Sebastian Gorka - Why We Fight - Why We Fight - Defeating America's Enemies - With No Apologies

Closing this ideological progression is the narrative’s guarantee of salvation. Those that embark on Jihad are described as qualitatively better than other believers, and those that die in the performance of Jihad, who become shaheed , or martyrs to Islam, will achieve paradise and enjoy eternal rewards in the highest levels of heaven. [13] Jihadist nasheed: When will the Muslim Ummah Unite? Details below. This latter theme of the rewards the shaheed will enjoy is covered at great length by the series of lectures by the al-Qaeda leader Anwar al Awlaki entitled Hereafter, which were also consumed by the defendant.

There are numerous Arabic words which apply to and recur within the literature of the Jihadist Movement and which are central to the concepts used to recruit members to acts of violence and to justify those acts religiously. The most important include:

Al wala al barra : the concept of being loyal to that which pleases Allah, and renouncing or subverting that which does not please Allah. This is used by the Jihadist Movement to explain to its members that a “true” believer must not be loyal to an un-Islamic system, and if he does not leave that system he must subvert and destroy it. This is the choice between hijra and jihad .

Caliphate : the theocratic Empire of Islam established by Mohammad in Mecca which grew rapidly and changed its center to Damascus and Baghdad, and finally was headquartered in the early twentieth century in Istanbul, and known as the Ottoman Empire. Dissolved and replaced by the secular Turkish Republic under President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, both the Muslim Brotherhood and the Global Jihadist Movement have as their strategic objective the re-establishment of the caliphate.

Fard ’ayn : an individual and universal obligation upon all Muslims, as applied to Jihad by Abdullah Azzam and others.

Firdaws: the highest level of Jannah , the Muslim paradise. This level is reserved for the most righteous to include the prophets of Islam and martyrs to the faith, the shaheed .

Hijra : the journey undertaken by Mohammad to the city of Yathrib (latterly Medina) after he began to proselytize but was rejected by the pagan Arab tribes in Mecca. The word hijra has been developed by jihadi extremists to describe the experience of a believer being rejected by an un-Islamic society, being forced into the hardship of a forced emigration, only to eventually find recognition after success in Jihad.

Islamism : is the word used to describe the modern belief that Muslims must live under Islamic systems that are theocratic, such as systems of governance that reintegrate politics and Islam as per the system created originally by Mohammad.

Jihad: can be used to refer to the striving of a believer against temptation or that which is forbidden ( haram ), or to physical war against the non-believer ( kuffar ). For the Global Jihadist Movement, Holy War, or Jihad, is an individual obligation of all Muslims which will bring about a cleansing of the world and the re-establishment of the caliphate.

Kuffar / Kufr : the non-believer or infidel / Non-belief. This can refer to the Atheist, Christian, or Jew, but also to the Muslim who has denied Islam and is therefore an apostate and must be killed.

Jahalliyyah : originally used to describe the pagan and idolatrous state of ignorance of the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula prior to the establishment of the caliphate, this word is used by leaders of the Jihadist Movement to describe the lack of faith in the world today, especially among nominal Muslim communities who no longer submit themselves to the will of Allah.

Jahannam : the word for Hell in Islam, consisting of several levels with their own gates, each for a different degree of sinner.

Jannah : the Muslim equivalent of heaven, the paradise of the after-life consisting of numerous levels for the various grades of those rewarded.

Qiyamat : the word used to refer to the Day of Resurrection in Islam. Analogous to Judgment Day in End Times.

Shahada : the first ‘pillar’ of Islam, the declaration whereby a Muslim formally becomes a member of the ummah , the global community of Islam, by asserting that: “There is but one God; Allah is his name; and Mohammad is his Messenger.”

The Black Flag of the Shahada : the black banner bearing in white the Arabic text of the Shahada as used by al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups such as ISIS/The Islamic State.

Shaheed : Martyr to Islam, the person who dies fighting the infidel in furtherance of Islam. Used specifically by the Global Jihadist Movement to recruit terrorists with the narrative that those who have died in Holy War will be greatly rewarded in heaven.

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts supplied me with electronic materials related to al-Qaeda and the Jihadist Movement found in the possession of the defendant. These include dozens of e-books, jihadist nasheeds (Islamic chants), and video lectures from al-Qaeda leaders such as Anwar al Awlaki, as well as seven issues of the English language extremist publication Inspire magazine produced by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula under the editorship of Samir Khan.

Given its significance in particular to the techniques and methods employed in the bombing of the Boston Marathon, I will here discuss the first issue of Inspire magazine and how its content connects to the Boston attack.

The first issue of al-Qaeda’s Jihadist magazine opens with a Letter from the Editor explaining who the audience for the publication is:

“This Islamic Magazine is geared towards making the Muslim a mujahid in Allah’s path.”

The publication is then described as “the first magazine to be issued by the al-Qa`idah Organization in the English language.” [14] Inspire , Summer 2010, p. 2.

The issue goes on to praise the terrorist actions of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Christmas Day bomber: [15] Inspire magazine, Summer 2010, p. 5.

“We call on every Muslim who feels any jealousy for their religious beliefs to expel the polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula, by killing all of the crusaders working in embassies or otherwise, and to declare war against the crusaders in the land of the Prophet Muhammad — peace be upon him — on the ground, sea and air.”

“Hence, we say to the American people: as you support your leaders and are standing behind them to kill our women and children, rejoice for what is coming to you! We will come to you with slaughter and have prepared men who love death as you love life, and with the permission of Allah we will come to you with something you cannot handle. As you have killed us, so shall you be killed, and that tomorrow for its seeker is close.”

This is followed by personal messages from Osama bin Laden, the then head of al-Qaeda, and Ayman al-Zawahiri, his deputy and the future head of the terror group. [16] Inspire magazine, Summer 2010, pp. 8–10 and p. 11.

Most significant of all for the purposes of this case, is the section of the magazine entitled Open Source Jihad . [17] Inspire magazine, Summer 2010, p. 31. This will be a recurring section in future issues of Inspire and is described as a “resource manual for those who loathe the tyrants; includes bomb making techniques, security measures, guerrilla tactics, weapons training, and all other jihadi related activities” and “It allows Muslims to train at home instead of risking a dangerous travel abroad.”