The NYT on the Rules of Jihad

Michael Moss and Souad Mekhennet report in today's New York Times:

This jihad etiquette is not written down, and for good reason. It varies as much in interpretation and practice as extremist groups vary in their goals. But the rules have some general themes that underlie actions ranging from the recent rash of suicide bombings in Algeria and Somalia, to the surge in beheadings and bombings by separatist Muslims in Thailand.

Actually, there are many treatises on this very subject, and written by jihadists. But I suppose what the Times reporters was alluding to here, is that there is no "definitive" set of such rules. That is, there is no set that every jihadist agrees on.

Anyway, here are the rules that the Times came up with after interviewing a variety of "militants and their leaders, Islamic clerics and scholars in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and England, along with government intelligence officials in the Middle East, Europe and the United States."

From the Times reports:

Rule No. 1: You can kill bystanders without feeling a lot of guilt. . .

In the typical car bombing, some Islamists say, God will identify those who deserve to die — for example, anyone helping the enemy — and send them to hell. The other victims will go to paradise. “The innocent who is hurt, he won’t suffer,” Dr. Massari says. “He becomes a martyr himself.”. . .

Rule No. 2: You can kill children, too, without needing to feel distress. . . .

[M]ilitant Islamists including extremists in Jordan who embrace Al Qaeda’s ideology teach recruits that children receive special consideration in death. They are not held accountable for any sins until puberty, and if they are killed in a jihad operation they will go straight to heaven. There, they will instantly age to their late 20s, and enjoy the same access to virgins and other benefits as martyrs receive. . .

Rule No. 3: Sometimes, you can single out civilians for killing; bankers are an example.

As are government officials, according to Shakir al-Abssi, whose Qaeda-minded group, Fatah Al Islam, has been fighting Lebanese soldiers since May 20. “Any person that comes to our region with a military, security or political aim, then he is a legitimate target,” he is reportedly on record saying.

Banks are legitimate targets because, as one British Muslim currently on trial in London is reported as saying: “They charge interest, and this is in violation of Islamic law.”

Rule No. 4: You cannot kill in the country where you reside unless you were born there.

Militants living in a country that respects the rights of Muslims have something like a peace contract with the country, says Omar Bakri, a radical sheik who moved from London to Lebanon two years ago under pressure from British authorities.

The Times neglected to mention some of Bakri's other statements. For example:

In January 2005, while he was still living in London, he reiterated this sentiment according to a London Times report. In an Internet chat, he reportedly told his followers that "the whole of Britain has become Dar al-Harb (land of war). The kuffar (non-believer) has no sanctity for their own life or property." You can check out other similar such statements he is alleged to have made here.

But in any case, getting back to the jihad rules, the Times continues:

Rule No. 5: You can lie or hide your religion if you do this for jihad. . .

Rule No. 6. You may need to ask your parents for their consent.

However, regarding this last, as the Times duly notes:

The parental rule is currently waived inside Iraq, where Islamists say it is every Muslim’s duty to fight the Americans, Dr. Massari says. It is optional for residents of nearby countries, like Jordan.

Leading jihadist scholar clarifies rules of jihad: You can't kill innocents regardless of sect or religion

From the Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat:

Speaking from his prison in Egypt, founder of Al-Jihad Organization and Al-Qaeda ideologue, issued a call urging all jihadist and Islamist movements in the world to ensure that their jihadist operations are carried out in accordance with the rules of Shariaa.

Dr Fadl, also known as Sayyid Imam Abdulaziz al-Sharif stressed that his call is now necessary because of the rise in new forms of un-Islamic fighting and killing in the name of jihad that violate Shariaa law, like the of killing people based on their nationality, skin or hair color, or being affiliated with a certain sect, and also the killing innocent Muslims or non-Muslims.

So who is this Dr. Fadl? He was the chief ideologue of the same Egyptian terror group that Ayman al-Zawahiri, Bin Laden's righthand man, claimed to be a member.

Dr. Fadl is also the author of what Asharq al-Awsat describes as "the most important book on jihadist jurisprudence in the past quarter century," The Basic Principles in Making Preparations for Jihad. As the says:

This book is considered the jihadist movements' constitution and all researchers use it as a reference. It lays down the rules of jurisprudence for combat operations for all jihadist groups. Al-Qaeda regards the book as its guide for combat.

Dr. Fadl is reportedly serving a life sentence in Egypt for something having to do with Albania even though he claims he has never been to Albania.

In any case, as the newspaper writes, in his latest fatwa, Dr Fadl urges "jihadists not to use the excuse of human shields to expand the circle of killing, and to refrain from stealing and destroying property, as all these actions constitute aggression. God, he explained, prohibits aggression during jihad as illustrated by the Koranic injunction: 'Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not transgress the limits; for God loveth not transgressors.'"

"We are prohibited from committing aggression, even if the enemies of Islam do that," he is said to have written in his letter.

Dr. Fadl's letter is reminiscent of the prohibition against violence issued by the Egyptian Islamic Group, the group headed by Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman, the alleged spiritual leader of the 1993 World Trade Center bombers, as well as the Day of Terror plotters.

This ceasefire, issued by the Islamic Group in 1997 brought a halt to mass-casualty terror attacks in Egypt and lasted until Sheik Rahman withdrew his support for the ceasefire via a communication delivered to Reuters news service by his American attorney, Lynne Stewart in 2000.

Stewart, the reader may recall, was convicted of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization for her role in delivering this message. She was also convicted of defrauding the U.S. government because in shuttling the Sheik's message to Reuters, she violated a federal gag order.

Dr. Fadl in his letter to Asharq al-Awsat, reportedly acknowledged that his writings had incited many conflicts in Muslim and non-Muslim countries. This he reportedly explained, was why he had earlier written a clarifying memorandum in which, according to the newspaper report, he was encouraging the various jihadist factions in Egypt to incline toward peace and cease their violent rebellion against the Egyptian government.