American Jihadi Abu Mansur al-Ameriki (Amriki), in Somalia, Responds to U.S. President Barack Obama's Cairo Speech

Abu Mansur al-Ameriki in the field in Somalia, with the Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahidin logo to the left.

ANOTHER "BREAKING NEWS" POST FROM Occident!

View my earlier post, Landscapes of Jihad: Part II, Somalia, HERE.

Late yesterday evening, a new audio message was posted on the main Salafi jihadi online discussion forums from Abu Mansur al-Ameriki (also spelled, Abu Mansur Amriki and Abu Mansoor Amriki), an American member and spokesman of sorts for the Somali radical group Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahidin [Movement of the Mujahidin-Youth] and its paramilitary wing, the Jaysh al-'Usrah [Army of "Hardship"] which responds to U.S. President Barack Obama's recent speech in Cairo that was aimed, supposedly, at the "Muslim world." I posted segments from a panel discussion about the speech HERE. Very little is known about Abu Mansur, other than he speaks fluent English with some type of "American" accent. He also speaks, it seems, fluent Arabic. His response to Obama has been teased for the past week on the forums.

Abu Mansur first appeared in the video release "Ambush at Bardale," posted on Salafi online forums in March of this year. The video opened with shots of Shabab fighters and was followed by footage of Abu Mansur instructing them for an upcoming ambush of Somali interim government forces. The movement is currently battling the interim government in the capital city of Mogadishu, and controls much of the southern part of the country. The Somali minister of security, Omar Hashi Aden, was killed in June by a kamikaze car bombing.

Abu Mansur al-Ameriki, from the Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahidin video release "Ambush at Bardale" (pronounced "Bar-da-lee").

The audio response, which is just over 27-minutes long, features Abu Mansur countering Obama's speech, which is described as being little more than a "change" in tactics, by highlighting his hypocrisy in accusing the "Mujahidin" of actions that the U.S. has also perpetrated, such as war crimes and gross abuses of human rights. Among the historical instances Abu Mansur highlights are the centuries of slavery, wars against Native Americans, racism against African-Americans, the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the Second World War, carpet bombing in Vietnam, and killing tens of thousands of civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, arming Saddam Husayn when he was murdering thousands of Iraqi Kurds in the 1980s, and causing the death of an estimated one million Iraqi children during the 1990s sanctions against Iraq under Saddam Husayn.

Intro screenshot to the audio response

Some of Abu Mansur's most interesting rhetoric comes in the beginning and end of his response (see the first couple of pages in the transcript, prepared from the original audio file by moi). One of the most interesting parts comes in his "advice" to American Muslims, who he laments have not embraced al-Qa'ida "Central's" (AQC) ideology and platform:

"...to the nearly seven million Muslims of America, I would like to extend some sincere advice. The animosity that America holds for Islam and Muslims, and the establishment of an Islamic state, has become clear as day, and it is a fact that cannot be denied by any intelligent person. The Muslims in America felt that fact after September 11, as thousands were jailed and new laws were passed, as you well know. The whole Ummah feels the enmity, oppression, and evil of America, and your Muslim brothers and sisters are surprised at how you are staying in America. It is known that you are paying taxes, which in turn are being used to make tanks and bombs, and to support Israel, among other things. Obama himself mentioned that you are enriching his country, to creating businesses and teaching in American universities. Some of the Muslims give you the benefit of the doubt, saying that you must be in such a difficult situation that you aren’t even able to emigrate. But Allah knows that in most cases, it isn’t like that. Allah, the Exalted, said about those who choose to remain oppressed instead of making Hijrah [emigrating to Muslim lands]:

إن الذين توفاهم الملانكة ظالمي أنفسهم قالوا فيم كنتم قالوا كنا مستضعفين في الأرض قالوا ألم تكن أرض الله واسعة فتهاجروا فيها فاولئك ماواهم جهنم و ساءت مصيرا

“Indeed, those whose souls are taken by the angels while they are oppressing themselves, the angels say to them: ‘What type of situation were you in?’ They say: ‘We used to be oppressed in the land.’ The angels say: ‘Wasn’t the land of Allah expansive enough that you could emigrate therein?’ Those are the ones whose abode is Hellfire, and what a terrible destination.”

You must turn to the Hands of Allah, and join the Ummah. You must use your talents and money and lives in support of the Muslims, rather than those who are at war with Allah’s religion. Reject the calls of Obama, and answer the calls of the oppressed.

Allah, the Exalted, said:

و ما لكم لا تقاتلون في سبيل الله و المستضعفين من الرجال و النساء و الولدان الذين يقولون ربنا أخر جنا من هذه القرية الظالم أهلها و اجعل لنا من لدنك نصيرا. (75) الذين آمنوا يقاتلون في سبيل الله و الذين كفروا يقاتلون في سبيل الله الطاغوت فقاتلوا أولياء الشيطان إن كيد الشيطان كان ضعيفا .

(Surah al-Nisa’ 75-76)

“And what is the matter with you that you do not fight in the way of Allah, and the oppressed from amongst the men and the women and children who say, ‘O, our Lord, remove us from this town of oppressors, and make for us a protector from Yourself, and make for us a victor.’ Those who believe fight in the way of Allah, and those who disbelieve fight in the way of the Taghut [Idolaters]. So, fight the allies of Shaytan [Satan]; Indeed the plot of Shaytan is ever weak.”

Screenshot from the audio response, showing Abu Mansur, and the Arabic subtitles/translation to his English language response.

The "minor change" in Obama's still-imperial approach, according to Abu Mansur, is due to the military setbacks faced by the Americans from the AQC Mujahidin:

"Our positions, both the American position and the position of the mujahidin, have not changed in the least. All that has changed is the way in which the position is being presented. The Prophet, peace be upon him, has already informed us of the power of speech, when he said: ‘Indeed in speech there is a form of magic.’ This magic of charisma is what lifted Obama to the global stage, and what caused him to become the first African-American president.

However, this power of conveyance and magical charisma has not changed the reality of the American goals and it has not caused any success for America, economically or militarily. But one very important change must be noted, which is the change in the way America The cowboy flavor has melted away, and instead we have a new, apologetic and humble approach which seeks to find sympathetic people from within the Muslim world to spread the teachings of democracy by deceit instead of destruction. This change is nearly identical to the change that was forced upon the Crusaders after they had been defeated militarily and chased from the Muslim lands. There began a new chapter in their war against the Muslims: a war of thoughts, a war of hearts and minds. This war eventually caused the secularization of the Muslims and laid the foundation for the colonization that Obama apologized to us about in his speech. The reality is that he is only changing his strategy from a short term win to a long term victory. If we study his words carefully, we can note very clearly that this new beginning is still heavily based on American interests.

The only difference is that Obama is now willing to spread the pie a little more to the Muslim world. This is not because he loves the Muslims he lived in Indonesia with as a boy, but rather it is because the only way to defeat the Muslims is by distracting them with this temporary life. This is a recipe for success that has been tried and tested. He wants to build hospitals, roads, and schools. He wants to develop the economy of Pakistan and develop the country and provide services. Why? Because he admits that military power alone is not going to win the war in Afghanistan. In other words, he wants to buy the hearts and minds of the Muslim Ummah worldwide. Is that in our interests as Muslims, or in the interests of America? "

More screenshots from the audio response

Abu Mansur discusses why, in AQC's ideology, issues such as "human rights" and "freedom of speech" are "un-Islamic." He notes that AQC, unlike the U.S., carefully selected legitimate targets on September 11, 2001 (military targets like the Pentagon, political targets like Capital Hill, and the economic center of the World Trade Center, which "funded" American imperialism). U.S. military presence across the Muslim world, and indeed across the globe, and the ongoing conflicts in Palestine, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq are highlighted. Abu Mansur has harsh words for the 'ulama who have actively opposed AQC's ideology.



Toward the end, Abu Mansur notes the presence of American jihadis abroad, particularly in Somalia among the ranks of Harakat Shabab al-Mujahidin, as video clips of them appear on the screen. The (in)famous American AQC spokesman Adam Gadahn, a.k.a. 'Azzam al-Ameriki (The American), is also shown. Unlike Abu Mansur, Gadahn is believed to be a member of AQC and not a regional affiliate, like the Shabab.



Normally, I would highlight more choice sections from the response, but, considering that I forewent sleep in order to produce a full transcript (which I could not find on the forums), I will leave it to you, my readers, to read the transcript and/or view the linked video for yourselves. I have annotated the transcript, with notes in brackets, where I thought additional explanation was necessary.

The Beginning of the End
VIEW MY TRANSCRIPT OF THE AUDIO RELEASE


View the Audio release video, part 1 of 3, here (I recommend that those interested view it soon, as these videos tend to be removed from YouTube very often.) Embedded for academic purposes only.