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In its "Death Industry" programme the Al-Arabiya Television has reported very surprising news, citing a testimony by the deputy for the Iraqi Governorate of Salah-al-Din, who said that "there are documents proving that Al-Qa'idah is linked to the intelligence agencies of foreign countries." In short, the news report said that an Al-Qa'idah fighter, who belongs to a certain Iraqi tribe of the Al-Thartha area near Samarra, married his sister to one of the amirs of the fighting groups of the Al-Qa'idah organization in Iraq. The woman was surprised to find out that her husband was not circumcized and, therefore, he was not a Muslim. After her tribesmen made sure of the truth, they killed him and ceased their support for Al-Qa'idah. Important though this report by the Al-Arabiya Television is, we do not need such evidence to realize that Al-Qa'idah has, for some time, been used by and is useful for various foreign intelligence agencies.

The following are some of several significant indications in the Al-Arabiya Television report:

1. It proves the extent of foreign intelligence agencies' penetration of Iraq today, and of the damage they have succeeded in inflicting at the expense of the Iraqi people's security and safety and the future of the Iraqi state.

2. It exposes the Al-Qa'idah organization to the core, and that it may turn out eventually that this organization was set up by foreign parties.

3. It displays the possibility that Al-Qa'idah may have "circumcised" intelligence agents, making it impossible to tell friend from foe amidst this utter chaos.

4. It will impact Muslim youths who join Al-Qa'idah for jihad in Iraq, as it proves to them that the martyrdom they aspire to is false.

One must be very cautious about the reality of the current situation in Iraq. Muslim youths who travel to Iraq in response to the call for jihad against the schemes of Zionist and Crusade colonization in fact serve these very schemes. While the youth may be excused for being ignorant zealots, the blame must primarily be put on those preachers who propagate jihad and those evil people who keep silent rather than reveal the truth.

The evidence is now quite clear about the reality of the Al-Qa'idah organization and of the jihadists who violate Iraq's sanctity to sow the seeds of sedition, fan the fire, and kill the sons of a country who belong to the same religion. The youth must understand that by following the call for jihad, they are "in the wrong."

The biggest problem facing Iraq's security is the horrible penetration of this country by the many forces which have created the current chaotic situation. It is necessary for religious authorities and Muslim scholars throughout the Arab and Muslim world to reconsider their fatwa permitting "jihad" in Iraq against foreign occupiers, because the fundamental reason for jihad, namely, "defining the enemy" without a shadow of doubt is lacking. In these stormy times, it is important to call for closing the door to jihad in Iraq in favour of supporting the peace process and driving out the occupiers as soon as possible, because it is now clear that the so-called "jihad" in Iraq serves the occupiers rather than Iraq and the Iraqi people.

Source: Al-Watan website, Abha, in Arabic 27 Apr 08