Iftikhar Hussain Jazib
Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and Daesh have emerged from the shambles of Al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria but their violence, atrocities and criminality have even humbled Al-Qaeda and its affiliated terrorist outfits. The group is extensively using audio/ video contents to display its capacity for terror, which is only creating Daesh’s fear but its excesses and un-Islamic practices are also backfiring simultaneously. Interestingly, Al-Qaeda and its operatives active on the social media are the first to criticize Daesh for such audio video contents of brutality and cruelty.
Daesh is publishing an online magazine Dabaq in which scathing criticism is made on Ayman Al-Zawahiri, Al-Qaeda and its various branches and affiliates. Daesh’s operatives and media experts hatefully mention Zawahiri with the title of a Zionist on various online Jihadi forums and websites. Daesh also criticizes Taliban who are hosting Al-Qaeda in Af-Pak region.
Recently, Al-Qaeda’s Branch, Al-Nusra Front has also launched its online magazine ‘Al-Risalah’ to counter Dabaq and Daesh’s propaganda against Al-Qaeda. Much of the magazine is dedicated to justifying Al-Qaeda’s actions as legitimate while rejecting practices of Baghdadi’s Daesh. Daesh has painted the religion and the Jihad movement with red blood, which has compelled the people to think that Jihad only consist of slaughter and killing. Abu Bakr Al-Bagdadi is not an Imam that would lead the Muslims, rather his actions have hurt Muslim Ummah severely and repeatedly, which has disappointed many Muslims. Similar criticism was made on Baghdadi and Daesh in recent issue of Resurgence, a magazine published by Al-Qaeda’s media wing As-Sahab.
This propaganda and counter propaganda demonstrate that both Al-Qaeda and Daesh are ideologically hollow and completely wrong. They have killed thousands of Salafi/Wahabi jihadis to overcome one another in Iraq and Syria.
The writer tweets @Radiant_J_007
