CTC Sentinel. Volume 1, Issue 6, May 2008. Abu Yahya al-Libi's Human Shields in Modern Jihad
Abstract
In the course of defending al-Qa'ida against charges of unjustly killing innocent Muslims during his April 2, 2008 "open interview," Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri reintroduced Hukm al-Tatarrus (the law on using human shields) into the debate. A relatively unfamiliar term to non-Muslims and Muslims alike, al-Tatarrus refers to God's sanctioning of Muslim armies that are forced to kill other Muslims who are being used as human shields by an enemy during a time of war. Al-Tatarrus is a religiously legitimate, albeit obscure, Islamic concept that al-Qa'ida ideologues have been increasingly using in order to exculpate themselves from charges of apostasy. The method in which al-Qa'ida is promoting al-Tatarrus, however, seeks to facilitate the sacrifice of Muslim lives in contravention of 14 centuries of religious teachings. For instance, both al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula and the al-Qa'ida Organization in Yemen hid behind the protections offered by al-Tatarrus in their justification of terrorist attacks that resulted in significant Muslim casualties, al-Qa-ida's use of al-Tatarrus was also at the heart of Sayyid Imam Sharif's recent attacks against al-Zawahiri and al-Qa'ida.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA493788
Entities
People
- Abdullah Warius
- Jarret Brachman
Organizations
- United States Military Academy