Note to media and government: For a full copy of the article, send an email with "Anwar Al-Awlaki-Inspire V" in the subject line to media@memri.org. Please include your name, title, and organization in your email.
In a new article in the fifth issue of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)'s English-language magazine, Inspire, posted March 29, 2011 on jihadist forums, American-born Yemeni cleric Anwar Al-Awlaki celebrated the fall of Tunisian and Egyptian leaders Mubarak and Ben 'Ali, and expressed optimism regarding the future of the jihadist movement. In the long run, he claimed, unrest in the Arab world will enable the jihad movement to flourish, for several reasons. First, the toppling of the rulers of Tunisia and Egypt has broken the barrier of fear among the Arab masses, and has demonstrated that it is possible to bring down regimes. Second, the new regimes in the Arab world will not be as oppressive as the old ones against jihad operatives and supporters; thus, the latter will be able to operate relatively freely. Third, the spread of the unrest to Yemen and Libya - and especially the possibility that uprisings will break out in the Gulf countries, primarily Saudi Arabia - will open up new opportunities for jihad.
Al-Awlaki ridiculed the U.S. for abandoning Hosni Mubarak, and stated that the new situation will harm the U.S., since it will divert its attention and resources away from the war on terror.
Following are excerpts from the article:
"This Tsunami of Change Has Already Benefited the Ummah"
"One could only imagine the feelings of Hosni Mubarak watching his huge portrait, which, watching over the great hall where his ministers of government would meet, was brought down and solemnly moved out of the hall, ending a legacy of oppression, corruption, and a life of apostasy...
"Hosni Mubarak... proved to be a more evil version of his predecessor [Anwar Sadat]. He went further with the persecution of the Muslim activists and mujahideen, and he furthered the process of turning Egypt into a client state of the West and Israel. Corruption increased under his rule and the gap between the rich and poor widened even more.
"This time he was removed, however, not by a select few but by the entire population of the largest Arab state. Eighty million spoke with one voice and said 'leave' to the ally of America and Israel.
"For a long time the Muslim world has not suffered from such stagnation in its forms of government. Mubarak, Al-Qadhafi, Ben Ali, Saleh, Assad and the kings of Morocco, Jordan and the Gulf have been a scourge on the ummah and many were seeing no end in sight...
...The full text of this post is available to subscribers.
Please login or register to request subscription information from MEMRI
