The Complete Infidel's Guide to ISIS (13 page)

Calling the Muslims in the U.S. to Arms

On September 16, an Islamic State document entitled “To 2.6M Muslims in USA: A Call to Arms to Defend Islam and Avenge the Slaughter of
Muslims” called for Muslims in the West to wage “open source jihad” by mounting “lone wolf operations.”

This is the appeal that pointed out, “Knocking off a police, military or any other law-enforcement officer sends a chilling message to the so-called ‘civilians’ and fills their hearts with consternation.”
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According to the FBI, which made this threat public on October 11, 2014—less than two weeks before Zale Thompson’s hatchet attack on the NYPD—the “list of potential targets” also included “FBI personnel, government officials and media figures.”
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“We Have Prepared for You What Will Pain You”

On September 21, 2014, Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammad Adnani issued a lengthy and remarkable statement calling Muslims in the West to jihad. It is worth examining at length, as it reveals a great deal about the Islamic State’s current mindset, as well as its goals for the future of the United States and the world.

The West, Adnani said, is not as strong as it seems to be: it is, rather, “a conceited and brash encampment of falsehood, which demonstrates itself to be powerful, and subduing, one that no conqueror can dominate nor any defender withstand. But the reality is they are fearful and terrified, humiliated and left with a weak plan, shaken and defeated, despite their uninhibited movement throughout the lands.”
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By contrast, the believers are weak in earthly wealth and military might, but have the power of Allah on their side.

Adnani told the “soldiers of the Islamic State”: “By Allah, He has healed the chests of the believers through the killing of the nusayriyyah (alawites) and rafidah (shiites) at your hands.”
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This was a reference to the Qur’an’s promise that Allah will soothe the hearts (or “heal the chests” as Adnani put it, or “satisfy the breasts” in the translation below) of those who wage jihad
against the unbelievers: “Fight them; Allah will punish them by your hands and will disgrace them and give you victory over them and satisfy the breasts of a believing people and remove the fury in the believers’ hearts” (9:14–15).

Comparing the skepticism that greeted the Islamic State’s declaration of the caliphate to the skepticism that initially greeted Muhammad, Adnani declared, “If the people belie you, reject your state and your call, and mock your caliphate, then know that your Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) was belied. His call was rejected. He was mocked.”
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But, he said, Allah will grant the Islamic State victory because of its fidelity to him.

Then came the warning to the West: “O America, O allies of America, and O crusaders, know that the matter is more dangerous than you have imagined and greater than you have envisioned.” Like many other jihadists, Adnani boasted that the Muslims will defeat the infidels because they love death more than the infidels love life, and since Paradise awaits them, they win either way.
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