Introduction
The third issue of the English-language magazine Azan - Call to Jihad, released by the Taliban in Pakistan-Afghanistan border region, argues for jihad until non-Islamic systems of governance are eliminated from the earth, and celebrates the cause of "an awakened Ummah," citing several new milestones in the global jihadi movement such as the jihad in Syria, Islamists' rebellion in Egypt, and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan by 2014.
The key argument running throughout the magazine is this: Only an Islamic system of governance will exist, while non-Muslims can live if they pay the jizia (Islamic poll tax).
The magazine was released through a Pakistan-based jihadi Internet forum on August 24, and linked from various file-sharing websites, including the U.S.-based Archive.org, which is emerging as the jihadis' preferred publishing platform.
The issue, dated June/July 2013, celebrates the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan which ended August 8 for four jailbreaks executed by the jihadi forces in Iraq, Libya, and Pakistan. A cover story rejects the notion of geographical boundaries between nation-states as contrary to Islam.
The magazine contains several articles and interviews, among them: an address to the Muslims justifying jihad against the West, by Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar; a message to Indian Muslims by Al-Qaeda militant Maulana Asim Umar urging jihad; a previously published letter to girls' education activist Malala Yousafzai, written by Taliban commander Adnan Rasheed; a militant's commentary on the Edward Snowden issue and how the U.S. is snooping on and violating the freedom of American citizens; and a round-up of reports from jihadi battlefields in the Middle East, among others.
The magazine also provides a new encryption-based key for potential jihadis to contact the Taliban.
Also in the magazine is a detailed interview of Abu Adam, a German militant commander of Moroccan origin now based in the Pakistani jihadi hub of Waziristan, who explains his childhood experiences and how a series of videos produced by Al-Qaeda's broadcasting arm As-Sahab brought him into the field of jihad. He details how a mosque he attended in Yemen had two names - one for the public and one for the mujahideen. Abu Adam goes on to describe his meeting with the late Al-Qaeda leader Anwar Al-Awlaki and discusses the pressure from Yemeni authorities that forced him to move to Pakistan.
The following are excerpts from the third issue of Azan: ...
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