A senior Whitehall official said: âMI5 is aware that there are some pieces of that video that have not been aired. They are aware of the bit of al- Zawahiri talking about the Queen and they have notified the relevant authorities.â The Sunday Times has obtained the full 27-minute video, which is circulating on secure jihadist websites in the Middle East used to recruit and inflame prospective terrorists. In Britain it has been posted by Muhammad al-Massari, the London-based Saudi extremist, on his website Tajdeed. It also contains inflammatory material from Mohammad Sidique Khan, ringleader of the London bombings which killed 52 commuters. He is urging Muslims to take part in jihad and seek martyrdom. Khan, 30, incites British Muslims to ignore the moderate Islamic leaders who want integration with British society. âOur so-called scholars of today,â he said, âare content with their Toyotas and semi-detached housesâ in their desire for integration. The message is believed to be the first of its kind in which a British suicide bomber calls on fellow UK Muslims to follow his example.
The attack by al-Zawahiri prompted intelligence officers to alert Buckingham Palace that the Queen had become a specific target of Al-Qaeda. Her security had already been upgraded after September 11, 2001. In the video al-Zawahiri not only labels the Queen as one of Islamâs âseverest enemiesâ but also sends a warning shot to British Islamic leaders who âwork for the pleasure of Elizabeth, the head of the Church of Englandâ. He said those who followed her were saying: âWe are British citizens, subject to Britainâs crusader laws, and we are proud of our submission . . . to Elizabeth, head of the Church of England.â In a possible reference to the role of the Muslim Council of Britain, which had issued instructions to mosques to inform on potential terrorists, he criticised âthose who issue fatwas, according to the school of thought of the head of the Church of Englandâ.
In the previously unseen footage, Khan, from Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, said: âIt is very clear, brothers and sisters, that the path of jihad and the desire for martyrdom is embedded in the holy prophet and his beloved companions. By preparing ourselves for this kind of work, we are guaranteeing ourselves for paradise and gaining the pleasure of Allah. And by turning our back on this work, we are guaranteeing ourselves humiliation and the anger of Allah. Jihad is an obligation on every single one of us, men and women.â
Khanâs message was condemned by Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the Muslim Councilâs secretary-general, as a âperverse interpretation of Islamâ. âThe victims of Sidique Khan were innocent people . . . Itâs clearly inciteful. Itâs trying to incite people to commit murder,â he said.
| It looks like the Islamists, Ayman in particular, are confusing Liz' symbolic position with something of substance. I'd consider the Church of England to be one of the lesser challenges al-Qaeda is facing, since it's essentially a rudderless organization of no real import. Gone are the days when church membership and attendance were required. Equally gone are the days when Anglican churchmen constituted an intellectual force. The Queen is actually pretty symbolic of the church: pretty old, mostly out of touch but inoffensive to most. She's really no Richard the Lionhearted, any more than the current Archdruid of Canterbury resembles Thomas Cranmer. The Lions of Islamâ¢, of course, would consider the Queen a most desirable target, since she's unlikely to be packing heat. The Brits, on the other hand, despite the widespread rolling of the eyes at the royal family, might take her assassination personally. The Muslims might want to read up one what Edward I did to the Jews. |