The Late Sheikh Abdullah Azzam's Books. Part 1: Strategic Leverage of the Soviet-Afghan War to Undertake Perpetual Jihad
Abstract
Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, more than any other cleric, is considered the strategic founder of al-Qaida. His calling to establish an "al-Qaida al-Sulba" (firm foundation) to export jihad where Muslims are being persecuted is the name Bin Laden finally chose when naming his organization "al-Qaida." To understand Bin Laden and those who harbor sympathies toward al-Qaida it is vital to rediscover Azzam's books. Part I of this series will look into a book published in 1984, which by 1988 had gone through its 11th printing. Azzam's Quranic interpretations of the Soviet-Afghan War and his mythologizing and marketing of this conflict was a means to attract more Arabs to join the fight. The book is entitled "Ayyat al-Rahman fee Jihad al-Afghan" ("God's Signs in the Afghan Jihad"). Part II of the series will explore a book on Azzam's views regarding the remedy for Muslim victimization. Part III will look at Azzam's history and his theories of what needed to be done to defend Muslim lands that were under assault. Reading Azzam represents the cutting edge towards understanding a sworn enemy of the United States. It is incumbent upon American military planners to immerse themselves in the ideology, mythology, language, and strategy of Islamist militant groups. Azzam is as significant strategically to al-Qaida and its affiliates as Carl von Clausewitz is to the study of conventional warfare. Azzam founded Maktab al-Khidmat (Services Office for Arab Jihadists), an organization dedicated to organizing Arab jihadists fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. He also was a mentor to Usama Bin Laden. Azzam was killed in a massive bombing of his car in the streets of Peshawar, Pakistan, in November 1989. The assassination of Azzam remains a subject of speculation and remains unsolved. The copy of Azzam's "Ayyat al-Rahman fee Jihad al Afghan" used in the crafting of this essay was published in 1988 by Dar-al-Mujtama Publishers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA488031
Entities
People
- Youssef Aboul-enein
Organizations
- United States Military Academy