On May 27, 2009, Ali Jaleel became the first known Maldivian suicide bomber, when he took part in an attack on the Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence agency headquarters in Lahore. His videotaped last testament, delivered in English under the name "Abu Mus'ab Sayyid," was featured in Al-Qaeda's annual 9/11 anniversary video for 2009. A Maldivian newspaper later identified this individual as Ali Jaleel.
On March 10, 2010, a member of the Ansar Al-Mujahideen English-language forum posted a short written statement from Ali Jaleel, obviously written at some point before the attack, in which he said that he had received the good news that he will partake in a martyrdom operation. Judging from the people he mentions in this text, Jaleel seems to have been affiliated with Inshallahshaheed, aka Samir Khan, the well-known internet jihadi from North Carolina who recently moved to Yemen and joined with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). He likewise mentions his "beloved brothers and sisters" at Tibyan, which was a group that produced translations of jihadist materials into English (and now appears to be defunct). Toward the end of this statement, Jaleel wrote: "I have given a little longer advice which I asked a brother to translate, the amount which was written, which is short and incomplete, I do not think I have time to complete it, so plz take whats good of it reject what is not."
This longer document was posted on July 3, 2010, again on the Ansar Al-Mujahideen forum. The handwritten, 10-page Arabic-language .pdf document was indeed unfinished, as seen from Jaleel's margin notes to himself to add more on certain subjects, as well as an explicit note in English on the last page that says "Not complete." Also, instead of translating it, whoever had it in their possession apparently decided just to post it in the original Arabic.
The manifesto deals at some length with a number of topics in Islamic theology and jurisprudence. In most of these, Jaleel is in step with the mainstream of salafi jihadi dogma, but there are a few issues on which he shows an unusual independent streak. Most importantly, he opined that in a country ruled by apostates, the entire population falls into apostasy apart from those who actively work to depose the ruler. Mainstream salafi jihadis (e.g. Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi) condemn this view as a dangerous heresy; while they too believe that the rulers in the Muslim world are apostates, they hold that the population is still to be presumed Muslim so long as they do not actively support the apostate rulers. After expounding his view, Jaleel writes that he will keep to it "even if the entire world joins forces against me and kills me as a pariah"; it is possible that he was alluding to opposition within jihadist ranks as much as that which came from without them.
Another eccentric position to be found in the manifesto is Jaleel's belief that it is forbidden to use paper currency, due to his opposition to the concept of nominal value. Jaleel, like other radicals, regularly uses the word "taghut" in reference to contemporary rulers of Muslim countries. We have translated it in accordance with its primary meaning as "idol," but the reader should keep in mind that in most instances it refers to political rulers.
Following is a translation of the major portion of Ali Jaleel's manifesto:
"The Community, Obedience, Emigration, and Jihad, are [All] Based on the Belief in Allah's Unity and the Avoidance of Polytheism"
"In the name of Allah, the Merciful the Compassionate, Praise be to Allah, and prayer and peace be upon Allah's Prophet.
"Belief in Allah's unity (tawhid) is the foundation. It is the foundation upon which is built relations between people. When this foundation is absent, the relation is cut off, no matter what difficulty this presents to the preacher and the message (da'wa), or to the mujahid and the jihad, or, in short, to the Muslim and Islam.
"The foundation is that one [must] believe in Allah's unity, in all His actions, names, and attributes, and one must express His unity in worship, in piety, in appeal to judgment and in application of judgment, and in obedience.
"One [must] reject (yakfur) idols (taghut) of all forms and kinds, and their supporters among the 'ulama and soldiers. One [must] hate them and show utter hostility to them, without differentiating between one country and another. Any cleric ('alim) who supports an idol or defends him, in word or action, is an enemy of Allah and His Prophet, and is a traitor to his Islamic nation, and he behaves with his wisdom like Abu Jahl.
"Polytheism is something that is known and evident. The most dangerous and pronounced form in practice, though it is the least-recognized, is when one takes political leaders or 'ulama as gods, and in obeying them abandons obedience to Allah. A man, no matter how great and knowledgeable, is sometimes wrong and sometimes right, apart from the infallible prophets. The Prophet is the model to be emulated. Apart from these [prophets, the 'ulama] are gates and paths to the desired end, and each one leads to [both] error and truth. Beware not to think that a single gate comprises all that is true. Blind emulation (taqlid) is to follow a man, taking him as a model for emulation instead of the Prophet, allowing him to lead your mind, thinking that understanding is confined to [certain] individuals, turning away from explicit Quranic verses and hadiths, depending on the sayings of [certain] individuals, and thinking that some individuals are never wrong. But one who asks questions of a cleric, seeking the sunna and the Straight Path - this is [permissible] adherence (ittiba'), and is not at all blind emulation (taqlid), even if [some] term it that, for the appellation does not change the meaning of the thing.
"The worst evil is when one who is not cognizant of the evil falls into the evil, thinking it truth. He thinks polytheism to be belief in Allah's unity, and thinks blind emulation to be [permissible] adherence, and thinks that in giving an oath of allegiance to the idol (taghut) he is giving an oath of allegiance to the Caliph.
"The sum of error is contained in [the expressions in Quran 1:7] 'those who have incurred Allah's wrath' and 'those who have gone astray.' [The first of these expressions refer to] a cleric who does not act on his knowledge, and does not correct his wrong, out of fear that he will lose his high position and his livelihood, and because he follows his fancies. He calls people to his heterodox path and commands them to blindly emulate him and his manners, so that they will not know the truth and turn away from him. This type of person is found in every time and in every place, under various names. [The second of these expressions refers to] one who blindly emulates these kinds of clerics, and does not pay heed to other ['ulama] or to the righteous, even if their proofs are stronger...
"One must believe that his political leader, imam, or cleric might be wrong. One should think that he necessarily must be wrong on some issues, and one should be ready to abandon his position for one that is better-proven and better-demonstrated. This is true even if Allah put this truth in the mouth of an infidel, a hypocrite, a slave, or a slave girl; and it is all the more true if this person is a cleric or an imam.
"Islam is only upheld by one who has encompassed all its various sides. One who takes you on as a follower and disavows the application of the shari'a should not be followed, apart from in cases of necessity or in a condition of weakness. As for to whom one should turn for aid in establishing the [Islamic] state and the Caliphate: it should be those who accept the conditions accepted by the original ansar [i.e. the residents of Medina in the time of the Prophet], and not those like the delegation of Al-Muthanna [Ibn Al-Haritha]. The banner of jihad remains until Judgment Day, until everyone worships Allah alone, either as a Muslim or as a peaceable non-Muslim who lives under Muslim rule and pays the jizya, and until there is no place on earth in which Allah's shari'a is not applied, and until there are no more Muslim prisoners.
"The program [we follow] is that of the Prophet and his Companions, without departing from it in the least matter. No human group that has followed a program different from this one, even the least bit different, has brought the same results. Rather, the results differ in accordance with the degree of difference in the program.
"In sum: the community, obedience, emigration, and jihad, are [all] based on the belief in Allah's unity and the avoidance of polytheism. Working to uphold Allah's shari'a together with people who have agreed to something other than the enforcement of Allah's shari'a is forbidden, because we do not turn to the polytheists for help in upholding Allah's religion - not to speak of participating in the parliaments of atheism and unbelief.
"[The Prophet's model] must be emulated in war and peace, in study and teaching, in rights, in criminal law, in trade and in relations, in marriage and divorce, and even in speech and in action."
"The Paper Currency in Use in Our Times is Forbidden to Use"
"As for the groups and parties based on ideas that do not lead to emigration, jihad, and unification of the Muslims around the Caliphate, they are, by Allah, the worst falsehood, and their strength and numbers only add to the weakness of the Muslims and of Islam. These people show enmity to the Saved Sect, the one that emigrates and fights, and they show loyalty to the idols (tawaghit) sooner or later, because their continued existence is conditioned on the continued existence of falsehood, and there are only two sides on the battlefield: either one is with the idols (tawaghit), or with the Muslims. Unfortunately, whether they acknowledge this or not, these people are the enemies of tomorrow, and they can only be put right by the sword. And Allah is our aid.
"Good, in its entirety, lies in emulating the model of the Prophet and the Rightly-Guided Caliphs. And in deviation from them and emulation of the literature, ways, and system of the infidels lies evil in its entirety. The results speak for themselves... So many of the 'ulama who have graduated from these [Western-style] universities, you see them either trading in their religion, or giving the bay'a [oath of allegiance] to the idol (taghut), or immersed in this world. Few of them emigrate, wage jihad, or preach in the manner of the Prophet... "The paper currency in use in our times is forbidden to use, because it is a lie and a fraud. It only contains 5-20% of its original value. We are commanded to not conclude a sale until we see and weigh [the things being exchanged], so all the more so [is this not permissible] when we know that the pledge [i.e. the nominal value of the currency] is false. The way to disengage from the currency is to abandon it completely, and to bear the difficulty [this entails] until Allah corrects our situation. [In the meantime,] we will use [for currency] objects, metals, and the papers that serve as evidence of what is written [on them], known as 'checks.' We will use only our own currency for trade, explaining to people the reason for this and the iniquity [involved] in using the present currency..."
"If the Ruler Disavows a Law that is in Consensus in Islam ... and the People There Agree to this, then They are to be Fought as Apostates"
"It is incumbent on everyone who is capable of doing so to emigrate from the lands of unbelief, apostasy, and war to the lands of the Muslims. And if there are no lands of Islam [i.e. they are all ruled by apostates], then it is incumbent on them to establish them, because to accept unbelief is unbelief.
"The Abode of Islam (dar al-islam) is where enforcement of Allah's shari'a is supreme, and the Abode of Unbelief (dar al-kufr) is a land where the jahili laws are supreme. Every law that mixes the laws of Islam and the laws of unbelief is jahili rule.
"The Abode of Unbelief and of War is any land in which the laws of Islam are not supreme. The laws of war are applicable to it - as long as it has not made a treaty with the Muslims - and its population is [considered] belligerents (ahl al-harb).
"Lands of apostasy fall under the same laws as the Abode of War. Examples are those who refused to pay the zakat, and the land of [the false prophet] Musaylima the liar. Their women and children are to be taken captive, and the men are to be killed, indiscriminately, apart from those who announce their repentance before they are captured. [But] there is a precision here that must be taken note of!
"If, when the ruler of a land in the Abode of Islam apostatizes, his people denounce him and oppose him, then the people of that land are considered Muslims. This is like in the days when the Mongols [conquered] the lands of the Muslims. One should not rush to pass judgment on them until the matter between them is decided. If the law of unbelief becomes supreme, then [they must] make war, wage jihad, and fight until Allah's word reigns supreme, and if this is not [possible] then they should emigrate from the land. And jihad [remains] an individual responsibility on every Muslim until this land, and others like it, are regained.
"On the other hand, if, when the ruler apostatizes, the people agree to him doing this and confirm him in this, and do not absolve themselves of him, then their status is the same as that of the ruler, as was the case in the lands of Musaylima and those who refused to pay the zakat. By Allah, if the ruler disavows a law that is in consensus in Islam - such as the zakat, or cutting off the hand of the thief, or stoning the adulterer - and the people there agree to this, then they are to be fought as apostates until they return to Allah's religion. And if the people there agree to enthrone an idol (taghut) as their ruler - for instance, if they elect a president who calls for democracy - they thereby collectively apostatize, [Quran 47:26] 'since they have said to those who hate what Allah revealed: we will obey you in some matters.' They are to be fought until they return to Allah's religion. One who resides in that country is considered an apostate as long as he does not announce his repudiation of the unbelief that fixed his status as an apostate. The people of the lands of those who refused to pay the zakat professed Islam, prayed, fasted, called to prayer, and held Friday and congregational prayers, and nonetheless they were fought as apostates, and we do not know of any of the [Prophet's] Companions having made distinctions among them; rather, they ruled them all apostates, and this was a matter of consensus among them. [A resident of such a land] is absolved [of the apostasy] only when he repents, and announces his repentance and dissociation from the unbelief that the people have fallen into. This is the indisputable truth, and this is what I believe, [and will continue to believe] even if the entire world joins forces against me and kills me as a pariah. Allah's mercy is wide, and we ask Him to grant us steadfastness in adversity. ...
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