The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On July 5, 2024, Jaysh Al-Muhajireen Wal-Ansar (JMA), a group of mujahideen from the Caucasus affiliated with Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), released an eight-minute, 13-second video in Russian titled: "Reward of Ribat [Guarding Sentries] An Ever-Flowing Charity."[1]
The video was released on Telegram. The film shows a group commander, facing the camera in an outdoor setting, delivering a sermon in Russian, explicating, at length, the divine rewards Allah promises the mujahideen who strive in jihad and guard the frontlines of Muslims. These rewards, he says, are based on the Prophet's saying: "Standing watch at the frontline for one day in the cause of Allah is better in rank than a thousand days spent within one's residence.'"
He further expounded on the benefit of Ribat whose rewards, he argues, outlast a fighter's life. He encourages others to adhere to jihad and its "virtues." In the background, fighters are seen filling sandbags to build berms and shelter at the frontlines of fighting sectors with the Syrian forces and Iran-backed militias backed in the Idlib-Aleppo region.
In a related post shared on JMA's channel on Telegram on June 24, 2024, the group's senior leadership was shown visiting various watch points at the frontline. [2]
On April 4, 2024, JMA released a video production titled, "Echoes of the Battle of Badr," in which it emphasized a staunch jihadi depiction of the group's struggle in Syria. In the video, an unnamed speaker likens JMA's current armed struggle to the historical Battle of Badr. The video juxtaposes cinematic depictions of early Muslims with images showing today's JMA fighters conducting military training. The contrasting scenes serve to support the preacher's primary contention that there are parallels between the historical Islamic epic and today's jihad, as waged by JMA.[3]
[1] Telegram, July 5, 2024.
[2] Telegram, June 24, 2024.
[3] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Syria-Based Jihadi Group From The Caucasus Releases Russian-Language Video Likening The Group's Fighters To The Companions Of The Prophet, April 4, 2024.
The full text of this post is available to subscribers.
Please login or register to request subscription information from MEMRI
