Activists from the terrorist group al-Qaeda posted a harsh warning to Egyptian political analyst Diaa Rashwan in which they threatened to kill him if he does not stop his criticism of al-Qaeda. According to the statement, published in the Egyptian independent daily al-Badeel, the group warned on its website that the expert on militant Islam at the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies to keep silent and stop writing analyses "against Islam and Muslims" and "fighting God and His prophet."The statement included a picture of a knife with drops of blood and a caption that said "The Mujahideen don't joke."
"We managed to get Bhutto with all her guards, so don't be fooled by whoever pays you. You have to know that the lions are watching, so be very careful," the statement warned.
Diaa Rashwan told AlArabiya.net that the threat came only minutes after comment he made about al-Qaeda's latest tape, released on the eve of the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks for which al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden accepted responsibility.
Rashwan said the title of his criticism of the tape's title, "Eight years of Crusade wars," was likely the provocation. "I commented that the title was catchy, but that they haven't scored any victories," said Rashwan. "This of course is the exact opposite of what they believe."
Rashwan said al-Qaeda members are always disturbed by facts. "That is why they described me as an agent of the Egyptian regime."
"This is not the first time I receive death threats from al-Qaeda activists via their website, but it was never that explicit. The title of the statement was 'A message to Diaa Rashwan' and was written by someone with leverage on al-Qaeda online forums," he added.
Rashwan said he was not concerned about the threats. "Al-Qaeda has no members in Egypt, and even if it has they wouldn't have threatened me. They would've just proved how serious they are and act right away," he said.
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Rashwan added that members of al-Qaeda differ ideologically. For example, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, who hails from Egypt, condoned bloodshed as well, but always focused on heads of state, who they see as the source of corruption, and not intellectuals. "What is very ironic is that in Egypt I am considered a supporter of the Muslim brotherhood, while for al-Qaeda I am a mercenary of the regime."