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Militant Islam Monitor > Weblog > Letter which was found on the body of Theo van Gogh links killer to Al Takfir wal Hijrah - group more extreme than Al Qaeda

Letter which was found on the body of Theo van Gogh links killer to Al Takfir wal Hijrah - group more extreme than Al Qaeda

November 15, 2004

MIM: Background Information:

"...The man charged with the murder of a controversial Dutch artist last week has been linked to a fanatical Islamic sect whose members are said to include the al-Qaeda second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and the Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

"..Islamic experts believe that the style and content of a five-page letter that was found pinned to Theo van Gogh's body were close to those of al-Takfir wal Hijra, a radical group that has declared war on westerners..."

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1288722004

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MIM: The letter which the killer of Theo Van Gogh stuck to his body with a knife was written in Dutch and Arabic. In an unprecedented move the Dutch authorities permitted the letters to be made public . Experts who studied the texts concluded that the letters were similar to the wording used by a group called Tafkir Al Hirjah , (Anathema and Exile), a group which is described as "more extreme then Al Qaeda".

"The threat of Tafkir is that it's cold heartless killers could be the boy or girl next door. Tafkir Wal Hijrah members are permitted to disregard injunctions of Islamic law in order to fit into infidel societies."

"They seem like regular fun loving guys- but they would bomb your building or slit your throat in a second" a French official told Time Magazine. (see complete text below)

The group in Amsterdam to which Mohamed Bouyeri, the terrorist who killed Theo van Gogh belonged, is referred to as "De Hofstad Network", (The Capital City Network) .The group is linked to Syria and the bombings in Casablanca and Madrid.

MIM: As of this writing, 13 young Muslims have been arrested on terrorism charges and police are looking for the ring leader of the group, a Syrian named Redouan Al Issar who is reported to have disappeared without a trace.

The killer of Theo van Gogh is said to have received funding from a terrorist based in Switzerland and to have worked together with a 19 year old Dutch American convert to Islam who was identified only as Jason W. He was one of the two people arrested by the Dutch police during the siege of an apartment in The Hague. An even more sinister twist which emphasised the failure of Dutch security to spot the potential for terrorism in Mohamed Bouyeri was revealed when a dossier compiled by the Dutch Internal Security Services with details of the surveillance of members of the group was found in the raided apartment .The government has called for an investigation to trace the identity of the mole who is possibly a Muslim (or undisclosed convert to Islam) working for the Dutch internal intelligence and security services known as the AIVD - Algemene Inlichtingen en Veiligheids Dienst.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4613347,00.html

The letter found stuck to Van Gogh's body with a knife was considered a ‘Jihad Manifesto'.

A passerby with a telephone camera took a picture of Theo van Gogh's body seconds after the murder which shows the two knives protruding from his chest with the letter. The picture can be found at the bottom of this page .

See : Jihad in Holland http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/313

In addition the killer had written an "Open Letter" threatening VVD cabinet minister Geert Wilders and carried a "farewell note " in expectation of being 'martyred' in a shootout with police.

For the original texts and english translations of these letters see: http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/312

The deputy minister of Holland Gerrit Zalm announced that "Holland was at war"

Minister Zalm, Geert Wilders. and Jozias van Aartsen, are some of the Dutch politicians who are acutely aware of the mortal danger of the Islamist threat,

Gerrit Zalm attended Theo van Gogh's pre cremation 'farewell' party.

Theo van Gogh had given instructions for his funeral arrangements to friends before flying to America in the summer. They included a party at which all the women would wear suits and pearl necklaces. Two stuffed goats were placed on a podium where friends performed and spoke. For an account see translation of the article "Partying in suits around the coffin".

http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/311

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MIM: Since the murder of Theo van Gogh on November 2, 2004 a small scale civil war appears to be gaining momentum in Holland .As of 11/15/02 mosques and Islamic schools have been set on fire or vandalized . Several churches were also burned and damaged in ‘retaliation'and an unknown terrorist group has threatened reprisal attacks in Holland . The Dutch paper the Telegraaf ran a headline aimed at Muslims which read ,"Don't complain" and went on to tell Muslims that they needed to be more flexible and can't claim victimisation whenever anyone criticises their religion.

http://www.christianpost.com/dbase/europe/312/section/1.htm

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MIM is republishing the letter which was left stuck into Theo van Gogh's body with a knife by his killer.

The footnotes are intended to explain the political affiliations and positions of the people who were mentioned in the letter and to clarify certain points. The letter contains threats against politicians and the Dutch government and gives an account of an Islamic 'Judgement Day' for infidels.

The letter was described as " a declaration of war " by several leading politicians and resulted in body guard details being assigned to those mentioned in the letter, and other government officials.

Ayaan Hirshi Ali , to whom the letter is addressed, is a Somali born naturalized Dutch parliamentarian and self described ex- Muslim. She has been a vociferous critic of Islam and called for the government to shut down radical mosques and to implement measures to make it easier for the Dutch government to deport any Muslims who were convicted of agitating against the laws of Holland. Ali has had police protection since being quoted in 2002 calling the prophet Mohammed a "pervert" and lecherous pedofile". She said that she fled to the US for her own safety at the time. When she returned to Holland she received round the clock protection and is reported to be presently in hiding.

A similiar letter was written to cabinet minister Geert Wilders and can be read in translation at: http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/312

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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/116971/1/.htm

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Last year Hirsi Ali wrote a screenplay for a film about mistreatment of women in Islam which was called "Submission". Theo van Gogh made the movie in english with an eye to international distribution. A few months ago it was broadcast by the by the Dutch television station VPRO. Both Ali and Theo van Gogh received death threats as a result. According to official statementsTheo van Gogh refused a bodyguard . After Van Gogh's murder Hirshi Ali admitted to feeling guilty about Theo van Gogh's death and lashed out at the government for not forcing Theo van Gogh to have some form of security. She claimed the government only looked out for their own.

At the pre cremation service Theo van Gogh's mother Anneke told Hirshi Ali ‘not to feel guilty' – and' to continue fighting for the cause of freedom in Theo's memory.'

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This is a translation of the letter which the killer of Theo Van Gogh,who has since been identified as the Dutch born Muslim Mohammed Bouyeri, affixed to the body of Theo van Gogh with a knife, He plunged the letter in Van Gogh's chest after shooting the filmmaker and trying to decapitate him with another knife .He left two knives in his body and according to witnesses "walked away as if was the most normal thing in the world".

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Translation by Beila Rabinowitz director of MIM:

For original text in Dutch click here:

http://www.nrc.nl/documenten/artikel/1099635496232.html

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Text of the letter which was found on the body of Theo van Gogh

Open letter to Hirshi Ali (1)

In the name of Allah - the BeNeficent - the Merciful

Peace and Blessings from the head of the Holy Warriors - the laughing killer Mohammed Rasoeloe Allah -(Sala Allaho alahie wa Sallam) his family and his companions who will steadfastly accompany him till on the Day of Judgement . (2)

There is no agression except the against agressors.

The following:

Peace and blessings on those who follow the Direction:

This is an open letter on a fundamentalist unbeliever ,Ayaan Hirshi Ali. from the Thaghoet Party VVD. (3)

Dear Mrs Hirshi Ali,

Since your appearence in the Dutch political arena you have been constantly busy criticising Muslims and terrorising Islam with your statements. You are hereby not the first and not the last and also won't be the last to have joined the crusade against Islam.

With your attacks you have not only turned your back on the Truth, but you are also marching along the ranks of the soldiers of evil. You are not hiding your hostility towards Islam under chairs and benches and therefore your masters have rewarded you with a seat in parliament. They have found in you an ally who provides them all the "ammunition" so that they dont have to dirty their own hands. It appears that you are blinded by your burning unbelief and in your rage you are not able to see that your are just an instrument of the real enemies of Islam.

You are being used by all the enemies of Islam to siphon all kinds of hostilities towards the most noble person (Mohammed Rasoeloe Alla).

Mrs. Hirshi Ali, I don't blame you for all of this, as a soldier of evil you are just doing your work.

The fact that you so openly spell out your evil is not because of you yourself, but the Islamic Ummah. She has as her task to resist injustice and has let evil go on and has been blissfully asleep. All of your hostility towards Islam is therefore the fault of the Islamic Ummah. (4)

This letter is Insha Allah (God willing) an attempt to stop your evil and silence you forever. These writings will Inshallah cause your mask to fall off. (5)

I would first like to begin by your recently launched proposal to screen Muslims regarding their ideology on job applications.

Your proposal is very interesting, even more because the implementation of has brought out the rotten face of your political masters (when of course it was honestly tested on them and they openly make their ideology known).

It is a fact that Dutch politics is dominated by many Jews and is a product of the Talmudic Schools, as is also the case with your colleagues in your political party.

Seeing as that you always propagate "the hand on one's own heart" we would first like to test this proposal on you yourself. The same politics which through it's policies has joined in the terrorism against Islam and Muslims.

I would very much like to put to you the following question:

What do you think about the fact that van Aartsen and their ideological counterparts see non Jews as not being human?(6)

Baba Mezie 114a -114b :Only Jews are people ("Only you are called (the) people") Also see Kerithoth 6b under the sub heading ("Oil of annointing") and Berkath 56a in which Gentile (non Jews) are called women animals ( "female donkeys")

Ybamoth 92a : All Gentile children are animals

What do you think of the fact that the Mayor of Amsterdam is at the helm of and ideologie whereby Jews have to lie to non Jews? Baba Kamma 113a : Jews may use lies ("listen") to mislead gentiles .

What do you think of the fact that you are part of a government that supports a State which pleads for genocide ?

Sofarim 15, line 10 (Minor Tarcctates): This is the saying of Rabbi Simon ben Yohai: Tod shebe goyim herog) ("Even the best gentiles must be killed") (7)

Seeing as that you are a champion of equal rights, you should, (after this knowledge has come to you) plead with your Jewish masters to reject the teachings of the Talmud. You will most likely make it a point to deliver the same plea to the Jewish community in the Netherlands.

Your appearances reveal your lack of courage now and then when you are asking for attention for your struggle. You even had the cowardice to ask Islamic children in school to choose between their creator and the constitution.

You immediately used the answer of these pure young souls to justify the arguments behind your crusade. With these hostilities you have unleashed a boomerang effect and you know that it is only a question of time until this boomerang will seal your fate.

You have the chances now, Mrs. Hirshi Ali, once and for all to carve your own notch in the pages.

There is but one certainty in our entire existence, and that is that everything comes to an end.

A child who comes into this world and fills the universe with his first cries of life, will finally leave this world with a death rattle .

A blade of grass which can stick out of the dark earth and is touched by the sunlight and fed by falling rain , will finally rot into dust and disappear.

Death, Mrs. Hirshi Ali , is a shared theme of everything in creation . You, I, and the rest of creation cannot get loose from this truth.

There will come a Day when one soul will not be able to help another soul. A Day of horrible tortures and painful tribulations which will go together with with the terrible cries being pressed out of the lungs of the unjust .Cries. Mrs. Hirshi Ali, which will cause chills to run up someone's spine, and cause the hair on their head to stand straight up. People will appear to be drunk with (with fear) even though they arent drunk. On that Great Day the atmosphere will be filled with FEAR.

When the sun will be rolled up.

When the stars fall.

And when the mountains will be moved.

And when the beasts of burden will be left behind.

And when the sea will be brought to a boil.

And when all souls will be united.

And when the girl who was buried alive will be questioned.

About every sin for which she was killed.

When the pages will be flung open.

And the sky will be dripping .

And the heavens will be dripping.

And when the Djahim (the Hell) will be set aflame.

And when the Paradise will be brought closer by.

Then the soul will know what it has performed. (81:1-14)

On that day man will flee from his brother .

And the mother from the father.

And the woman from her children.

And everyone of them on that Day shall have an occupation which is enough for them.

Faces (of the unbelievers) will be covered with dust on that Day.

And they will be ringed in darkness.

These are the sinful unbelievers .(80:34-42)

Of course you as an unbelieving extremist dont believe in the scene which is described above. For you this is just a fictitious dramatic piece out of a Book like many. And yet, Mrs.Hirsi Ali, I would bet on my life that you will break into a SWEAT OF FEAR when you read this.

You, as unbelieving fundamentalist, of course dont believe that there is a Higher Power who runs the universe.

You don't believe in your heart, with which you repudiate the truth, that you must knock and ask this Higher Power for permission .

You don't believe that your tongue with which you repudiate the Direction of this Higher Power is subservient to His laws.

You don't believe that this Higher Power grants life and Death.

If you really believed in all of this , then you will not find the following challenge a problem.

I challenge you with this letter to proof that you are right . You don't have to do much for that :

Mrs. Hirshi Ali : Wishes Death if you are really Convinced that you are right.

If you do not accept this challenge, you will know that my Master, the Most high, has exposed you as a bearer of lies.

"If you wish death, then you are being truthful". But those who never wish to die, because of what their hands (and sins) have brought forth".

And Allah is the all knowing over the purveyors of lies . (2:94-95).

To prevent myself of having to the same wish coming to me as I wish for you, I shall wish this wish for you:

Mijn Rabb (master) give us death to give us happiness with martyrdom. Allahoemma Amien. (8)

Mrs.Hirshi Ali and all the rest of you extremist unbelievers .Islam has withstood many enemies and persecutions throughout History. Whenever pressure was put on Islam is it only a fire which fans the flames of belief. Islam like a dead plant, which has been formed into a diamond through years of high temperatures and pressure. A dead plant which was formed over the trials of time into the strongest precious stone on earth. A hard stone upon which will defeat any attempts to break it to pieces.

AYAAN HIRSI ALI YOU WILL BREAK YOURSELF TO PIECES ON ISLAM!

You and your friend know full well that the present day Islamic youth are raw diamonds that need to be polished, so that they can diffuse the light of Truth. Your intellectual terrorism will not prevent this, on the contrary, it will hasten this.

Islam will be victorious through the blood of the martyrs .They will spread it's light in every dark corner of this earth and it will drive evil with the sword if necessary back into it's dark hole.

This struggle which has burst forth is different then those of the past. The unbelieving fundamentalists have started it and Inshallah the true believers will end it.

There will be no mercy shown to the purveyors of injustice, only the sword will be lifted against them.No discussions, no demonstrations, no petitions: only DEATH will separate the Truth from the Lies.

Verse: Be warned that the death that you are trying to prevent will surely find you, afterwards you will be taken back to the All Knowing and He will tell you what you attempted to do". (62:8).

And as a great Prophet once said :

"And I surely know that you, O Pharoah, will be destoyed". (17:102).

So too will we use the same names and send this out ahead of us, so that the heavens and the stars will receive this news and this will be spread as a tidal wave throughout all the corners of the universe.

"I surely know that you, O America, will be destroyed ".

"I surely know that you O Europe, will be destroyed"

"I surely know that you O Holland will be destroyed"

"I surely know that you, O Hirshi Ali will be destroyed"

"I surely know that you, O unbelieving fundamentalists, will be destroyed "

Hasboena Allah wa ni3ma alwakeel.

Ni3ma al alMawla wa Ni3ma anNaseer.

Saifu Deen alMuwahhied (9)

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Notes :

(1) Hirshi Ali refers to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Dutch parliamentarian from the VVD party who is an ex Muslim and received death threats for her criticism of Islam in which she called the prophet Mohammed "a lecherous pedofile" because according to the Koran, he raped Aisha when she was 9 years old. Hirshi Ali already had 24/7 security when she wrote the screenplay for the movie ‘Submission' which was made by Theo van Gogh.The movie depicted abuse of women which was sanctioned in the Koran and featured women in transparent gowns wth Koranic verses written on their bodies. After making the movie both she and Theo van Gogh received death threats, and the Dutch government claimed he had refused protection. Hirsi Ali accused the government of failing to force Theo Van Gogh to accept security because he was not a politician.

(2) Mohammed Rasoloe Allah: A reference to the killer who was named Mohammed Bouyeri and Rasoloe referes to the servant of Allah.

(3) The Thagoet party : Thagoet means ‘something besides Islam'. The VVD is a party which stands for' Volk Vrijheid en Democratie' literally, 'The People, Freedom and Democracy'. Hirsi Ali is a member of this party which can is best described as ‘liberal conservative'.

(4) The Ummah: The world wide community of Muslims.

(5) Inshallah :(Allah) willing

(6) Aartsen: Jozias van Aartsen the chairman of the VVD party of which Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a member . The reference to non Jews not being human according to Jewish writings is a deliberate distortion of Jewish scriptures and is a claim often used by anti semites to defame the Jewish religion.

(7) There is no such quotation or concept in the Jewish scriptures . The ficticious phrase is written in transliterated in Yiddish, a language which is never used in connection with religious texts.

(8) Allah hoemma Amien : Allah be praised Amen in English

(9) Saifu Deen al Muwahhied : literally means "sword of the unified belief "

For an analysis of the letter see translation of the article :' Pamphlet from the Polder' below:

http://www.nrc.nl/binnenland/artikel/print/1099636221651.html

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MIM: Background information on Takfir Wal Hijra which includes fatwa issued by Abdel Rahman the so called 'Blind Sheik'. The text of the fatwa is similiar to the text of the letter which was written by the terrorist who killed Theo van Gogh.

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Takfir Wal Hijra - 'Anathema and Exile' aka Jama't al- Muslimin

http://www.rotten.com/library/history/terrorist-organizations/al-takfir-wal-hijra/

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Al Tafkir Wal Hijra

"Takfir Wal Hijra may be the most terrifically terrifying terrorist operation in the world today. The fact that you've never heard of it is part of the problem.

Al Takfir Wal Hijra means "anathema and exile" or possibly "excommunication and emigration." A theologically extreme extension of the Saudi Arabia's Wahabbi doctrines, Takfir is dedicated to restoring the Caliphate, the Islamic political empire that once spanned the Near and Middle East.

Ayman Al-Zawahiri is a member of the Takfir sect. While Osama bin Laden is usually called the leader of al Qaeda, Zawahri runs the terrorist network in most meaningful respects, including ordering attacks and concocting theological justifications for killing.

The founder of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad organization and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Zawahiri is one of several international terror masterminds linked to Takfir Wal Hijra.

Takfir is as fundamentalist a sect as you can imagine. Its major tenet holds that all the world's non-Muslim leaders should be overthrown by any means including (and especially) violence. Not only are infidels subject to sanctions up to and including death, but even other Muslims who don't fit the Takfir ideal.

It isn't just the bloodthirstiness that makes Takfir Wal Hijra dangerous, however. It's the techniques. A major element of Takfir religious practice is subterfuge. The threat of Takfir is that its cold, heartless killers could easily be the boy or girl next door. Takfir Wal Hijra members are permitted to disregard the injunctions of Islamic law in order to blend into infidel societies.

In other words, Takfirs can have sex with loose women, drink alcohol, eat pork and do whatever else they feel is appropriate to advance their mission.

In the wake of September 11, and even before, the U.S. and media pundits have frequently engaged in head-scratching over the fact that terrorist operatives often don't appear to be especially Islamic. It seems paradoxical that the 9/11 hijackers could be so dedicated that they would die for the cause, but not so dedicated that they avoided picking up girls at nightclubs.

"(They seem like) regular, fun-loving guys -- but they'd slit your throat or bomb your building in a second," a French official told Time Magazine.

Mohammed Atta, although puritanical in his behavior, was believed to be Takfiri. He's not the only al Qaeda operative you could point the finger at. Ramzi Yousef and Khalid Shaikh Mohammed went to discos, drank alcohol and dated call girls. Yousef in particular is renowned for being generally unIslamic and non-observant of prayers and fasting. Although no one has suggested openly that Yousef and KSM were Takfiri, it's hardly a stretch.

Other al Qaeda operatives in the U.S. might be Takfiri, including Ali Mohammed, a senior al Qaeda operative who served with the U.S. Special Forces in the late 1980s, or Mahmud Abouhalima, who joined the NRA before getting mixed up in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

In addition to its unparalleled ability to infiltrate Western societies, Takfir also distinguishes itself for its sheer violence and cheerful lack of discrimination among its targets. Even bin Laden has been a target of Takfir killers, supposedly, during a 1996 assassination attempt in the Sudan. This rumor persists despite the fact that Takfirs fought alongside bin Laden's mujahideen in Afghanistan, which tells you something cautionary about being on the wrong side of a Takfir.

The U.S. government is deeply concerned about the Takfiri movement, although you wouldn't be able to tell from the way they never talk much about it.

In 2002, the Justice Department charged four men with running a Takfiri terrorist sleeper cell in Michigan. Members were charged with planning shoe bombings, airline attacks and casing the U.S. embassy in Jordan, Disneyland and a Las Vegas casino for potential attacks. The case began to disintegrate after a series of missteps and illegal acts by the Justice Department. Only two of the four were convicted, and even those convictions may not stand up to review.

After those named above, the next most famous Takfir may be Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian-born Palestinian who is currently making life miserable for the U.S. in Iraq. Although little credible information is known about Zarqawi, his M.O. and stated beliefs are generally consistent with the Takfir cult. It's also worth noting that he recently attempted to stage a chemical attack on the same Jordanian embassy allegedly targeted by the Michigan cell.

Strangely, there's some conventional wisdom circulating which holds that Takfir Wal Hijra was founded by Lebanese immigrant and Boston taxi cab driver Bassam Ahmed Kanj. However, there's some room for debate. It's likely that the sect (in some form) predates Kanj's involvement beginning in 1996. (He was killed in an uprising in Lebanon in 2000.)

According to the Justice Department, Takfiris are guided by fatwas issued by influential radicals, like the following, issued in 1998 by Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, an exiled Egyptian cleric now imprisoned in the U.S.".

"Cut all links with the [United States]. Destroy them thoroughly and erase them from the face of the earth. Ruin their economies, set their companies on fire, turn their conspiracies to powder and dust. Sink their ships, bring their planes down. Slay them in the air, on land, on water. And [with the Command of Allah] kill them wherever you find them. Catch them and put them in prison. Lie in wait for them and kill these infidels. They will surely get great oppression from you. God will make you the means of wreaking a terrible revenge upon them, of degrading them. He will support you against them. He will cure the afflicted hearts of the faithful and take all anger out of their hearts."

" Clearly, God will have his hands full with some of these hearts. In the meantime, you can only hope that the boy or girl next door isn't planning to slit your throat any time soon. " http://www.rotten.com/library/history/terrorist-organizations/al-takfir-wal-hijra/

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MIM: More information on the 'Takfir' groups:

http://www.ict.org.il/articles/articledet.cfm?articleid=415

The Takfir groups: mainly the Egyptian group, Jama`t al-Muslimin, whose popular name is Al-Takfir wal-Hijrah (this name was given to them by the Egyptian authorities, based upon their ideology, and is now better known than their official name). The group first came to light in 1978 when they kidnapped and murdered the Egyptian Minister of Endowments Hasan al-Dhahbi. They had adopted the Saudi Ikhwan ideas in all their extremism, including the idea of settling in the desert to found a pure Islamic society (Hijrah). However their main influence was in spreading the idea of Takfir in its full sense. After their discovery and trials, with all but a small group in jail, they lost their ability to act as an organized group in Egypt, and were "inherited" by the rising influence of the Egyptian Jihad groups. The following are some of the offshoots of the Takfir trend:


Egyptian Salafist groups - One of the groups composed of the remaining Egyptian Takfir members was Al-Najoun min al-Nar (Survivors of the Fire/Hell) who were active in Bosnia and later in Albania. A small group of their Palestinian followers still exists in the Gaza Strip. The author interviewed their leader in Gaza in 1987, and found him very cooperative, since they see their main enemy as being the secular Arab regimes rather than Israel. They took no part in the Palestinian Uprising and maintain no links to Hamas nor to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which on their part view them as a deviatiant Islamic trend.

The Jordanian Takfir - Other Salafiyyah groups have spread to Jordan and the Palestinian society in the Territories, under Saudi guidance and financial aid. In the Gaza Strip they existed until 1986, when they dissolved and merged into the developing groups of the Islamic Jihad. In Jordan they forced to stay on the move due to their terrorist activity and the opposition of the authorities. During periods of imprisonment they were involved with members of Hizb al-Tahrir al-Islami (The Islamic Liberation Party), another Palestinian/Jordanian illegal militant group which has a different ideology and occupies a different position on the "Islamist map," but which has carried out a good deal of terrorist activity in Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon and Uzbekistan. The Party has also a strong, but so far non-violent base in the West Bank. The Salafiyyah in Jordan was the initiator of the Jordanian Takfir, which in the recent years has developed a large following, composed of several groups of people of different nationalities, mainly Egyptians. In April 1996, for instance, the Egyptian authorities demanded that the Jordanians to extradite 57 fugitive members of the Egyptian Takfir group.

The Pakistani Militants and Osama bin Ladin - Other groups of the Takfir current are the Pakistani Harakat ul-Mujahidin (HUM) who are responsible for the hijacking of the Indian plane last week, and the CDLR (The Committee for the Defense of Legal Rights in Saudi Arabia) which is the political wing of the Saudi Islamist opponents of the Saudi royal regime. Their military wing is probably the Al-Qa`idah al-Sulbah (The solid Base) of Osamah bin Ladin, which is ideologically based upon the ideas of Dr. `Abdallah `Azzam, and whose name was taken from his writings.

The Algerian Armed Islamic Group - Based upon their ideology, the Algerian GIA (Groupe Islamique Armee in French, or Armed Islamic Group) can also be regarded as a Takfir group. Furthermore, nine members of this group, specialists in smuggling of weapons and false identity documents, were arrested in Northern Italy in May 1998, in connection with the Soccer World Cup in France that summer. According to Italian police sources, they belonged to the Takfir group active in Europe, especially in France and Germany.

Yemeni Islamic militants - Another group is probably the Islah gin the Yemen, whose European base is in London under the name of Ansar al-Shari`ah (Supporters of Shari`ah) and the command of the Egyptian Abu Hamzah al-Masri. The group in London politically cooperates with a group named Al-Muhajirun (The Immigrants) that had been founded as a consequence of a split in the Tahrir Party in London, under the command of Sheikh Omar Muhammad al-Bakri.

The meeting point of the two trends during the 1980s and mainly the 1990s, was primarily Afghanistan, and secondly the violent disputes in Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo, Chechnya and Daghestan. It seems that there were movements of activists from group to group accompanied by a developing cooperation between the various groups affiliated with the two trends. One of the consequences of the influence of the Takfir ideology on the Egyptian Jihad group was the anti-American extremism that led them to carry out the bombing in The World Center in NY and several other bombing attempts in the United States. Up to the early 1990s, the Egyptian Jihad had made no move to carry out terrorist operations outside of Egypt, not even against Egyptian targets abroad.

It seems that under the Afghani influence (not necessarily the Taliban) a "brotherhood of the persecuted" has developed among all these groups, which led to cooperation and mutual assistance, with or without the help of bin Ladin and his financial sources. One of the main influences of this cooperation was probably the spread of the ideas of the Takfir groups to the Jihad groups, and the use of the term Takfir in recent years together with the term Jihad, especially in regard to the struggle in the Arab World against those rulers who are perceived by them as collaborators with the "Western Infidel culture."

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MIM: A Koranic translator was interviewed regarding the contents of the note and concluded that it was 'very Dutch' in expression and not something which came from the Middle East. The article was entitled "Pamphlet was a product of the polder", and the translator's analysis gives futher credence to the theory that Theo van Gogh's killer was a member of a group like Al Takfir Al Hijrah. The translator stated that:

"It is frightening how Dutch the text is" and concluded that:

"It cannot be ruled out that an international,group which is operating in Europe is behind this.It can be a smokescreen ,but based on the text, I don't think in the first instance on Al Qaeda, but rather a group of freelancers who have struck out on their own".

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Translation : Beila Rabinowitz director of MIM

Pamphlet Product from the Polder

Koran translator Leemhuis read the threats against Hirsi Ali and Wilders; " It is frightening how Dutch the text is".

by our editor Wubby Luyendyck

The first time that Koran translator Fred Leemhuis read the letter which the suspect in the murder of Theo van Gogh left behind he had to laugh. "I am telling you honestly". The English- Dutch translation , the choice of words in the farewell letter, were 'moving' in comparision with hard core fundamentalist literature from the Middle East.

But the second time he read it he was taken aback."I realized then that this farewell letter had been written by a boy from the polder". Someone who had passed their 'naturalisation' exam with flying colors, someone who had written his testament as we would write a Christmas rhyme. And then you realize that is is not someone who is one of "them"It is someone from within our society who is Dutch through and through".

Fred Leemhuis resides three months a year in the Middle East and regularly reads as an Arabist Jihad literature on the internet. He concluded that the origin of the letter which was found on the body of Theo van Gogh, and the one written to cabinet member Hirsi Ali and Geert Wilders, is different then the writer of the farewell letter. The farewell letter he says, was conceived and written by Mohammed B. the suspect in the murder of Theo van Gogh. The open letter on Hirsi Ali an Geert Wilders is signed by 'Saifu Deen al Muwahhied'."I think the texts were not written by the suspect himself and that the core ideas were provided by someone else". The Dutch situation is woven into it only afterwards".

The writer is Saifu Deen AlMuwahhied. What does that mean?

Leemhuis: It literally means the sword of the unified belief "

It is also the name of a fundamentalist extremist group from North Africa which conquered Spain in the Middle Ages".

What do conclusions do you draw from the text about Saifu Deen AlMuwahhied ?

"I think that it is a pseudonym. Someone who is likely active in Europe, I am almost certain it is a Syrian with an english language connection, who does not have access to a direct Arabic link. Several times I read Dutch translations which came from an english Koran translation instead of the Arabic Koran text. In the letter to Hirsi Ali one read 'the ranks of the soldiers'. That is english dutch. Further I suspect that a loose organisation is behind this, with a small number of members. I don't know how many."

What do base that on?

"On an Arabic site I read a question which was put to dr.Said Ebouti, a grand Mufti in Syria. A Syrian in Germany asked him how he as a practicing Muslim could get a telephone connection and rent a house. He related that someone called Saifu Deen Al Muwahhied had ordered him not to sign any contracts which could be regulated by a German judge. The Mufti wrote back that that he could certainly sign a contract with Allah. "It is not a usual regulation"

How would you describe the choice of words?

"The choice of words varies greatly. There are parts which are just plain Dutch, and their a pages which are much more formal and appear to be translated".

What are the Dutch pasages?

"In the letter to Hirsi Ali I mean the entire second line after the introduction. There are 'one size fits all' sentences which are used several times. The Dutch passages are those where the sentences in which names are named. They are of a different tone and choice of words".

What do your conclusions mean for a further judicial investigation?

"You cannot exclude the possibility that there is an international group operating in Europe which is behind this. It can be a smokescreen, but based on the text I do not think in the first instance on Al Qaeda, but rather a group of freelancers who have struck out on their own".

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http://www.nrc.nl/binnenland/artikel/print/1099636221651.html

Dutch version

Pamflet product uit de polder 11/6/04

Koranvertaler Leemhuis las de bedreigingen aan Hirsi Ali en Wilders: ,,Het is beangstigend hoe Nederlands de tekst is."


Door onze redacteur Wubby Luyendijk

ROTTERDAM, 6 NOV. De eerste keer dat koranvertaler Fred Leemhuis de brieven doorlas die de verdachte van de moord op Theo van Gogh heeft achtergelaten, moest hij lachen - ,,ik zeg het maar eerlijk". De Engels-Nederlandse vertaling, de woordkeus en de afscheidsbrief waren ,,zo aandoenlijk" in vergelijking met hard core fundamentalistenlectuur uit het Midden-Oosten.

Maar de tweede keer dat Leemhuis de brieven las was hij verbijsterd. ,,Ik begreep toen dat de afscheidsbrief geschreven was door een Hollandse polderjongen. Iemand die met vlag en wimpel voor zijn inburgeringscursus zou zijn geslaagd. Iemand die zijn testament heeft geschreven op een manier zoals wij Sinterklaasrijmpjes maken. En dan realiseer je je dat het niet iemand is die tot de 'zij' behoort. Het is iemand die onderdeel uitmaakt van onze gemeenschap, die door en door Nederlands is."

Fred Leemhuis verblijft drie maanden per jaar in het Midden-Oosten en leest als arabist van de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen regelmatig jihadlectuur op internet. Hij constateert dat de afzender van de brieven aan Tweede-Kamerlid Hirsi Ali, gevonden op het lichaam van Theo van Gogh, en Kamerlid Geert Wilders verschilt van die van de afscheidsbrief. De afscheidsbrief, zegt hij, zal wel bedacht en geschreven zijn door Mohammed B., verdachte van de moord op Theo van Gogh. De open brief aan Hirsi Ali en Geert Wilders is ondertekend door 'Saifu Deen alMuwahhied'. ,,Ik denk dat die teksten niet alleen door de verdachte zijn geschreven maar in hun kern door iemand anders zijn aangereikt. Pas daarna is de Nederlandse situatie erin verwerkt."

De afzender is Saifu Deen alMuwahhied. Wat betekent dat?

Leemhuis: ,,Het betekent letterlijk zwaard van het verenigend geloof."

:pagina ]

,,Het is ook de naam van een fundamentalistische extremistische groep uit Noord-Afrika die in de Middeleeuwen een deel van Spanje veroverde."

Wat leidt u uit de tekst af over Saifu Deen alMuwahhied?

,,Ik denk dat het een pseudoniem is. Iemand die vermoedelijk in Europa actief is, ik denk vrijwel zeker een Syriër met een Engelstalige connectie, die niet beschikt over een directe Arabische link. Ik lees een paar keer Nederlandse vertalingen uit de Engelse koranvertaling in plaats van de Arabische korantekst. Er staat in de brief aan Hirsi Ali: de ranken van de soldaten. Dat is Engels Nederlands. Verder vermoed ik dat er een losse organisatie achter schuilgaat, met een vermoedelijk gering aantal aanhangers, hoeveel weet ik niet."

Waar baseert u dat op?

,,Op een Arabische site las ik een vraag aan dr. Said Elbouti, een hoge moefti in Syrië. Hem werd door een Syriër in Duitsland gevraagd hoe hij als gelovige moslim een telefoonaansluiting kon nemen en een huis kon huren. Want ene Saifu Deen alMuwahhied had hem opgedragen geen contracten te tekenen waar de Duitse rechter tussen kon komen. De moefti schreef toen terug dat hij heus wel contracten mag tekenen van Allah. Het is dus geen gebruikelijk voorschrift."

Hoe typeert u de woordkeus?

,,De woordkeus van de brief varieert heel erg. Er zijn stukken heel gewoon Nederlands, en er zijn passages die stijver zijn geformuleerd en vertaald lijken."

Wat zijn de Nederlandse passages?

,,In de brief aan Hirsi Ali bedoel ik bijvoorbeeld de hele tweede alinea na de aanhef. Daarin staan passe-partoutzinnen die meermalen te gebruiken zijn. De Nederlandse passages zijn de zinnen waarin namen genoemd worden. Die zijn anders van toon en woordkeus."

Wat betekenen uw conclusies voor het verdere justitiële onderzoek?

,,Je moet niet uitsluiten dat er een internationaal, Europees opererend groepje achter zit. Het kan een rookgordijn zijn, maar op basis van de tekst denk ik vooralsnog niet aan Al Qaeda, maar eerder aan freelancers die voor zichzelf begonnen zijn."

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Jihad Mail from Mohammed B.

By Mark van Eeerenbeemt and Anieke Kranenberg

Translated by Beila Rabinowitz director MIM

Amsterdam:

Mohammed B. who is in custody for the murder of Theo van Gogh had announced himself as a terrorist under a pseudonym, according to a Spanish paper. "Mr. Donner, what is your next legal proposal to stop us terrorists?" wrote the Muslim extremist Abu Zubair on an internet forum.

According to Spanish newspapers, who were citing documents from the department of justice, Abu Zubair, is the pseudonym of Mohammed B. Parts of the text from Abu Zubair were found verbatim in his contributions to the neighborhood paper (he wrote for) in Amsterdam West. The Public Ministry in Amsterdam which is in charge of the investigation , did not know of the pseudonym or the internet texts.

Under the name of Abu Zubair he spread emails which called for Jihad. In "The True Muslim" world leaders, among them premier Balkenende, was advised to submit to Islam or else to resign. "The spirit of Jihad is wafting over the earth ".

Legal translator Hamdy Abdel Gawad reported the Jihad mail to the police in Haaglanden. "I want this investigated", he said to this paper.The translator said that he heard nothing more from the police.

The security services (AIVD) has since been informed of the writings of Abu Zubair. A spokesman will not say if there is any investigation, or confirm if Abu Zubair is the pseudonym of Mohammed B. This was not mentioned in the "fact construction" of last week.

Passages from "The True Muslim" are similiar to that which Mohammed B. wrote in a piece "Islam and Integratie". In it he claims that man cannot change the laws of Allah. "From a physical point of view every creature on earth is Muslim (he has given himself over)".

In article from July 28 on rifgate.nl, Mohamed B. threatens the king of Morocco, who he calls a whore of the American president Bush. In addition to Donner, he also takes aim at minister Remkes,and Verdonk, and cabinet member Wilders. "And with this I call yet again to recruit the youth for Jihad."

Additional information:

An investigation by this paper shows that Abu Zubair announced himself as a terrorist at the end of July on an internet forum. The Spanish papers were the first to make it known that he had used the pseudonym Mohamed B.

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http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/1100588832031.html

'Jihad-mail' van Mohammed B.
Door Marc van den Eerenbeemt en Annieke Kranenberg

AMSTERDAM - Mohammed B., die vastzit voor de moord op Theo van Gogh, heeft zich volgens Spaanse media eind juli onder een schuilnaam gemeld als terrorist. 'Meneer Donner, wat is uw volgende wetsvoorstel om ons terroristen een halt toe te roepen?', schrijft de moslimextremist Abu Zubair op een internetforum.

Abu Zubair is volgens Spaanse kranten, die citeren uit documenten van justitie, de schuilnaam van Mohammed B. Delen van teksten van Abu Zubair op internet komen letterlijk overeen met een bijdrage van Mohammed B. aan een buurtkrant in Amsterdam-West. Het Openbaar Ministerie in Amsterdam, dat de moord onderzoekt, kent de schuilnaam en de internetteksten niet.

Onder de naam Abu Zubair verspreidde een moslimextremist dit voorjaar al e-mails waarin werd opgeroepen tot de jihad. In De Ware Moslim worden wereldleiders, onder wie premier Balkenende, aangeraden zich te onderwerpen aan de islam of anders af te treden. 'De geest van jihad waart over de aarde'.

Gerechtstolk Hamdy Abdel Gawad deed dit voorjaar aangifte van deze jihad-mail bij de politie Haaglanden. 'Ik wil dat dit wordt uitgezocht', zei hij toen tegen deze krant. De tolk zei gisteravond dat hij nooit meer iets van de politie heeft vernomen.

De inlichtingendienst AIVD is destijds ook op de hoogte gesteld van het schrijven van Abu Zubair. Een woordvoerder van de AIVD wil niet zeggen of hiernaar onderzoek is verricht, noch of Abu Zubair de schuilnaam is van Mohammed B. In de feitenreconstructie van vorige week wordt dit niet gemeld.

Passages uit De Ware Moslim zijn gelijk aan die uit een stuk dat Mohammed B. in april 2003 schreef over 'Islam en integratie'. Hierin betoogt hij dat de mens de wetten van Allah niet kan veranderen. 'Fysiek gezien is elk levend wezen op aarde moslim (hij die zich heeft overgegeven).'

In het artikel van 28 juli op rifgate.nl bedreigt Abu Zubair de koning van Marokko, die hij een hoer van de Amerikaanse president Bush noemt. Naast Donner richt hij zich ook op de ministers Remkes en Verdonk en Kamerlid Wilders. 'En bij deze doe ik inderdaad nog een oproep om de jeugd voor de jihad te recruteren.'

Verbetering:

Uit eigen onderzoek van deze krant is gebleken dat Abu Zubair zich eind juli bekendmaakte als terrorist op een internetforum. Dit is niet door de Spaanse media gemeld. De Spaanse kranten maakten er wel als eerste melding van dat Abu Zubair de schuilnaam is van Mohammed B.

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MIM: If this isn't war what is?

The body of Theo van Gogh lies alone on an Amsterdam street


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