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Abu Muhmmad Al-Joulani: "Circumstances led me to Iraq. I was there in body, but my heart was in Syria. When the revolution began in Syria, one of the leaders of the Islamic State of Iraq, with whom I discussed the next phase, after Iraq, especially Syria and its historical value for the Islamic nation... When the revolution began, he asked us what we were doing in Syria, and we said that with the help of Allah, we would be starting [to fight]."
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Interviewer: "Were you planning to enter Syria as a next phase, following Iraq?"
Al-Joulani: "Naturally, every idea requires certain conditions in order to become feasible. Syria would not have been ready for us if not for the Syrian revolution. Although the regime oppressing Syrian society was very tyrannical, the people did not even think of taking up arms, or of following the path that we take. They were incapable of tolerating the consequences of any confrontation with the regime. The revolution removed many of the obstacles, and paved the way for us to enter this blessed land. We began after receiving authorization to enter Syria..."
Interviewer: "Who gave you authorization?"
Al-Joulani: "The leaders of the Islamic State of Iraq. We received authorization to enter Syria. This is well known. We presented them with our ideas and our plans.
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"We received authorization after we presented an almost complete plan, which related to specific points. Then, together, with our comrades, and particularly the Syrians who had remained there – there were not more than seven or eight of us – we arrived in this country in August 2011. It was five months after the revolution had begun.
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"The notion of Jihad is widespread throughout the world. Among the countries in which it is widespread, the notion of Jihad entered Syria following the Jihad in Iraq. It was greatly influenced by the Jihad in Iraq. The sound of a bullet shot in Baghdad resonated in the Maghreb and in Syria. I met with these brothers and we formulated a strategy of action, which involved attacking the enemy on as great an area as possible. Despite our small numbers, we reached an agreement with some people. At first, we did not need many people, and in fact, a large number would have been an obstacle. We operated in small squads, and we managed to attack the enemy on a large area, with the help of Allah."
Interviewer: "In what area in Syria did you begin operations?"
Al-Joulani: "We began in all areas at once.
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"Talk about Syria's political future is premature. Some would like to take shortcuts and skip stages."
Interviewer: "But there must be a political plan."
Al-Joulani: "Yes, such a plan already exists. In the liberated areas, for example, we have established shari'a committees. There is a shari'a committee in the north, the activity of which is still restricted to Aleppo, but which we hope will begin operating in the next few months in Idlib and Hama, as well as in the liberated rural area of Latakia. In addition, we have a shari'a committee in the eastern region, and one in the southern region, based in Daraa. These committees are not what people think. It is not a group of sheiks issuing rulings in jurisprudent matters. The shari'a committees consist of many departments, and first and foremost, a legal department, which is divided into military and civil legal systems. It deals with issues of personal status, such as divorce, marriage, and so on. It includes an electric company, a water company, and a flour mill company, responsible for providing flour to the liberated areas. Recently, we have placed the oil fields that we seized as booty from the regime under the control of the shari'a committee. The shari'a committee is composed of several factions, not just Jabhat Al-Nusra, and it is recognized by the tribes, and by the people of Aleppo and Daraa, for example. The people turn to it for rulings.
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"We do not want to rule the country. We want the shari'a to rule it. It does not matter to us whether we are the rulers or not. What we want is for the shari'a to be instated, for justice to prevail, for the oppression to be lifted, and for a righteous Islamic government to be established. This government will follow the prophetic path, will strive to liberate the lands of the Muslims, will instate the shari'a of Allah, will rule the people with justice, and will relieve them of their oppression. That is what we strive to achieve, and it is compatible with the general sentiment in Syria, and of all the factions. Syrian society has undergone a drastic change, and is not the same as it was before the revolution. History will show that following the Jihad in Syria, the society was reborn, and is completely different from Syrian society in the past.
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"The minorities coexisted with the Muslims for 1,400 years, since the inception of Islam. The Islamic system treats minorities equitably. These minorities must be given their rights, and certain duties are incumbent upon these minorities. This is true of every country and every society, but it is constantly being said that Muslims deny minorities their rights. After the council of jurisprudent authority is established, the issues of each sect will be dealt with separately. There is no single law that applies to all. Each sect will be dealt with in accordance with what the Koran and the Sunna tell us.
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"60 of 70 percent of the war is already behind us, and only relatively little remains. Victory requires patience.
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"Geneva 2 is an attempt to revive the regime. It is like giving a sick person an electric shock to revive him. The world order is trying to revive the regime, but it will not succeed. Revival of the regime has become impossible. The children of Syria will not agree to be ruled by this regime ever again, and they will consider everybody who participates in this convention... I am talking about the children of Syria, not the men or the commanders... The children will consider anybody who participates in the Geneva 2 convention to be a collaborator in the selling out of the blood spilled on the land of Syria.
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"The people negotiating in Geneva 2 and elsewhere do not represent the society that has sacrificed this blood. Who has given them authority to speak on behalf of [the Syrians], and to make concessions at the expense of their blood, their honor, or their destroyed homes? Who has delegated them? These people have taken the TV channels hostage, but they have no presence or influence on the ground. Even if we have to pay the dearest price of all, we shall not allow this charade of Geneva 2 to turn our nation into a laughing-stock, and to throw us back into turmoil that will last another 50 or 100 years.
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"There is a race to gain influence in the region. The conflict is between the Muslims, the Jews, the Crusader forces, or the international forces – call them what you will – and the Safavid forces, which represent the Shiite creed. These forces have been in conflict for 3,000 years. It is nothing new. But when Islam emerged, it managed to defeat all those great empires, such as the Persian and the Roman Empires, and it drove the Jews out of the Arabian Peninsula. All these forces, which enjoyed hegemony in the past, especially on this land, which is the cradle of civilization, the birthplace of the religions, the birthplace of the conflict... We are talking about the very heart of the world today. We are at a very sensitive location. Therefore, they joined forces to fight the Muslims, represented today by the Sunnis. They form a coalition in the struggle over this land. The US formed an alliance with Iran a long time ago. Anybody who follows what is going on could see how the forces bred in Iran – and I am referring to the Iraqi Al-Maliki government – were given Iraq on a silver platter by the Americans, and were allowed to do whatever they liked with the Sunnis. They cared only about preventing the Sunnis from coming to power. The same goes for Lebanon. Is it conceivable that the world order – or the Jews – would ignore the danger supposedly posed by Hizbullah?"
Interviewer: "Hizbullah doesn't pose a threat for the Jews?"
Al-Joulani: "Hizbullah and the Jews have many interests in common. Whenever there is a danger that the Sunnis will come to power or gain influence in some area, they form a coalition. This outweighs the conflict between them. In the event that the Sunnis in the region are wiped out, the conflict between [Hizbullah and the Jews] will resume. Currently, Israel enjoys security on its border with Hizbullah, and on its border with the Syrian regime, which protected this border for 40 years, more than it would if there were Sunnis in the region."
Interviewer: "Is this a sectarian conflict, or is it the Syrian people's struggle for freedom, and a rebellion against a tyrannical regime?"
Al-Joulani: "This is the truth, to which many people are blind. It has begun to be clear in the Iraq war and the war in Syria.
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"In the past, we waited for the moment when Hizbullah would have to openly declare its allegiance to the Syrian regime, and the active support that it gives it, because we were looking for a way to save the Sunnis in Lebanon from the pressure exerted by Hizbullah. In our view, this was political stupidity on the part of Hizbullah. When they declared this, they opened the path for us to..."
Interviewer: "What path?"
Al-Joulani: "To enter Lebanon and awaken the Sunnis there. Today all the Sunnis in Lebanon – the young, the elderly, the mosque-goers – are calling upon the mujahideen to intervene, and to remove the oppression that they suffer at the hands of Hizbullah and other such militias. This was immense political stupidity, which split the people into two camps. There is a strong force defending the Muslims, and the people have supported and have trusted us."
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Interviewer: "Do the Sunnis outside Syria support them?"
Al-Joulani: "Naturally, even the Sunnis outside Syria... The reality in which we live today is a magnet that attracts the sympathy of all Sunnis with any conscience. The conflict has become a clear conflict between Truth and Falsehood, between a treacherous international community, which wants to offer flowers to the Sunnis while stabbing them in the backs, between blind Safavid cruelty, which would kill Sunni children even before killing the men, and between Jews laying in wait for the Sunnis, exploiting the general atmosphere in order to expand their settlements..."
Interviewer: "You are talking about the Sunni peoples. What about the regimes considered to be supportive of the Sunnis?"
Al-Joulani: "Generally speaking, these regimes joined the international community in deceiving the Sunnis and keeping them in check. But recently, there has been a convergence of interests. They have all begun to be concerned about keeping their seats, especially given the Iranian-American rapprochement. All the regimes that present themselves as supporters of the Syrian revolution have very few options today. The international community turned against them, and the Safavid regime began a cruel widespread campaign against them. All these regimes are facing a threat to their survival, especially since they have been replaced by Iran as an ally. If the situation in Syria stabilizes to the satisfaction of the international community and the Safavids, the Arabian Peninsula – the Saudi Arabia of today – will face partition. Most of Saudi Arabia's oil is in the east – in Al-Hasa, Al-Qatif, and Damman. The international community and the Safavid regime in Iran threaten to annex these areas with their oil to the new ally, Iran.
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"In brief, our conflict with [ISIS] is an in-house conflict. There was a conflict, the outcome of which you heard in the news. The conflict was referred to our Emir and theirs, Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri, who resolved the matter, as you have heard. Nothing is kept from the public in this regard. It was blown completely out of proportion. It is much simpler than that, but it was blown out of proportion, and it began to be discussed on websites and so on. It is much less significant. We continue along our path and with our endeavor. The dispute was resolved, and the outcome is known to all. Dr. Ayman Al-Zawahiri resolved the issue, and that's that.
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"Dr. Ayman has given us great leeway. They believe that the people of Syria understand the situation. Dr. Ayman recommended that we meet with the other factions, and we are following this recommendation. This is part of the Jihadi culture in general, not just Al-Qaeda. We will not impose a ruler on the people. We strive to instate the shari'a, and any ruler who adheres to the shari'a is acceptable to us."
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