http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MD07Ak04.html
Apr 7, 2011 Islamists prepare for new role By Syed Saleem Shahzad LONDON - The great 2011 Arab revolt has changed the dynamics of the Muslim world, especially in the thinking of anti-Western Islamic groups operating in the Middle East and North Africa that are now finding common ground with the democratic forces in their countries. The magnitude of the change is such that it has set off fierce debate among Western policymakers on a key question: what are the chances of peace if Islamic groups are allowed to engage in mainstream political processes? And further, in what way might this affect al-Qaeda? "Al-Qaeda is considered an organization that is against all nation states of the world," a senior British counter-terrorism official told Asia Times Online on condition of anonymity when asked of the possibility of Western intelligence agencies opening up channels of communication with al-Qaeda, like they have done with the Taliban. "However, we have seen that some Arab states have not only communicated with al-Qaeda, they have at times struck successful deals with them which have continued for many years. This shows that al-Qaeda is not opaque and is amenable to major policy shifts," the official said. The major developments in Egypt within Islamist camps following the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak have forced Western capitals to review their thinking on al-Qaeda. Egypt is the motherland of neo-Islamists, the home of Muslim Brotherhood societies and underground militant groups that gravitated to Afghanistan to form an "Egyptian camp" that became al-Qaeda's linchpin. (See Al-Qaeda's unfinished work). The revolt in Egypt was a major windfall for the neo-Islamists released from jail in large numbers. They include leaders like Abboud al-Zumar, the founder of the Jamaatul Jihad that assassinated president Anwar Sadat in 1981 and which was led by al-Qaeda's ideologue, Egyptian Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri, in the 1980s. Not everyone believes, however, that the Islamists will necessarily triumph. Abboud al-Zumar, a former colonel and military intelligence official, spent 30 years in jail and believes democracy will prevent Islamists from ever again taking up guns against the state. "I speak almost every other day to Zumar," Yassar al-Sirri told Asia Times Online. Sirri is an Egyptian dissident based in London and is the director of the Islamic Observation Center. "He [Zumar] cast his vote in the recent referendum in Egypt [on constitutional reform] which shows his trust in democracy. I and many other friends have recommended to him to contest in the next presidential elections [in September]. Whether he agrees with that or not, he will certainly take part in the election process by supporting somebody else," said Sirri, who in 1994 was sentenced to death in absentia for his alleged involvement in a failed assassination attempt on former Egyptian prime minister Atef Sedki, in which a young girl was killed. Sirri denies the charge. He was also accused in the British media of being involved in the September 9, 2001, assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the leader of the Afghan Northern Alliance, which was carried out by al-Qaeda hitmen. Sirri is wanted by United States as well as Egyptian authorities. He was arrested by the British government to be passed on to the Americans but a United Kingdom court ordered his release. Only a few militants remain in Egyptian jails, including Rafah Taha of the International Islamic Front. "At the moment, there is a bid for all detained Islamists - whichever group they belong to and even those that are run by the likes of Showki al-Islambouli [allegedly involved in an attempt to murder Mubarak and who is believed to be in the regions of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran] - to be cleared of the false charges under which they were tried and sentenced," Sirri said. "All major Islamic groups are now in consultation for a joint strategy in this regard. The outcome will be very positive, that is, all Islamists will lay down their weapons and will continue their struggle through democratic processes." Sirri added that their earlier struggles were peaceful but repressive Middle Eastern regimes, especially in Egypt, choked all arteries for them to operate through peaceful political means. "Even organizations like al-Qaeda turned against Western governments because they facilitated tyrant Muslim regimes," said Sirri, who has contacted the Egyptian Embassy in London to obtain a passport so he can return to Egypt. "I will not write an apology and nor will I request an amnesty because all the charges against me were false. I will simply go back to Egypt and play a role in politics," Sirri said. Sirri attempted to save the life of British citizen Kenneth Bigley, who was abducted by an extremist group led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 2004 in Iraq. At Sirri's request, Bigley was spared for several weeks, unlike the two Americans who were abducted with him. However, when the Americans launched operations against Zarqawi, he killed Bigley before escaping. Sirri believes that if the present trends continue and militants are dealt with as human beings, he would welcome people like Zawahiri back Egypt to be a part of the political process. "Now, all Islamic groups are in consultation and they have developed a consensus for a few broader aims, These are welfare, the need for dawa [missionary activities] and peaceful political struggle," Sirri said. Earlier, al-Qaeda ideologues issued 20 guidelines for jihad in which they emphasized the need for the political mainstreaming of al-Qaeda and urged reconnection with Islamic political groups and the Muslim intelligentsia. (See Broadside fired at al-Qaeda leaders Asia Times Online, December 10, 2010.) For Western capitals, talking to al-Qaeda remains out of the question at this stage. Nonetheless, it is an issue that for the first time is being given some consideration; Egypt was a major catalyst in the change of thinking. Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief and author of upcoming book Inside al-Qaeda and the Taliban, beyond 9/11 published by Pluto Press, UK. He can be reached at [email protected] (Copyright 2011 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. 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