If Al-Qaida wants a "holy war" against Israel, it, and
its mis-guided followers may find that God will accommodate
them, but it will not be Israel that is destroyed. 

Hamongog awaits them.

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Al-Qaida calls for holy war against Israel

By WILLA THAYER, Associated Press Writer 41 minutes ago 

CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader issued a worldwide call
Thursday for Muslims to rise up in a holy war against Israel and
join the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza until Islam reigns from 
"Spain to Iraq."

In the message broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, Ayman al-Zawahri,
second in command to Osama bin Laden, said that al-Qaida now views
"all the world as a battlefield open in front of us."

The Egyptian-born physician said that the fighting between Israel and
Hezbollah and Palestinian militants would not be ended with "cease-
fires or agreements."

"It is a jihad (holy war) for the sake of God and will last until
(our) religion prevails ... from Spain to Iraq," al-Zawahri said. 
"We will attack everywhere." Spain was controlled by Arab Muslims 
for more than seven centuries until they were driven from power 
in 1492.

He said Arab regimes were accomplices to Israel. "My fellow Muslims,
it is obvious that Arab and Islamic governments are not only impotent
but also complicit ... and you are alone on the battlefield. Rely on
God and fight your enemies ... make yourselves martyrs."

He also called for the "downtrodden" throughout the world, not just
Muslims, to join the battle against "tyrannical Western civilization
and its leader, America."

"Stand with Muslims in confronting this unprecedented oppression and
tyranny. Stand with us as we stand with you against this injustice
that was forbidden by God in his book (the Quran)," al-Zawahri said.

Kamal Habib, a former member of Egypt's Islamic Jihad militant group
who was jailed from 1981 to 1991 along with al-Zawahri, said the al-
Qaida No. 2's outreach to Shiites and non-Muslims was unprecedented
and reflected a major change in tactics.

"This is a transformation in the vision of al-Qaida and its struggle
with the United States. It is now trying to unite Sunni Muslims,
Shiite Muslims and calling for non-Muslims to join the fight," he
said.

Al-Zawahri wore a gray robe and white turban in the video. A picture
of the burning World Trade Center was on the wall behind him along
with photos of two other militants. One appeared to be a bearded
Mohamed Atta, the Egyptian ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks. The
other was Mohammed Atef, also known as Abu Hafs al-Masri, a former top
lieutenant of bin Laden who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in
Afghanistan in November 2001.

[...]

Al-Zawahri said Muslims everywhere must rise up to attack "crusaders
and Zionists" and support jihad "until American troops are chased from
Afghanistan and Iraq, paralyzed and impotent ... having paid the price
for aggression against Muslims and support for Israel."

[...]

Source: "Yahoo"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060727/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_fighting_al_qaida


Cheers, Steve..

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