| "Mahmoud! Shoot him!" "He's in jug, boss!" "Then blow up the calaboose!" |
Iraq's al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi reproached his spiritual mentor for criticising suicide attacks in Iraq, saying this only weakened the jihad, according to an internet statement attributed to him on Monday. Issam Baraqi, better known as Sheik Abu Mohammad al-Maqdisi, last week told Al-Jazeera television that random suicide bombings in Iraq were not valid and that it was wrong to "declare Shiites infidels or make them equal to Jews or Christians".Al Qaeda Organisation for Holy War in Iraq, led by Zarqawi, has carried out some of the deadliest attacks against US forces, the Iraqi Government and forces and Shiite Muslims. "This [criticism] does not harm me as much as it harms this jihad ... the blessings of which are apparent to anyone who has eyes," said the statement apparently signed by Zarqawi. "Do not follow in the devil's footsteps or you shall perish, and beware, our virtuous sheik, from the cunning of God's enemies and from being lured into dividing the mujahideen [holy fighters]," said the statement posted on an Islamist website.
Zarqawi said he shared some of Maqdisi's beliefs but did not "follow him blindly". The Sunni Muslim militant has in the past defended the killing of innocent Muslims in suicide bombings, saying it was permitted by Islam for the sake of jihad. Last Tuesday, Jordan rearrested Maqdisi, who says he remains committed to Sunni orthodoxy, for alleged contact with terror groups. The arrest came a week after he was freed from six months behind bars. Sources said the authorities were upset the cleric did not disavow Zarqawi although he criticised some of his methods. Muslim scholars say Maqdisi's teachings have influenced Zarqawi's mindset since they