Syrian Jihadi Magazine Praises: ‘Courage Of Mujahideen’ In Gaza; Urges Muslims To Help Them Also Through ‘Protests Of Escalating Rage’ Against U.S. Presence In The Region

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Issue No. 55 of the Balagh monthly magazine, published by a group of independent jihadi clerics in Syria's Idlib region, was released on November 22, 2023.[1] Like the previous issue, this issue also focuses on the war raging between Israel and the Palestinian factions headed by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and includes articles which laud the bravery of the residents of Gaza and present the war as a campaign between "believers" and "armies of unbelief." Some articles urge Muslims to assist the residents of Gaza in various ways, in the absence of the possibility of reaching Gaza to participate in the fighting. Among the ideas raised are calls to Muslims to "demonstrate escalating rage" against the American presence in the region, including at American diplomatic missions and military bases in the area, until the cessation of the war. The cover of the issue is a photograph of allegedly destroyed "enemy" tanks and vehicles in Gaza and the accompanying text reads: "Gaza is a graveyard for invaders."

The following is a summary of the prominent articles included in the latest issue of Balagh:

This month's Balagh editorial, titled "Descendants of the Companions [of the Prophet]," praises the bravery of the residents of the Gaza Strip and compares it to that of the role models for warriors in the Islamic tradition among the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, such as Muhammad ibn Maslamah Al-Ansari, Abdullah ibn'Atik and Al-Bara' ibn Malik. The article presents the war as "a campaign being waged on the sacred land between a small and steadfast group of believers and the enormous armies of unbelief that are united by hatred and loathing of Islam and Muslims."

The article lauds the fighters that attack the tanks of the enemy at point-blank range; the martyrs who broke into Ranteesi Hospital in Gaza; the members of the media, the doctors; the mothers of the martyrs; and the rest of the Gazans who "stand firm" against "the bombardments, the destruction, the siege, and all the kinds of barbarity and cruelty." It asserts that the mujahideen in Gaza are the descendants of the Companions of the Prophet and expresses hope that through them Allah "will defeat, kill, and banish" the Jews as he has done in the past, through their forefathers, the Companions of the Prophet.

The above photograph appeared with the Balagh article (Source: Telegram, November 22, 2023))

"What Can the Muslims Do to Alleviate [the Situation of] the Residents of Gaza?" is the title of another article in the current issue of Balagh, written by Husayn Abu 'Umar who complains about "the very weak response" of the Muslims in light of "the acts of slaughter against the children, the women, and the oppressed and defenseless," in Gaza. He criticizes the prevalent excuse advanced among the Muslims for this impotence, which is that "the collaborator governments" in the Arab countries that ring the area prevent the Muslims from reaching Gaza or the borders of "the Zionist entity" and therefore they are unable to help Gaza with its war.

Abu 'Umar notes that even in the absence of the possibility of reaching Gaza and participating in the fighting, there are still numerous ways to help the Gazans and to alleviate their distress. In this context he maintains that "the Americans are the ones who are leading the war against the residents of Gaza," they are the ones who granted Israel "unlimited assistance," and gave it "a green light to carry out all those acts of slaughter that it perpetrated in Gaza." Therefore, the writer urges Muslims "to go out to places where there is an American presence in the region, to the locations of the diplomatic missions, the army bases and such places, and to demonstrate rage at the highest levels. Rage should be demonstrated in an escalating manner until the cessation of the war."

The writer refutes the claim that such protests were attempted in the past by the Muslims during the wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq and proved to be ineffective. He contends that this comparison is not relevant due to the significant changes that have taken place in the international arena and the power of the U.S. Today, he maintains, the U.S. is mired in fierce competition with China, caught up in a conflict with the Russians in Ukraine, and is not interested in arousing the ire of the Islamic world in a manner that will hurt its interests.

The above photograph appeared with the Balagh article (Source: Telegram, November 22, 2023))

Another article which addresses the magazine’s female readers titled, "What Will I Do for Gaza?" was written by female jihadi writer Khansa' Othman. She urges her Muslim "sisters" not to surrender to feelings of sorrow and pain and to demonstrate determination and steadfastness in order to make their contribution, especially in the sphere of education, so as to build a future generation of Muslims through which Allah will bring victory.

She contends that the present generation has distanced itself from religion and fallen victim to "the schemes of the Jews and the Christians," starting with The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, continuing with the concept of gender [equality], and the international UN treaty CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women) to eliminate all discrimination against women. "Even the daily bread that we receive in our countries – that rebelled against the tyranny and suffered from the counter revolutions – is from [international aid] organizations that are hostile to Islam."

Othman calls on Muslim women not to be deterred by the extremist image that adheres to those who are faithful to the principles of Islam and of the social isolation that they experience. She stressed the importance of boycotting Western leaders who contradict the doctrine of Islam, and also "foreign goods." She also reiterates the importance of educational activity and the need "to build a solid generation by means of which salvation will come… Who knows, maybe the salvation will come from someone you will educate to be a man who walks the path of Allah?" She urges women, "Carry the flag of correction and educate the generation of victory. Know that we will never win as long as women wear clothes that expose [their bodies] and their photographs are disseminated by the media… We will not win until we stop violating the commandments of the religion."

The above photograph appeared with the Balagh article (Source: Telegram, November 22, 2023))

As mentioned, the previous issue of Balagh, published on October 25, 2023, was devoted to the war in Gaza and even proposed similarities between the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and the September 11 attacks by Al-Qaeda in the U.S.[2]