Turkish ISIS Operative "Abu Obaida Al-Turki": No Such Thing as Opposition in ISIS; Beheading, Slitting of Throats Inspired by Islamic Texts

Captured Turkish Islamic State (ISIS) operative Elias Ahmed Aiden aka Abu Obaida Al-Turki said in an interview that "there is no such thing as an 'opposition'" in ISIS. Regarding ISIS's beheading of its prisoners, he said that "we just implemented what is mentioned in the Islamic sources." Defending the beheading of James Foley, Aiden cited shari'a, saying that "if an infidel is captured during war or battle, the decision of whether to kill him or opt for a prisoner swap is the prerogative of the imam." The interview aired on the Saudi Arabia-based Al-Arabiya Network on June 28, 2019.

Abu Obaida Al-Turki: "ISIS is not a democratic state. We don't have such a thing as opposition. There were some objections to some of the policies of the organization from within its ranks. During that period, there was a wave of arrests inside the organization. Many ISIS members who objected to some of the decisions and policies were arrested. Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and the leaders close to him control the policy-making. There is no such thing as an 'opposition.' For example, no one could [criticize] the [2015] burning of Muath Al-Kasasbeh, the Jordanian pilot who was captured."

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Interviewer: "Who made the decision to burn Al-Kasasbeh and where was it carried out?"

 Abu Obaida Al-Turki: "There is no doubt that it was decided by Al-Baghdadi and his Shura Council."

Interviewer: "You in ISIS believe in burning and beheading people. You do not regret this..."

Abu Obaida Al-Turki: "I explained about the burning of people. As for the beheading of people and the slitting of their throats – I would be lying if I said that this is not part of our principles. This issue is mentioned in the books of hadith. We just implemented what is mentioned in the Islamic sources."

Interviewer: "That's your view..."

Abu Obaida Al-Turki: "However, filming it and presenting it for the world to see... This is not something that the Prophet Muhammad and his companions did."

Interviewer: "Did James Foley, the journalist, have a fair trial before his beheading? What crime did a journalist seeking the truth commit that justified beheading him? Was this mentioned in the hadith or in the Quran?"

Abu Obaida Al-Turki: "Any Jew, Christian, or [Muslim] implicated in heresy or polytheism, as defined by the shari'a, is considered to be an infidel in Islam. If an infidel is captured during war or battle, the decision of whether to kill him or opt for a prisoner swap is the prerogative of the imam, according to the shari'a."