues to] harbor any traces of hate for the Sunnis, though he sees what they suffer, is evil, since what the infidels, atheists and apostates do should fill his heart with hatred for them. We no longer feel human sorrow when we see you scream, since you are no longer human in our eyes. We say firmly: our judgement with regards to you, if we have the power over you, can be found in what the Prophet did to the Banu Qurayza [tribe]."[3]

Abu Qatada Al-Falastini

Pro-ISIS sheikh Hussein bin Mahmoud: "Sorry, Paris, We have Forgotten That You Killed Tens Of Millions Of Muslims In Your Crusader Wars"

Pro-ISIS sheikh Hussein bin Mahmoud, a prominent figure on jihadi forums, responded to the attack on November 15, 2015 in a sarcastic article titled "Sorry, Paris," in which he mocked the condemnations of the attack issued by Muslims around the world. Ostensibly apologizing to France, he implied that the attacks were a justified response to Frances' many crimes against the Muslims. He wrote: "Sorry, Paris, we have forgotten that you killed tens of millions of Muslims in your crusader wars in the Muslim countries, violated the honor of millions of Muslim women, beheaded tens of thousands of Muslims clerics and enslaved millions of Muslim women and children. Sorry, Paris, we have forgotten your hostility towards our religion and your cursing our God and our Prophet, and the changes you wrought in the culture of our countries and your erasing Islam from the consciousness of our sons... Sorry, Paris... We apologize to Paris and its people from the bottom of our hearts that there are hooligans among us who have failed to forget all this!! [We apologize that there are] people who lost their humanity and killed Parisians while they were enjoying a concert or having fun at a football match..."[4]