Al Queda gets political
TNR has published an analysis of the recent Zawahiri tape.
But while Al Zawahiri is willing to make a nod to the Western left, he makes no similar overture toward reformers in the Arab world. On the question of whether Sunni Islamists of any shade should participate in Arab elections–be they in Gaza and the West Bank a few weeks back, or perhaps in Egypt down the road–Al Zawahiri seems to be taking a decisive stand. He urges the Ummah to “snatch back” the reins of power, apparently eschewing the possibility of gains for Islamists through a nonviolent electoral process. This is a rejection, for example, of Hamas ideologue Mahmoud Al Zahhar’s statement earlier this week to a Gaza newspaper suggesting that his movement might join the Palestinian legislative assembly.
Al Qaeda may kill hundreds of innocents in Spain to influence the outcome of elections there–or deliver a tirade against George Bush on the eve of the American elections, apparently to influence voters here–but the movement seems to have no appetite for achieving its goals through elections in Arab and Muslim countries. In this respect, today’s message wasn’t just another hyperbolic rant. It drew a philosophical line in the sand. And among Arabs and Muslims, it may prove to be an unpopular one.